Spagna
Spagna | |
|---|---|
 Spagna performing in 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ivana Spagna |
| Born | 16 December 1954 |
| Origin | Valeggio sul Mincio, Italy |
| Genres | Italo disco |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | Official website |
Ivana Spagna (born 16 December 1954), known mononymously as Spagna (Italian: [ˈspaɲɲa]), is an Italian singer and songwriter.
Career
Spagna started her career singing in English and in the early 1980s she provided vocals (with Angela Parisi) and wrote songs for an Italo disco duo called Fun Fun;[1] as well as writing songs for many other dance music projects until 1986, when she embarked on a solo career.
Spagna's debut single "Easy Lady", released in 1986, was a success across Europe. In 1987, she released "Call Me", which topped the European Hot 100 Singles chart, and reached number two in Italy and on the UK Singles Chart. It also reached number 13 on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart. Her debut album, Dedicated to the Moon, was released the same year and sold over 500,000 copies.
After the UK hit "Every Girl and Boy" and a dance-rock album, You Are My Energy (1988), Spagna moved to Santa Monica, California, and recorded her third album No Way Out (1991). This album featured a song written by Diane Warren ("There's a Love"), and two singles ("Love at First Sight" and "Only Words") which peaked at #5 on the Italian chart. The album was certified Platinum (over 100,000 copies sold).
In 1993, Spagna moved back to Europe, and recorded Matter of Time, featuring the two successful Eurodance singles, "Why Me" (number 10 in Italy) and "I Always Dream About You" (number five in Italy).
In 1995, after the release of "Lady Madonna" (number four in Italy), Spagna started singing in her native Italian. After achieving a great success in Italy with the Italian version of Elton John's "Circle of Life" ("Il cerchio della vita"), featured in the Italian soundtrack of the Disney film The Lion King, she took part in the Sanremo Festival, the most important Italian song contest, ranking 3rd in 1995 with the song "Gente Come Noi". Her first album in Italian, Siamo in due, sold over 350,000 copies and became the best-selling album by a female singer in Italy that year.
From that year onwards, Spagna released many successful albums sung in Italian (including hit singles such as "Siamo in due", "E io penso a te", "Lupi solitari", "Indivisibili", "Dov'eri", "Il bello della vita-World Cup Song", "Con il tuo nome") until 2003, when she left Sony Music in order to sing in English again. She signed to an independent Swiss record label (B&G), and recorded Woman, a dance-pop album featuring eight new songs in English, two in Spanish and one in French. The album spawned three singles; "Never Say You Love Me", "Woman" and "Do It With Style". In 2004 a new remixed version of "Easy Lady" was released.
Spagna's albums and singles have sold a total of over 15 million copies worldwide, for which she has been awarded the "Disco d'oro alla carriera" (Gold certification for the career) by the Italian Federation of the Music Industry (FIMI) in 2006. In February 2006 she took part in the Sanremo Festival again, with the song "Noi non possiamo cambiare", and in May 2006 ranked third in the Italian reality television program, Music Farm.
In 2008 Spagna was honoured with a honoris causas degree by the University of Malta[2]
In February 2009, Spagna released the EP Lola & Angiolina Project, in collaboration with the Italian rockstar Loredana Bertè. The first single from this was the rock ballad "Comunque Vada".
In 2012 Spagna published the English language album, Four, with artists Brian Auger, Eumir Deodato, Dominic Miller, Lou Marini, Gregg Kofi Brown, Fabrizio Bosso and Ronnie Jones.
In 2014 Spagna returned to dance music, releasing the single The Magic of Love and then in 2015 two more singles: Baby Don't Go and Straight to Hell, with a video inspired by The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
In 2019 Spagna released "Cartagena", a pop song in collaboration with Jay Santos. The song sold 200.000 copies, her highest selling single since the late 90s.
Discography
Albums
| Date | Album |
|---|---|
| 1987 | Dedicated to the Moon |
| 1988 | You Are My Energy |
| 1991 | No Way Out |
| 1993 | Greatest Hits |
| Matter of Time | |
| 1995 | Siamo In Due |
| 1996 | Lupi Solitari |
| 1997 | Indivisibili |
| 1998 | E che mai sarà: le mie più belle canzoni |
| 2000 | Domani |
| 2001 | La nostra canzone |
| 2002 | Woman |
| 2004 | L'arte di arrangiarsi |
| 2005 | Diario di bordo |
| 2006 | Diario di bordo - Voglio sdraiarmi al sole |
| 2009 | Lola & Angiolina Project (with Loredana Bertè) |
| Il cerchio della vita | |
| 2010 | Buon Natale |
| 2012 | Four |
| 2019 | 1954 |
Singles
| Date | Single |
|---|---|
| 1971 | "Mamy Blue" |
| 1972 | "Ari Ari" |
| 1984 | "Rise Up (For My Love)" (as Yvonne Kay)[3] |
| 1986 | "Easy Lady" |
| 1987 | "Call Me" |
| "Dance Dance Dance" | |
| "Dedicated to the Moon" | |
| "Sarah" | |
| 1988 | "Every Girl and Boy" |
| "I Wanna Be Your Wife" | |
| 1989 | "This Generation" |
| 1991 | "Only Words" |
| "Love at First Sight" | |
| 1992 | "No Way Out" |
| 1993 | "I Always Dream About You" |
| "Why Me" | |
| 1994 | "Lady Madonna" |
| "Il Cerchio Della Vita" | |
| "Circle of Life (Euro pop dance version)" | |
| 1995 | "Come Il Cielo" |
| "Gente Come Noi" | |
| 1996 | "E io penso a te" |
| "Ci Sarò" | |
| 1997 | "Indivisibili" |
| 1998 | "E Che Mai Sarà" |
| "Il Bello Della Vita" | |
| "So volare" | |
| 2000 | "Con il tuo nome" |
| "Mi amor" | |
| 2001 | "Quella Carezza Della Sera" |
| "Eloise" | |
| 2002 | "Never Say You Love Me" |
| 2003 | "Do It with Style" |
| 2004 | "Easy Lady 2004" (Ice & Cream vs Spagna) |
| 2006 | "Noi non possiamo cambiare" |
| 2008 | "Musica e parole" (with Loredana Bertè) |
| "Dancing on the Beach" (with Robb Cole) | |
| 2009 | "Easy Lady 2009" remake |
| 2010 | "Call Me 2010" remake |
| 2014 | "The Magic of Love" |
| 2015 | "Baby Don't Go" |
| "Straight to Hell" | |
| 2016 | "D.A.N.C.E." |
References
- Guinness Book of British Hit Singles (16th Edition) - ISBN 0-85112-190-X
