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Franco De Vita

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For the ballet dancer, see American Ballet Theatre.
Franco De Vita
Background information
Born (1954-01-23) January 23, 1954 (age 70)
OriginCaracas, Venezuela
GenresLatin pop, Rock
Years active1982–present
LabelsCBS Records, Sony Music
WebsiteOfficial Website

Franco De Vita (born January 23, 1954 in Caracas, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan Latin Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter. His first album as a solo artist garnered three Spanish-language hits in Venezuela. He signed with the CBS Records label in 1989, and in 1990, his album Extranjero had a song that reached No. 1 on the United States Latin charts and won an MTV Video Music Award. His 2004 album Stop reached the Top 10 throughout Latin America and on the United States Latin charts. In the United States alone, he has scored more than two dozen hits on the Billboard charts.[1]

Career

1980s

One of four children born in Venezuela to Italian immigrants,[1] De Vita's family returned to Rome, Italy when he was 3. The family moved back to Venezuela when De Vita was 13. Due to his upbringing in Rome, Italy, De Vita learned Italian as his first language and did not learn Spanish until he returned to Venezuela at age 13. He later studied piano at the university level. In 1982, De Vita formed the group Icaro, which released one self-titled album in his homeland. Two years later, he released his first disc as a solo artist, simply titled Franco De Vita (1984). The album spun off three Spanish-language hits: "Somos Tres", "No Hay Cielo", and "Un Buen Perdedor". His 1986 in album Fantasía produced several more hits, including the title song and "Aquí Estás Otra Vez". "Sólo Importas Tú", taken from the album, was used as the theme song to the Spanish-language soap opera La Dama De Rosa. He appeared in the end credits of every episode, performing the song at the piano.

Seeking wider international exposure, De Vita moved to the CBS Records label for the 1988 album Al Norte del Sur.[2] The album showed his socially conscious, adult-oriented pop, particularly through the tunes "Te Amo" and "Louis". The latter song, about a daydreaming cabbie who idolizes The Beatles, was promoted with a music video considered quite advanced for its time. De Vita's 1990 album Extranjero featured the song "No Basta", which spent four weeks at No. 1 on the United States Latin charts and won an MTV Video Music Award.

1990s

Subsequent albums have included the live release En Vivo Marzo 16 (1992); Voces a mi Alrededor in 1993; the acoustic-flavored Fuera de Este Mundo (1996); and 1999's world-beat inspired Nada Es Igual. He left Sony for the 2002 album Segundas partes también son buenas, but returned to the label the following year.

2000s

His 2004 album Stop reached the Top 10 throughout Latin America and on the United States Latin charts, spurred by the hits "Tú De Qué Vas" and "Si La Ves," the latter a collaboration with pop group Sin Bandera. That same year, he toured arenas in the United States on a co-headlining tour with Ricardo Montaner, a fellow Venezuelan songwriter. He also has recorded in Italian and Portuguese. As a songwriter, he has written songs for Ricky Martin and Chayanne.

In 2005, an expanded edition of Stop was released, titled Stop + Algo Más, that included remixes and live recordings, as well as No Sé Lo Que Me Das, De Vita's first recording in English. The following year saw the release of Mil y Una Historias En Vivo, a two-disc live album that also featured four studio tracks, including collaborations with Alejandro Fernández and Diego El Cigala. A DVD version was released simultaneously.

In 2007, De Vita collaborated on a single with reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel called "Oye Donde Esta El Amor", which borrowed the chorus from his composition "Donde Esta El Amor." They released an updated version of "Un Buen Perdedor" that peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. In 2008, he re-recorded "Que No Muera La Esperanza" (originally featured on Voces A Mi Alrededor) with Wisin & Yandel, as well as releasing a new studio album, Simplemente La Verdad.

2010s

In 2012, De Vita appeared on Tony Bennett's album Viva Duets. In 2014, De Vita was inducted into the Billboard Latin Music of Fame.[3]

Personal life

De Vita has lived in Madrid since the '90s.[1] In addition to Spanish and Italian, he also speaks English.[1]

Spanish-language album discography

(excludes compilations)

Album discography (non-Spanish)

  • 1993 Straniero (Italian)
  • 1993 Isto é America (Portuguese)

References

  1. ^ a b c d Cordova, Randy." Franco de Vita talks inspiration, influences, 5/10." The Arizona Republic. May 5, 2015.
  2. ^ Birchmeier, Jason. "Biography: Franco De Vita". AMG. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  3. ^ Cantor-Navas, Judy (March 31, 2014). "Franco de Vita to Receive Hall of Fame Honor at 2014 Billboard Latin Music Awards". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
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