Franco De Vita

Name	Franco De Vita
Background	solo_singer
Born	January 23, 1954
Origin	Caracas, Venezuela
Genre	Latin pop
Years active	1982–present
Associated acts	Wisin & Yandel
Url	Official Website

Franco De Vita (born January 23, 1954 in Caracas, Venezuela) is a singer-songwriter of Latin music. His first disc as a solo artist garnered three Spanish-language hits in Venezuela. He signed with the Sony label in 1988, and in 1990, his album Extranjero had a song that reached No. 1 on the U.S. Latin charts and won an MTV Video Music Award. His 2004 album Stop reached the Top 10 throughout Latin America and on the U.S. Latin charts.

Career

1980s

One of four children born in Venezuela to Italian immigrants, De Vita’s family returned to Italy when he was 3. The family moved back to Venezuela when De Vita was 13. Due to his upbringing in 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. The album spun off three Spanish-language hits: "Somos Tres", "No Hay Cielo", and "Un Buen Perdedor". His 1986 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 Sony label for the 1988 album Al Norte Del Sur. 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 U.S. Latin charts and won an MTV Video Music Award.

1990s

Most 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 U.S. 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 Y 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 y Yandel, as well as releasing a new studio album, Simplemente La Verdad.

Spanish-language album discography

1984 Franco De Vita

1986 Fantasía

1988 Al Norte Del Sur

1990 Extranjero

1992 En Vivo Marzo 16

1993 Voces a mi Alrededor

1996 Fuera de Este Mundo

1999 Nada Es Igual

2002 Segundas partes también son buenas

2004 Stop

2005 Stop + Algo Más

2006 Mil y Una Historias En Vivo

2008 Simplemente La Verdad

2011 Primera Fila

(excludes compilations)

Album discography (non-Spanish)

1993 Straniero (Italian)

1993 Isto é America (Portuguese)

References

External links

Official Franco De Vita Web Site

Franco De Vita Donde Esta el Amor

Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:People from Caracas Category:Pop pianists Category:Songwriters Category:Spanish-language singers Category:Venezuelan male singers Category:Venezuelan pop singers Category:Venezuelan people of Italian descent