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The Village of Questa
—  Village  —
Questa in 1943
Location of Questa, New Mexico
Coordinates: 36°42′23″N 105°35′35″W / 36.70639°N 105.59306°W / 36.70639; -105.59306Coordinates: 36°42′23″N 105°35′35″W / 36.70639°N 105.59306°W / 36.70639; -105.59306
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
County	Taos
Area
• Total	5.1 sq mi (13.2 km2)
• Land	5.1 sq mi (13.2 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	7,461 ft (2,274 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	1,864
• Density	365.0/sq mi (140.9/km2)
Time zone	Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
• Summer (DST)	MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code	87556
Area code(s)	575
FIPS code	35-60870
GNIS feature ID	0909932
Website	http://www.laplaza.org/government/questa/

Questa is a village in Taos County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,864 at the 2000 census. Located on the Enchanted Circle scenic highway, near the confluence of the Rio Grande and the Red River, Questa is the least tourist-oriented town on the route. With a large Hispanic population, the village economy is largely dependent on agriculture and income from the nearby Chevron molybdenum mine. Many residents also commute to Taos, Red River, and Angel Fire to work in the hospitality industries there.

Geography[link]

Questa is located at 36°42′23″N 105°35′35″W / 36.70639°N 105.59306°W / 36.70639; -105.59306 (36.706302, -105.593058).^[1]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 5.1 square miles (13.2 km²), all of it land. The village is a regional hub for the smaller outlying communities of Lama, Cerro, Sunshine Valley, Latir, Costilla, and Amalia.

Questa lies at the western base of the Taos Mountains, part of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Rising above the town to the northeast is the Latir Peak massif, headed by Venado Peak, 12,734 ft (3,881 m); Pinabete Peak, a southwestern outlier of the group, rises closest to Questa. To the southeast lies Flag Mountain, a northwestern spur of the group of mountains that includes Wheeler Peak, the highest peak in New Mexico. To the north and west lie the Rio Grande Gorge, cutting a volcanic plateau dotted with several peaks of volcanic origin.

Demographics[link]

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 1,864 people, 741 households, and 512 families residing in the village. The population density was 365.0 people per square mile (140.8/km²). There were 888 housing units at an average density of 173.9 per square mile (67.1/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 50.16% White, 0.11% African American, 0.70% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 43.40% from other races, and 5.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 80.53% of the population.

There were 741 households out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the village the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $23,448, and the median income for a family was $30,000. Males had a median income of $26,667 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the village was $13,303. About 20.7% of families and 24.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.8% of those under age 18 and 20.4% of those age 65 or over.

History[link]

Questa was originally named San Antonio del Rio Colorado. Later, a U.S. postmaster changed its name to Questa.^[3] The postmaster misspelled the name — according to Spanish spelling rules, it should have been spelled Cuesta, which was derived from the Spanish for "ridge" or "slope." Despite the error, the village has kept the name.

The village of Questa is located close to the ancient Kiowa trail, a Native American trade route which connected the Ute, Kiowa, and Comanche tribes to the north with the Pueblo tribes to the south. Evidence of this route can be seen in trail remnants, artifacts, and petroglyphs along the western slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains (Rael and Cuddihy, 2003). The first Hispanic visitor to the area may have been Francisco Vásquez de Coronado; certainly the area was known to the Spanish by 1593, when the gold-seekers Juan Humana and Francisco Borilla were killed by tribes along the Purgatoire River.

Mining activity in the area, including the apocryphal Governor's mine (NM Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, RM-21), probably began around that time, and continued until the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The use of forced labor in gold mining is often cited as the cause of the revolt, but records of that time are incomplete, and the locations of these mines are lost. Candidates for "Lost Spanish Gold Mines" are frequently proposed in the Sangre de Cristo, San Juan, and Ortiz Mountains; few have been verified.

After the Pueblo Revolt, Spanish occupation was slow to return to the Questa area due to repeated clashes with Taos and Ute warriors; although reports of trading and military activity in the area, especially by French, French-Canadian, and even English fur traders, the actual date of establishment of a permanent settlement in the area is recorded as 1820 (Rael and Cuddihy, 2003).

Even then, the threat of Indian raids was considerable. The location of the incipient village at the confluence of the rivers, and astride the ancient trade, raiding, and hunting routes, made resource-based conflict between cultures inevitable. Additionally, the village location blocked access to certain historic clay and pigment quarries of great ceremonial importance to the Taos tribe. This continued conflict lead to the village being repeatedly abandoned. Spanish, Mexican, and eventually American soldiers detailed to defend the beleaguered settlement frequently expressed great frustration with their posting (Rael and Cuddihy, 2003).

School at Questa in 1941

The names of two prominent peaks overlooking the village of Questa, Flag Mountain and Sentinel Peak, refer to the practice, during this period, of stationing watchmen on these high points to warn the village of approaching war parties.

The village, nearly from the beginning, was of mixed blood; the surnames Lafore or Laforet, Ledoux, and LaCome reflect the names of French or French-Canadian trappers who settled in the area after arriving in search of otter and beaver. The common surname Rael may also reflect the influence of Jewish immigrants arriving after being expelled from Spain. The village had a reputation for being contentious and requiring disproportionate effort to police; records show that viceregal intervention was frequently required to settle property disputes (Rael and Cuddihy, 2003).

Economy[link]

The Chevron Questa molybdenum mine is the largest private employer in Taos County.^[4] Located nine miles from Questa, the mine opened in 1916 as the R&S Molybdenum mine. It was purchased by Molycorp Minerals in 1950 and became a subsidiary of Chevron in 2005.^[5] Formerly an open pit excavation, the Chevron Questa mine has operated as an underground mine since 1982.^[6] Economic conditions which affect the mine, such as a 54 percent cut in personnel in February 2009, primarily impacts the residents of Questa.^[4]

Agriculture, especially the cultivation of alfalfa, hay, and winter wheat is of decreasing importance. Agriculture in Questa is strongly dependent on irrigation, supplied from the Red River and Cabresto Creek. The system of ditches or acequias which supply water to the fields are of great community and social importance; the burning of the ditches on the first weekend after the vernal equinox is a major community event. Two major 'ditch associations' control the distribution of water by controlling the outflow from the Cabresto Lake dam: the Acequia Madre and the Llano ditch.

Historically, sheep were raised in and around Questa, but they have been replaced by cattle. Cattle are grazed on the plains north and west of town during the winter and spring, then moved west to the other side of the Rio Grande in early June, usually driven across the "Sheep Crossing" ford by riders on horseback.

Increasingly, the traditional economy based on agriculture, livestock, handicrafts (particularly wooden religious carvings known as santos), wood gathering, and honey is failing to meet the financial needs of the populace of Questa. Some locals blame the rising cost on the influx of celebrities and affluent Anglos to the Taos area driving up land and home prices, but for whatever cause an increasing number of Questenos commute to work in Red River, Taos and Angel Fire.

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Taos News - The newspaper of record for Taos County
• Chevron Mining
• Questa profile at City Data
• Questa profile at Carson National Forest

v t e Municipalities and communities of Taos County, New Mexico, United States County seat: Taos Towns Red River Taos Villages Questa Taos Ski Valley CDPs Chamisal Penasco Picuris Pueblo Ranchos de Taos Rio Lucio Taos Pueblo Vadito Unincorporated communities Amalia Arroyo Hondo Arroyo Seco Carson Cerro Costilla El Prado El Rito Las Trampas Llano Ojo Caliente Pilar San Cristóbal Tres Piedras Valdez Indian reservation Taos Pueblo

Eros Ramazzotti
Eros Ramazzotti, April 28, 2004
Background information
Birth name	Eros Luciano Walter Ramazzotti
Born	(1963-10-28) October 28, 1963 (age 48) Rome, Italy
Genres	Adult contemporary, pop, soft rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician
Years active	1981–present
Labels	DDD, Ariola, Norte Records
Website	www.ramazzotti.com

Eros Luciano Walter Ramazzotti (born October 28, 1963), known simply as Eros Ramazzotti, is an Italian musician and singer-songwriter.^[1] Ramazzotti is enormously popular in Italy, and is well known in most non-English-speaking European countries and in the Spanish-speaking world, as he has released most of his albums in both Italian and Spanish.^[2]

Since 1984, he has released 11 studio albums, one EP, three compilation albums, three live albums, and 37 singles. Ramazzotti has sold over 40 million records in his 25-year career.^[3] His repertory includes duets with artists such as Cher, Tina Turner, Andrea Bocelli, Patsy Kensit, Anastacia, Joe Cocker, Ricardo Arjona, Luciano Pavarotti, Laura Pausini, and Ricky Martin.^[3]

Ramazzotti first gained international success in 1993, with the release of Tutte storie, which amassed six million album sales and occupied the top five in every country where he had previously released albums.^[3] This success led to a BMG International record contract in 1994.^[3] His audience appeal comes from several factors, including his unique voice, which can be described as somewhat nasal but nevertheless forceful and resonant, and his energetic delivery of catchy, melodic tunes which are often passionate mid-tempo autobiographical ballads, with instrumentation that is rich in soft-rock influence.^[4] Most of his albums have been recorded in both Italian and Spanish.

Biography[link]

Childhood and early beginnings (1963–1981)[link]

Eros Ramazzotti was born on October 28, 1963 in Cinecittà, a suburb of Rome, Italy. He was named after Eros, the Greek god of love. He took up playing the guitar at age seven.^[5] As a teenager, he wrote songs with help from his father, Rodolfo, a construction worker and music lover who played piano. He wanted to attend a musical conservatory but failed the admission examination, and started training in bookkeeping, but dropped out.^[3] He occasionally appeared as an extra in films while spending most of his time dreaming of having a career as a pop-star.^[3]

In 1981, Ramazzotti took part in a music contest, Voci Nuove di Castrocaro (new voices of Castrocaro Terme) with the song "Rock 80", which he himself wrote, performing in front of various record label representatives.^[1] Although the contest was won by Zucchero and Fiordaliso, Ramazzotti reached the final and received two votes from Roberto Galanti and Baron Lando Lanni, who represented the recently launched Italian Label DDD (Drogueria di Drugolo). DDD gave Eros his first contract. He moved to Milan with his brother, Marco and his mother, Raffaella, and they initially lived in the same building as the record label company.^[3]

Career breakthrough (1982–1986)[link]

Ramazzotti's first single, "Ad un amico" (To a Friend), was released in 1982, and was not particularly well received.^[6] Soon after, Eros met Renato Brioschi,^[3] who mentored the young artist toward his first success in 1984 at the highly regarded Sanremo Festival. His song, "Terra promessa" (Promised Land) won the Newcomers' category, and was subsequently released widely throughout Europe.

In 1985, Ramazzotti again took part in the Sanremo Festival with his song "Una storia importante" (An Important Story), taken from his debut album Cuori agitati (Troubled Hearts). While only placing sixth at the festival, "Una storia importante" was released as a single and became a huge hit in many European countries, including France where it sold a million units.^[3] His second album Nuovi eroi (New Heroes), released in 1986, earned two Platinum-awards in Switzerland with over 100,000 sales, and Gold status in Germany with over 250,000 sales.^[7][8] At his third Sanremo Festival appearance in 1986 his memorable single, "Adesso tu" (Now You) from Nuovi eroi won the overall competition.^[6]

Popularity established (1987–1994)[link]

Eros Ramazzotti in the early 1990s

In 1987, Ramazzotti went on a nine-month-long tour after releasing his third album In certi momenti (Sometimes), performing in front of more than a million people.^[1] In certi momenti went Gold in Germany with over 250,000 sales and Platinum in Switzerland with over 50,000 sales, and reached more than 3 million copies worldwide.^[1][7][8] As his career developed, he performed "La Luce Buona Delle Stelle" (The Good Light of the Stars) with Patsy Kensit on November 22, 1987, and released a seven-track mini-album Musica è (Music Is) in May 1988.

His fifth album, In ogni senso (In Every Sense), released in April 1990, attracted more than two hundred journalists from around the world to the album's press conference launch in Venice.^[3] An American record producer, Clive Davis, advised Ramazzotti to hold a concert at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City,^[3] and he became the first Italian artist to perform at the renowned concert hall, performing before a sell-out crowd. However, he was later disappointed to learn that most of his audience was of Italian descent, having hoped for a more widespread breakthrough.^[5] During that visit to the USA, Ramazzotti also performed on TV shows like The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Good Morning America.^[5] In ogni senso earned multiple Gold and Platinum album awards around the world, including a Platinum in Germany for over 500,000 sales,^[8] a triple Platinum in Switzerland for over 150,000 sales, and Platinum in the Netherlands for sales of over 100,000 units.^[9][10]

His 1991 double-CD release Eros in Concert was followed by another long tour, including a concert in Barcelona, Spain before 20,000 fans on 4 December, the day of his live CD's release.^[3]

In 1993, he released Tutte storie (All Stories), and he toured in Europe and 15 Latin American countries, where he has released his Spanish language albums. That November, Ramazzotti performed "Cose della vita" (Things of Life) at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Berlin. Tutte storie entered the Top-5 album list in many countries in Europe including Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway.^[11] The album earned Ramazzotti four Platinums in Switzerland for sales of over 200,000 units, a Platinum in Germany for sales of over 500,000 units,^[8][9] and Platinum status in many other counties including the Netherlands, Sweden, Argentina and Austria.^{[12][13][14][15]} Tutte storie eventually sold six million copies worldwide which played a significant role in helping Ramazzotti get his contract with BMG International.^[3]

Worldwide commercial success (1995–2002)[link]

In the summer of 1995, Ramazzotti participated in the European summer festival along with Rod Stewart, Elton John and Joe Cocker. His seven-million-seller album, Dove c'è musica (Where There Is Music) was released on May 13, 1996,^[3] his first completely self-produced album.^[3] On December 5 of the same year, his companion of several years and future wife Michelle Hunziker (Swiss model and television host) gave birth to their daughter, Aurora Sophie.^[3]

In October 1997, he released Eros – Greatest Hits, which contained two new songs, "Quanto amore sei" (How Much Love Are You) and "Ancora un minuto di sole" (Just One More Minute of Sunshine), as well as reworked versions of previous hits including "Musica è" (duet with Andrea Bocelli) and "Cose della vita - Can't Stop Thinking of You" in a duet with Tina Turner. This collection entered the Top-5 in France, Belgium, Sweden and Finland, and reached No. 1 in several countries including Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and Norway, selling 1.2 million units in its first week of release according to BMG International.^{[16][17][18][19]} The album was certified five times Platinum by IFPI (Europe) for selling well over five million units in Europe alone.^[20] The album also attained two Latin-type Platinum certifications by RIAA for sales of over 400,000 units in USA.^[21] That year, Ramazzotti was awarded "Best International Male Artist of the Year" at Germany's Echo Music Awards.^[22]

In 1998, he released the live CD Eros Live, which included two duets recorded during the world tour, "Cose della vita-Can’t Stop Thinking of You" featuring Tina Turner, and "That's All I Need to Know-Difenderò" with Joe Cocker, performed in Munich. In 1999, Ramazzotti again collaborated with Italian superstar Andrea Bocelli, singing "Nel Cuore Lei" (In Your Heart) for Bocelli's album, Sogno (Dream). The album sold over 10 million albums worldwide, gaining more recognition for Ramazzotti. In 1999, he was again awarded as "Best International Male Artist of the Year" at Germany's Echo Music Awards.^[23] Throughout his career, Ramazzotti has done duets with some very well known artists such as Cher, Andrea Bocelli, Joe Cocker, Carlos Santana, Tina Turner, Anastacia, Luciano Pavarotti, and Laura Pausini.^[3]

Ramazzotti gained a reputation as a seasoned producer with the album Come fa bene l’amore (Feels good to love) by Gianni Morandi in the beginning of 2000.^[3] That October, he delivered his eighth studio album Stilelibero (Freestyle), which contained a duet with the American diva, Cher, in the song "Più che puoi" (As Much As You Can). The album, the result of a collaboration of several producers including Celso Valli, Claudio Guidetti, Trevor Horn and Rick Nowels, reached the Top-5 album charts throughout Europe and was certified two times Platinum by IFPI (Europe) for sales of over two million units in Europe alone.^[20][24] In the course of the international tour for Stilelibero, Ramazzotti also appeared in eastern European countries including Moscow, Russia where he gave a three-day sold out concerts at Kremlin Palace.^[3]

Continued success (2003–present)[link]

Eros Ramazzotti at Sommarkrysset 2009

On May 30, 2003, Ramazzotti released his ninth studio album, entitled 9. The first single, "Un'emozione per sempre" (An Emotion Forever) was released on 9 May, and was number one in Italy's official single chart for 14 consecutive weeks.^[3] The album, produced along with Claudio Guidetti and Eros’s longtime musical friend Celso Valli, stayed at the No. 1 position for nine weeks in Italy's official album chart.^[3] 9 went on selling 3.5 million copies, 1.1 million of which were sold in Italy alone.^[3] He began his world tour in Ancona, Italy which was set to have 100 dates in front of audiences of up to one million people (56 dates of which were done in Europe in front of 550,000 people).^[3]

On October 28, 2005, Ramazzotti's 10th album Calma apparente (Apparent Calm) was released on the day of his birthday, which he produced together with Claudio Guidetti. The album Calma apparente, which was certified Platinum within a period of just one month after its release for selling over one million copies in Europe,^[25] contains the duet hit single "I Belong to You" with American singer Anastacia, the single went No. 1 in several countries including Italy, Germany and Switzerland.^[26] Throughout the years, Eros has gained popularity especially in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, Venezuela, and most Spanish-speaking countries.^[4]

More than ten years after Ramazzotti's first compilation album Eros, which has sold total of 7.5 million copies worldwide and has reached No. 1 in many countries including Germany,^[3][19] Ramazzotti released a new double-CD compilation-album e² on October 26, 2007; the first CD contained four new tracks and 14 original songs in a remastered format, and the second CD had 17 redone tracks, and feature artists such as Carlos Santana, Wyclef Jean, Steve Vai, Jon Spencer. The four unreleased pieces on the e² album include a new international duet "Non siamo soli" (We're Not Alone) which Eros sings along with Latin pop star Ricky Martin. This became the first single taken off the album, and was available for sale on October 5, 2007, reaching the top spot in Italy and entering the top-5 in Switzerland and Spain.^[27][28] In Spain, the Spanish-language version "No estamos solos" was certified four times Platinum for having been downloaded over 80,000 times in Digital format, whereas it was certified six times Platinum for having been downloaded 120,000 in Original Tone format (equivalent to US Master Ringtone).^[28] The single, available both in Italian and Spanish, was written by Ramazzotti and his longtime songwriting partner Claudio Guidetti.^[29]

Ramazzotti's 11-track album, Ali e radici (Wings and Roots), was released on May 22, 2009, produced by Eros himself as well as his long time musical partner Claudio Guidetti; in addition, six tracks on the album are co-produced by Michele Canova who has previously worked with artists such as Laura Pausini, Tiziano Ferro and Jovanotti.^[30] The first single "Parla con me" ("Talk to Me"), released on 17 May 2009, off his 11th studio album, is a catchy pop song which has peaked at No. 1 in Italy and No. 8 in Switzerland.^[31] The album was available both in a standard-edition as well as in a deluxe-edition, which includes 64-page booklet of photographs, and it entered the Top-5 in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, and was number-one in Italy and Switzerland.^[19][32]

During his 25 year career he has sold over 40 million records worldwide.^[3]

Personal life[link]

In his personal life, Ramazzotti remains with only few good friends, mostly due to his conspicuous personality.^[33] Ramazzotti had a poor childhood, and recalls having had limited access to books and general guidance as he grew up:

As a child growing up, there were no books in my parents' home, no suggestions were ever made how to even have a decent conversation, no guidance was provided in search of oneself. The only source of information that I would get from my father was the inappropriate photos of women. The first thing as a support that I received from my father was a guitar after he recognized my passion for music. Nowadays, I try to self educate myself by purchasing good books which I almost never read because I become lazy after glancing at a football game on TV.^[33]

Ramazzotti recalls being extremely shy in the early 1980s before achieving fame:

When I went to Milan to further develop my musical skills, I remember being so shy at the time that I would simply get terrified of going to restaurants all by myself, so I would go without eating throughout my time in Milan.^[33]

Ramazzotti was married from 1998 to 2002 to Swiss model and actress Michelle Hunziker. They have a daughter together, Aurora, who was born on December 5, 1996. His 320-page autobiography, co-written by Luca Bianchini, was published April 13, 2006.^[34]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• Cuori agitati (Troubled Hearts) (1985)
• Nuovi eroi (New Heroes) (1986)
• In certi momenti (At Certain Times) (1987)
• Musica è (Music Is) (1988)
• In ogni senso (In Every Sense) (1990)
• Tutte storie (All Stories), (1993)
• Dove c'è musica (Where Music is) (1996)
• Stilelibero (Freestyle) (2000)
• 9 (2003)
• Calma apparente (Apparent Calm) (2005)
• Ali e radici (Wings and Roots) (2009)

Live albums[link]

• Eros in Concert (1991)
• Eros Live (1998)
• 21.00: Eros Live World Tour 2009/2010 (2010)

Compilation albums[link]

• Eros (1997)
• e² (2007)

Awards and nominations[link]

[edit] Echo Awards

[edit] Italian Music Awards

Premio Italiano della Musica[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Ali e Radici.com
• erosramazzotti.TV international website
• German Official Website
• Eros Ramazzotti Fan Page (USA~Unofficial)
• Biography of Eros Ramazzotti, from RAI International
• Eros Ramazzotti Polish/English Site
• Eros Ramazzotti Russian Site
• Eros Ramazzotti photos and videos
• CZ & SK fanclub
• Label Website

Marco Mengoni
Marco Mengoni in Latina, 2010.
Background information
Born	(1988-12-25) 25 December 1988 (age 23) Ronciglione, Viterbo, Italy
Occupations	Singer
Years active	2009–present
Labels	Sony Music

Marco Mengoni (born December 25, 1988)^[1] is an Italian singer. He rose to fame in 2009, after winning the third season of Italian talent show The X Factor.^[2] The following year he ranked third in the 60th Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Credimi ancora".^[3] As of January 2011, he has sold a total of 220,000 copies in Italy with his first two EPs and his live album Re matto live.^[4] In 2010 he became the first Italian artist to win the Best European Act award at the MTV Europe Music Awards. His first full-length studio album, Solo 2.0, was released in September 2011.

Early life[link]

Marco Mengoni was born in Ronciglione (Viterbo, Italy).^[1] Before starting his singing career, he graduated in industrial design and he started studying Languages in Rome,^[5] occasionally working as a barman.^[1]

He started singing at the age of 16 and two years later he funded his first band.^[5]

Music career[link]

[edit] X Factor

In 2009 he auditioned for the third series of the Italian talent-show X Factor. His category (16-24 year olds) was mentored by Morgan, and Mengoni was chosen to be among Morgan's top 4 contestants and perform on the live shows.^[6]

During the live shows, he sang songs in many very different styles, including AC/DC's "Back in Black", Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" and "Billie Jean", Mia Martini's "Almeno tu nell'universo", The Beatles' "Helter Skelter", Prince's "Kiss", David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes" and Nina Simone's "My Baby Just Cares for Me". As a result, he received the congratulations and admiration of many famous singers such as Mina,^[7] Giorgia,^[7] Elisa,^[8] and Adriano Celentano.^[7]

He was announced as the winner on 2 December 2009, winning a 300,000 € recording contract.^[9]

[edit] After X Factor: Dove si vola and Re matto

His first EP, titled Dove si vola, was released on 4 December 2009.^[10] It contained his first single "Dove si vola", another new song titled "Lontanissimo da te", and 5 covers previously performed during the X Factor contest.^[11] The EP peaked at number 9 in the Italian Albums Chart^[12] and was certified Platinum by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry.^[13]

In February 2010 he participated in the 60th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Credimi Ancora", and finished third in the contest.^[14] "Credimi Ancora" subsequently peaked at number 3 in the Italian Chart^[15] and was included in Mengoni's second EP, titled Re matto that was released on February 17, 2010. The 7-track EP also contained the singles "Stanco (Deeper Inside)"^[16] and "In un giorno qualunque".^[17]

In 2010 he won the TRL award in the category "MTV Man of the Year"^[18] and the MTV Europe Music Award in the category "Best European Act", after being voted "Best Italian Act".^[19]

His first tour, the Re matto tour, started on 3 May 2010^[20] and consisted of 56 two-hour shows all around Italy.^[21] During the tour, he collaborated with the choreographer Luca Tommassini,^[22] who has also worked with celebrities such as Madonna and Michael Jackson. On tour Marco performed a wide range of covers in addition to his own material, including "Live and Let Die",^[23] "Satisfaction",^[24] "Mad World",^[23] "Proud Mary"^[24] and "Tears in Heaven".^[25]

A CD of the tour, along with a DVD, was released with the title Re matto live on 19 October 2010.^[17] The album peaked at number one in Italy^[26] and was certified Platinum.^[13]

[edit] Solo 2.0

On 2 September 2011 Mengoni released his single "Solo (Vuelta al ruedo)", preceding his first full-length studio album, titled Solo 2.0. Mengoni co-wrote most of the songs of the album,^[27] working with composers including Italian singers-songwriters Neffa and Dente.^[28] Influenced by electronic^[29] and rock music,^[30] the album also includes tracks featuring the Italian a cappella group Cluster and the orchestra directed by Fabio Gurian.^[29]

Released on 27 September 2011, Solo 2.0 debuted at number one on the Italian Albums Chart.^[31] To promote the album, Mengoni embarked on an Italian tour, the Solo 2.0 Tour, starting from 26 November 2011 in Milan.^[32]

Musical style and influences[link]

According to Il Corriere della Sera's Luca Benedetti, Mengoni has a typically soul voice, with pop rock tones.^[33] His tone was also described by Maurizio Porro as "a sort of captivating miaow".^[34]

In late 2009 he defined his musical style as "British/black".^[35][36] In several interviews, Mengoni has claimed that one of his most relevant influences is The Beatles.^[37][38] Mengoni also cited David Bowie,^[39] Michael Jackson^[40] and Renato Zero^[41] among his most relevant influences.

Discography[link]

• Dove si vola (2009)
• Re matto (2010)
• Re matto live (2010)
• Solo 2.0 (2011)

Tours[link]

• 2010: Re Matto Tour
• 2011: Solo Tour 2.0

External links[link]

• Official website
• X Factor Official artist page

References[link]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Matteo Becucci	Italian X Factor Winner 2009	Succeeded by Nathalie Giannitrapani
Preceded by maNga	Best European Act in the MTV Europe Music Awards 2010	Succeeded by Lena