Marco Mengoni (born born 25 December 1988) is an Italian singer-songwriter.
Mengoni first made a name for himself as the winner of X Factor Italia in 2009, which granted him an automatic slot in the following year's edition of the prestigious Sanremo Music Festival, where he then placed third with the song "Credimi ancora". He would later return to Sanremo in 2013, this time winning the competition with the song "L'Essenziale" and thusly being chosen to represent Italy at that year's Eurovision Song Contest, finishing seventh overall in the final.
After a decade of continued success in Italy and abroad, Mengoni returned to Sanremo for a third time in 2023, once again winning the competition with the song "Due Vite" and later taking the song to that year's Eurovision, his second participation in the contest, finishing fourth in the final.
Discography:
- Dove si vola note EP (2009)
- Re matto note EP (2010)
- Solo 2.0 (2011)
- Parole in circolo note (2015)
- Le cose che non ho note (2015)
- Atlantico note (2018)
- Materia (Terra) note (2021)
- Materia (Pelle) note (2022)
- Materia (Prisma) note (2023)
Selected filmography:
- X Factor Italia (2009) as himself
- The Lorax (2019) as the Once-ler (Italian dub)
- Eurovision Song Contest (2013, 2023) as himself
- The Lion King (2019) as adult Simba (Italian dub)
- Klaus (2019) as Jesper (Italian dub)
Marco Mengoni provides examples of:
- A Cappella: "Appunto 5: Non Sono Questo" is performed (almost) entirely a cappella, with vocodered vocals giving an eerie effect reminiscent of "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap.
- Chronological Album Title / Non-Indicative Name: The title of Solo 2.0 is a bit of a misnomer on two levels: it's not his second album (it's technically his first, but third overall release), nor is it the second album he's released called Solo (it's a reference to the album's lead single, "Solo (Vuelta al ruedo)").
- Clown School: The video for "Essei Umani" depicts what seems to be a sad mime giving a lesson on the art form to a small audience of people who eventually appear and act as mimes themselves.
- Concept Album / Thematic Series: Parole in circolo and Le cose che non ho, both released in the same year, form a spiritual duology, while the Materia (Matter) trilogy is a three-album project based around the concepts of Terra (Earth), Pelle (skin/bodies), and Prisma (prisms/light).
- Genre Shift: Marco's earlier releases favored more of a pop rock sound, but his style evolved to be less centered in that one specific genre and incorporate more influences from electronic, dance, power ballads, gospel, and R&B.
- Glassy Prison: The music video for "Cambia Un Uomo" depicts Marco trapped in one of these.
- Gratuitous English: Most of Marco's musical output is in his native Italian, but he occasionally records material sung partially or entirely in English, such as his collaborations with British singers Paloma Faith and Tom Walker.
- Gratuitous Spanish: Zig-zagged with "Hola". The Italian and Italian/English version (which only feature the word "hola" in the chorus) is a straight example of this trope, but the properly translated Spanish version is an aversion.
- Monochrome to Color: The music video for "Due Vite" begins in black and white but eventually transitions to color as the song begins to swell and gain momentum when the beat comes in.
- Mr. Fanservice: Marco is a very attractive guy and clearly knows it, judging by his tendency to show off his good looks and fit physique, seen in such examples as the album cover
of Materia (Pelle), the "Tutti i Miei Ricordi" music video, and in his styling for the Eurovision performance of "Due Vite". - The Oner: The music video for "Voglio" was shot to appear as though it was all filmed in a single take.
- Pool Scene: The music video for "Io Ti Aspetto" is set entirely in a pool, with Marco surrounded by dancing wet people.
- Rearrange the Song: Downplayed with the Eurovision version of "Due Vite", which mostly retains the original song in its entirety but shortens it to fit under the competition's three minute role, mostly so that the beat drop comes in sooner.
- "Risky Business" Dance: The music video for "No Stress" depicts Marco and a crew of others dancing in various states of dress in a minimalistic bedroom set, none of them interacting with one another as though they're all dancing on their own with nobody watching.
- Sea of Sand: The music video for "Due Vite", filmed on the dunes of Piscinas in Sardinia, appears to be set in a limitless desert with nothing but sand.
- Shout-Out:
- "No Stress" contains an allusion to the end of Britney Spears' controversial conservatorship ("Santa Britney liberata" note ), which had just been legally dissolved months before the song's release.
- The chorus of "Muhammad Ali" alludes to the aforementioned boxer.
- Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer: Marco does not physically appear in the music video for "Mi Fiderò".
- Sleeves Are for Wimps: Subverted with his many performances of "Due Vite" during Sanremo and Eurovision, in which he's often shown wearing sleeveless vests that show off his muscular arms, contrasting with the vulnerable and emotional lyrics he's singing.
- Stock Desert Interstate: As seen in the "Sai che" video.
- This Is a Song: "Una canzione triste", which translates to "A sad song".
- Translated Cover Version:
- Marco released Spanish versions of his albums Parole in circolo and Atlantico, as well as his song "L'Essenziale" (translated into "Incomparable").
- There are Italian/English duet versions of "Ad occhi chiusi (Light in You)" with Paloma Faith, and "Hola (I Say)" with Tom Walker
