Loredana Bertè

Loredana Bertè (born September 20 1950) is an Italian singer. In her long career she has worked with some of the best Italian songwriters such as Enrico Ruggeri, Pino Daniele, Ivano Fossati, Mario Lavezzi, Enzo Jannacci and Mango, among others. She has experimented with different genres, from rock to reggae, from funk to pop. Her sister Mia Martini was also a singer.

Career

Bertè was born in Bagnara Calabra, Province of Reggio Calabria, southern Italy.

She started her singing career in 1974 with the album "Streaking". She became successful the following year with the release of "Normale o Super" album, as well as "Sei bellissima", a ballad that eventually became one of her biggest hits.

In 1977 the album "T.I.R." updated her sound, and two years later the LP "Bandabertè" spawned the hits "Dedicato", "E la Luna bussò" (the first Italian reggae song Fact|date=February 2007), "Folle città", and "Robin Hood".

Bertè next released two albums with a strong funky vibe. The first was "Loredanabertè" (1980) which included the huge hit "In alto mare"; the song was covered in 2004 by the group 2 black. In 1981 Bertè released "Made in Italy", recorded with the American funk group Platinum Hook. The album included the single "Movie", probably the first Italian song featuring rap Fact|date=February 2007.

The following year she left her long-time producer Mario Lavezzi to record with a new producer, Ivano Fossati. With Fossati she recorded what many consider to be her masterpiece album, "Traslocando", containing Loredana's signature song "Non sono una signora".

The following years the albums "Jazz" (1983) and "Savoir faire" (1984) spawned two hits: "Il mare d'inverno", penned by Enrico Ruggeri, and "Ragazzo mio", a cover of a Luigi Tenco classic.

Bertè released an innovative album in 1985 called "Carioca", a tribute to Brazilian singer Djavan and included "Acqua" and other hits. Many songs from the album were subsequently covered by The Manhattan Transfer.

Bertè became engaged to tennis champion Björn Borg in 1988, and they were married in September 1989. Their marriage was reportedly very troubled. Fact|date=February 2007

Bertè has had numerous notable performances at the Sanremo Music Festival, also known as the "Festival della canzone italiana". Her first appearance was in 1986 with a rock song called "Re". For the performance, Loredana was dressed to look like a pregnant woman, which caused a scandal Fact|date=February 2007. Notably, the critic's award at Sanremo is called the "Mia Martini" after Bertè's sister, who won the first critic's award offered in 1982. To date, Bertè has not yet won a top award at the festival.

In 1988, along with her second appearance at the Sanremo festival, she released the "Io" album with producer Corrado Rustici, who has also worked with Whitney Houston.

In the spring of 1992 Bertè and husband Björn Borg officially split. Their divorce was finalized in 1993. ref|imdb That year, she released a new album, "Ufficialmente dispersi". That same year, Mia Martini joined Bertè at Sanremo for a duet. Their song, titled "Stiamo come stiamo", was the first single of Bertè's new album. Later that summer, Bertè released a second song from the album. The single, titled "Mi manchi", was an Italian radio hit.

Bertè's also appeared at Sanremo in 1994 when she performed an emotional song called "Amici non ne ho". The song was a hit and was included in her first live compilation entitled "Bertex Ingresso Libero". Her 1995 performance of the funky song called "Angeli & Angeli", a single from Bertè's "Ufficialmente ritrovati", a greatest hits compilation.

On Friday, 12 May 1995, her sister Mia Martini died suddenly of a heart attack ref|imdb, causing Bertè to go into shock and depression.

In mid-1996 she began work on her following album, "Un pettirosso da combattimento", considered by some to be one of her most beautiful recordings thus far. Fact|date=February 2007 Released in 1997, the album is one of Bertè's most personal to date, featuring a new hard rock sound and lyrics based on the tragic loss of her sister. Bertè's seventh appearance at the Sanremo Festival featured a song titled "Luna", a desperate cry about her life.

Her second live compilation album was released in 1998 and was recorded with a live orchestra.

In 2002 she returned to Sanremo for the eighth time with a song called "Dimmi che mi ami". That same year she dropped her current record label (one she had joined just a few months before) and began searching for a new label. She eventually signed with NAR.

Bertè joined a reality show called "Musicfarm" in 2004. With the money she earned from her appearance she began to work on a new album.This became her 2005 effort titled "Babybertè", which was released in September of that year. Her first album in seven years, the CD debuted at #2 in the official album chart, making it one of her most successful albums ever Fact|date=February 2007. The second single from the album, titled "Strade di fuoco", hit #3 in the official single chart. In May, 2006 the album was re-released with a bonus CD and a bonus DVD.

Notes

:# The Bjorn Borg Saga, 1998:# IMDb.com:# Ibid

External links

* [http://www.stelleitaliane.it/ Stelleitaliane] - unofficial web site Loredana Bertè.
* [http://www.europopmusic.eu/Italy_pages/Berte.html Loredana Bertè on Europopmusic.eu] (English)