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Ermal Meta | |
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 Ermal Meta in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1981-04-20)20 April 1981 (age 44) |
| Origin | Bari, Italy |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Mescal[1] |
| Formerly of | Ameba 4, La Fame di Camilla |
Ermal Meta (Italian:[ˈɛrmalˈmɛːta],Albanian:[ɛɾˈmalˈmɛta]; born 20 April 1981) is an Albanian-born Italian singer and songwriter.
Meta rose to prominence as one of the lead singers of Ameba 4 andLa Fame di Camilla [it].[2] After becoming a songwriter for several Italian artists, he launched his solo career, releasing two studio albums:Umano (2016) andVietato morire (2017). The latter peaked at number one in Italy, and was preceded by the single with the same title, which placed third in the main competition of theSanremo Music Festival 2017, also receiving the "Mia Martini" Critics' Prize.
In 2018, Meta won theSanremo Music Festival alongsideFabrizio Moro with "Non mi avete fatto niente", and went on to representItaly in theEurovision Song Contest 2018.[3][4]
Born inFier, Albania, Meta and his family moved toBari in southern Italy at the age of 13.[5][6] He debuted as a guitarist of Italian band Ameba4, which competed in the Newcomers' section of theSanremo Music Festival 2006 with the song "Rido... forse mi sbaglio", included in their self-titled album, which was released in February 2006.[7]
In 2007, Meta became the frontman, lead singer and main songwriter of the band La Fame di Camilla.[8] Their debut album, simply titledLa Fame di Camilla, was released byUniversal Music in 2009.[9] The band later released the albumsBuio e luce, including the title-track which competed in the Newcomers' section of theSanremo Music Festival 2010, andL'attesa (2012).[10]The band split in 2013.[11]
After writing songs for several Italian artists, includingMarco Mengoni,Emma,Chiara,Annalisa,Patty Pravo andLorenzo Fragola, Meta started his solo career.[11][12] In July 2013, he appeared as a featured artist on Patty Pravo's single "Non mi interessa".[13] In 2014, he contributed the soundtrack of Italian television seriesBraccialetti rossi, performing the song "Tutto si muove".[12][14]In 2016, he competed in the66th Sanremo Music Festival, performing the song "Odio le favole", which placed third in the Newcomers' section.[15] "Odio le favole" was included in his debut solo album,Umano.[12] He returned to the contest in2017, competing in the Big Artists section for the first time, with the song "Vietato morire".[16] During the third night of the contest, he performed a cover ofDomenico Modugno's "Amara terra mia", receiving the award for the Best Cover Performance.[17] Meta placed third overall in the competition, and received the "Mia Martini" Critics' Prize.[18][19]His second studio album,Vietato morire, was released on 10 February 2017.[20] The album also includes a duet with Italian singer-songwriterElisa.[20]
In March 2017, Meta was chosen as a judge on the 16th series of Italian talent showAmici di Maria De Filippi.[21]
On 11 February 2018, Meta, along withFabrizio Moro, won the Big Artists section of theSanremo Music Festival 2018 with the songNon mi avete fatto niente, and as such, representedItaly at theEurovision Song Contest 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal.[22]
In 2020, he released the singleFinirà bene.[23]
In 2021, he competed in the Big Artists section of theSanremo Music Festival 2021 with the songUn milione di cose da dirti. He placed third in the competition.
| Year | Award | Nomination | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Best Italian Act | Himself | Won | [24] |
| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | Sanremo Music Festival winner(withFabrizio Moro) 2018 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Francesco Gabbani with "Occidentali's Karma" | Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest(with Fabrizio Moro) 2018 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
