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Levante (singer)

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Levante
Levante performing in May 2015.
Levante performing in May 2015.
Background information
Born (1987-05-23) 23 May 1987 (age 37)
Caltagirone, Catania, Sicily, Italy
GenresIndie pop
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active2013–present
LabelsCarosello
Websitelevanteofficial.com

Claudia Lagona (born 23 May 1987), better known by her stage name Levante, is an Italian singer-songwriter, novel writer and model.[1] She rose to fame in the 2010s, publishing four albums and several media success singles and collaborations, reaching the top ten on the Italian Albums Chart three times. She has written songs for several Italian artists and has collaborated with Gianni Morandi, Irene Grandi, Max Gazzè, The Kolors, J-Ax, Tiziano Ferro and Carmen Consoli.

Levante has sold over 360,000 records in Italy and received a MTV Europe Music Award nomination and several Italian music achievements, including Premio Tenco, Academy Medimex and a participation at Sanremo Music Festival in 2020 and in 2023. In 2019 Vogue included her in their "100 people who can influence world trends in fashion and art" list.[2]

In 2017, she was chosen as a judge for the eleventh series of the Italian talent show X Factor.[3] She has also written three novels.[4]

Career

[edit]

She first signed a contract with A&A Recordings Publishing and Atollo Records, with whom she recorded the song "Troppodiva" under the name of Levante, but later left Turin to go to Leeds, UK.[5] After coming back in Italy she opened for the concerts of Max Gazzè's Sotto casa Tour, on 11 March 2014 her first album Manuale distruzione was released, making its debut at number 8 on the Fimi Albums Chart.[6] The album was subsequently awarded as Best First Work by the Academy Medimex.[7] She extracts the singles "Cuori d'artificio" and "Duri come me", obtaining a fair success that allows her to receive a nomination at the MTV Europe Music Award as Best Italian Act and open the concerts of the Italian band Negramaro.[8][9]

Levante participated in the 2015 edition of the South by Southwest festival in Texas, and also played in Los Angeles and New York City.[10] In May 2015, the new album Abbi cura di te is released for Carosello Records, entering on the top20 of Italian Albums Chart.[11] From the album Levante releases four singles published during the year will be extracted: "Ciao per sempre", "Till death do not separate us", "Abbi Cura di Te" and "Le lacrime non macchiano".[12]

On 19 January 2017 is published the book written by Levante "Se non ti vedo non esisti", published by Rizzoli.[13] On 1 February 2017 she releases the single "Non me interessa niente niente", which anticipates her third studio album Nel chaos di stanze stupefacenti, released on 7 April 2017, which reaching number two on Italian Albums Chart and is certified gold by Fimi.[14][15] The singles "Non Me Ne Frega Niente" and "Pezzo di Me" feat Max Gazzè obtain the gold and platinum certification respectively.[16] On 19 May 2017 she joined the cast of coaches and judges at the eleventh edition of the talent show X Factor as a judge together with Fedez, Manuel Agnelli and Mara Maionchi.[17] In 2017 Levante wrote and composed the lyrics for the single from "Le parole che non dico mai" that Rita Bellanza presented on stage at X Factor; she also wrote a song for the new album by Gianni Morandi D'amore d'autore, entitled "Mediterraneo".[18]

In the first months of 2018 the stages of Europe and Italy with the "Chaos in Europe and Chaos In Teatro tours" solding out on over 30 dates.[19] In the summer of the same year she collaborated with Diplo and MØ on the single "Stay Open".[20] On 13 November 2018, on the other hand, the second novel, " Questa è l'ultima volta che ti dimentico", which immediately reached the top ten sales in Italy.[21] Also in November 2018 she collaborated with Stash on the J-Ax and Fedez hit "Assenzio", becoming the singer's first single to reach the first position in Italy and selling over 200,000 copies.[22][14]

In 2019 she duets in the song "Un motivo maledetto" with Irene Grandi, one of the first hits of the Tuscan singer of 1994. The duet was included in her celebratory album Grandissimo.[23] At the beginning of 2019, a report on the prestigious special issue of Vogue, the annual guide to the 100 people who can influence world trends in fashion and art, is dedicated to the artist.[24] On 5 March 2019 she signed a contract with the major Warner Music Group, with whom she released her fourth album entitled Magmamemoria on 4 October, which debuted and peaked at number four on the FIMI sales charts.[14] To anticipate the album, the singles "Andrà tutto bene", released on 5 April 2019 and "Lo stretto necessario", in duet with Carmen Consoli.[25] On 27 September is released the third single "Bravi Tutti Voi". On 31 December 2019, her participation in the Sanremo Music Festival is announced with the song "Tikibombom". At the end of the festival the song became her second top10 single peaking at number eight.[26]

On 4 December 2022, it was officially announced Levante participation in the Sanremo Music Festival 2023.[27] "Vivo" was later announced as her entry for the Sanremo Music Festival 2023.[28] Even in 2023 she duets with LP in Wild.

Artistry and music influences

[edit]

When Vogue included Levante in the "100 people who can influence world trends in fashion and art" list in 2019, Levante explained her writing process: "I found refuge from the pain of his loss in music" and "When I write, I put down whatever comes to me and flows out spontaneously. I am extremely descriptive and I discovered that through my writing, I am capable of delving under the surface of feelings and emotions so deeply that I can really connect with my readers' hearts. This is more difficult when it comes to writing songs, also because you don't have as much time to connect." She describes the current pop scene as "very chaotic," and she considers its madness as symbolic of everything else happening in the world. "I think it is a consequence of the period we are living in" she says.[24]

Levante's music influences comes from Italian songwriter Carmen Consoli to American singer Alanis Morissette. In an interview by Grazia she cites Mina, Cristina Donà, Janis Joplin, Tori Amos and Kristina Train.[29] She also explains "I'm not that stationary in the ratings. I really listen to everything, ranging in genres... Surely pop is my favorite, but I have a very high and cultured consideration of this genre. When I talk about pop, I also put Nirvana in the middle."[30]

Discography

[edit]

Albums

[edit]
List of albums, with selected chart positions and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
ITA
[31]
Manuale distruzione
  • Released: 11 March 2014
  • Label: INRI
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 8
Abbi cura di te
  • Released: 5 May 2015
  • Label: Carosello Records
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 17
Nel caos di stanze stupefacenti
  • Released: 7 April 2017
  • Label: Carosello Records
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 2
Magmamemoria 3
Opera futura
  • Released: 16 February 2023
  • Label: Warner Music Italy
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 6

Singles

[edit]
Song Year Peak positions Certification Album
ITA
[33]
"Alfonso" 2013 37 Manuale distruzione
"La scatola blu" —
"Sbadiglio" 2014 73
"Duri come me" —
"Ciao per sempre" 2015 37 Abbi cura di te
"Le lacrime non macchiano" —
"Finché morte non ci separi" —
"Abbi cura di te" 2016 —
"Non me ne frega niente" 2017 91 Nel caos di stanze stupefacenti
"Pezzo di me"
(with Max Gazze) 		66
"Gesù Cristo sono io" —
"Assenzio "
(J-Ax and Fedez featuring Stash and Levante) 		2018 1
  • FIMI: 4× Platinum[32]
 Comunisti col Rolex
(as a featured artist)
"Stay Open"
(with Diplo and MØ) 		— Non-album single
"Andrà tutto bene" 2019 78 Magmamemoria
"Lo stretto necessario"
(with Carmen Consoli) 		97
"Bravi tutti voi" —
"Tikibombom" 2020 8
"Sirene" — Non-album singles
"Vertigine"
(with Altarboy) 		—
"Dall'alba al tramonto" 2021 —
"Vivo" 2023 17 Opera futura
"Canzone d'estate" —
"Mi manchi" 2024 —
"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart.

Author and songwriter for other singers

[edit]

Collaborations authorship and / or compositions are listed in parentheses in the title.

Title Year Artist Album
"Mediterraneo"
(lyrics and music: Levante, Dario Faini) 		2017 Gianni Morandi D'amore D'autore
"Le parole che non dico mai"
(lyrics and music: Levante, A. Bisi, A. Filippetti) 		Rita Bellanza Non-album single
"In fondo non c'è"
(lyrics and music: Levante, A. Filippelli, F. Martorelli) 		2020 Elodie This Is Elodie

Filmography

[edit]

Films

[edit]
Year Title Role(s) Notes
2023 Romantic Girls Herself Cameo appearance

Television

[edit]

Modeling

[edit]

Authored book

[edit]
  • Se non ti vedo non esisti. Milan, Rizzoli Libri. 2017.[40]
  • Questa è l'ultima volta che ti dimentico. Milan. Rizzoli Libri. 2018.[41]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Levante – Biografia" (in Italian). Rockol.it. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  2. ^ ""Magma memoria" Omaggio di Levante all'Etna e alla Sicilia – la Repubblica.it". Archivio – la Repubblica.it (in Italian). 19 July 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  3. ^ Mario Manca (19 March 2017). "Chi è Levante, nuovo giudice di X Factor 2017?". Vanity Fair (in Italian). Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  4. ^ "Levante annuncia il terzo libro "E questo cuore non mente"". Sky TG24 (in Italian). 15 April 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  5. ^ "ATOLLO RECORDS – Discography – TROPPODIVA". www.atollorecords.com. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  6. ^ "Manuale Distruzione – Levante | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  7. ^ "LEVANTE – INRI" (in Italian). Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  8. ^ "MTV EMA 2014, le nomination per il Best Italian Act – VanityFair.it". 18 April 2015. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  9. ^ "Negramaro: Levante opening act di "Un Amore Così Grande 2014 Tour"". Radio Italia. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  10. ^ "Levante ospite del South By Southwest di Austin con 'Abbi Cura Di Te'". Cube Magazine (in Italian). 15 January 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  11. ^ "History – FIMI". www.fimi.it (in Italian). Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  12. ^ "ABBI CURA DI TE è il nuovo album di LEVANTE". All Music Italia (in Italian). 8 April 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  13. ^ "Levante pubblica il suo primo romanzo per Rizzoli". Notizie Musica (in Italian). 11 November 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  14. ^ a b c "Classifiche – FIMI". www.fimi.it (in Italian). Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  15. ^ rockonit (7 April 2017). "LEVANTE esce oggi il nuovo album "Nel caos di stanze stupefacenti"". Rockon.it (in Italian). Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  16. ^ "Richiedi targhetta". www.fimi.it (in Italian). Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  17. ^ "I giudici di X Factor 2017 – X Factor | Sky Uno". X Factor. 12 September 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  18. ^ s.r.l, Rockol com. "√ Gianni Morandi e il suo nuovo disco di inediti con grandi firme". Rockol (in Italian). Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  19. ^ s.r.l, RTL 102 5 Hit Radio. "Levante – Caos in Teatro Tour 2018 – RTL 102.5". rtl.it (in Italian). Retrieved 14 February 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ "Un nuovo brano per Diplo e Mø con la collaborazione di Levante". Talassa. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  21. ^ "CLASSIFICA TUTTOLIBRI.jpeg". Google Docs. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  22. ^ "J-AX & FEDEZ feat. Stash & Levante Assenzio". www.105.net. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  23. ^ "Irene Grandi festeggia 25 anni di successi con "Grandissimo"". TV Sorrisi e Canzoni (in Italian). 7 June 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  24. ^ a b Okwodu, Janelle (5 February 2019). "Meet Levante, Modern Italy's Renaissance Woman". Vogue. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  25. ^ "Magmamemoria tracklist".
  26. ^ "Sanremo 2020, la classifica finale completa". Il Post (in Italian). 9 February 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  27. ^ Granger, Anthony (4 December 2022). "🇮🇹 Italy: Festival di Sanremo 2023 Participants Revealed". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  28. ^ Granger, Anthony (17 December 2022). "🇮🇹 Italy: Sanremo Giovani 2022 Qualifiers & Sanremo Song Titles Revealed". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  29. ^ "Levante – Grazia.it". Grazia (in Italian). 18 October 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  30. ^ world, Add more color to the (6 July 2015). "Secondo Levante il pop è ancora lo strumento più potente". Vice (in Italian). Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  31. ^ "Italian Charts – Levante – Albums". Italiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  32. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Italian certifications – Levante" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 17 April 2023. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Levante" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Tutte le sezioni" under "Sezione".
  33. ^ "Italian Charts – Levante – Singles". Italiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  34. ^ Maraone, Paola (10 June 2016). "Levante: "Amo le donne con i pantaloni"". ELLE (in Italian). Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  35. ^ "S'Agapò Gioielli sceglie Tend e Levante per la sua nuova campagna pubblicitaria crossmediale". www.dailyonline.it (in Italian). Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  36. ^ "Huawei: per Mate 10 Pro guerrilla e la campagna di Cayenne. Poi, lo spot di Doner". www.dailyonline.it (in Italian). Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  37. ^ Pansitta, Neliana (23 March 2018). "Come ricreare i look di Levante firmati L'Oréal Professionnel" (in Italian). Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  38. ^ "Levante per L'Officiel – The Italian Issue". www.lofficielitalia.com (in Italian). Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  39. ^ Caruso, Paola (9 October 2019). "Levante modella è più disinvolta di una top: "Potrei posare nuda"". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  40. ^ "Se non ti vedo non esisti – Levante – Libro – Rizzoli – | IBS". www.ibs.it. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  41. ^ "Questa è l'ultima volta che ti dimentico – Levante – Libro – Rizzoli – Rizzoli narrativa | IBS". www.ibs.it. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
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