Paolo Conte

One of the most idiosyncratic, charismatic, and internationally successful Italian singer/songwriters of the past five decades, Paolo Conte has created his own unique style, combining a love for jazz and music hall together with a weary yet sympathetic and humorous understanding of human foibles. After emerging as a jazz pianist in the early 1960s, he released his eponymous singer/songwriter debut in 1974 and enjoyed his commercial breakthrough with 1979's Un Gelato al Limon. Over the decades to follow, alongside releases like the 1987 double album Aguaplano, 2000's narrative Razmataz, and 2016's all-instrumental Amazing Game, his steady soundtrack appearances (1995's French Kiss, 2007's No Reservations, and 2020's The New Pope, among many others) have helped his music reach audiences beyond his core Western European fan base. Capturing a performance from early 2023, his ninth live album, Alla Scala, saw release in 2024, 50 years after his solo debut.