Marco Mengoni facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Marco Mengoni
Mengoni in 2023
Born	(1988-12-25) December 25, 1988 (age 36) Ronciglione, province of Viterbo, Italy
Occupation	Singer songwriter
Years active	2009–present
Musical career
Genres	Pop soul rock R&B
Instruments	Vocals piano guitar
Labels	Sony Music

Marco Mengoni (born 25 December 1988) is a famous Italian singer and songwriter. He became well-known in 2009 after winning the third season of the Italian TV talent show X Factor. Since then, he has sold over 2.8 million records in Italy. His albums have reached number one on the Italian charts seven times in a row, and his songs have been in the Top 10 fifteen times.

Marco Mengoni has won the important Sanremo Music Festival twice, first in 2013 and again in 2023. Both times, he then got to represent Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest.

His first music release, an extended play (EP) called Dove si vola, came out in 2009. The main song from it, also called "Dove si vola", went straight to number one in Italy. In 2010, Marco competed in the 60th Sanremo Music Festival with his song "Credimi ancora" and finished third. This song was part of his second EP, Re matto, which also reached number one in Italy. He later released his first full album, Solo 2.0, in 2010.

Early Life and Music Start
Marco's Music Journey
Marco's Music Style
Studio Albums
Tours
Awards and Achievements
Film Roles
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Music Start

Marco Mengoni was born on 25 December 1988 in Ronciglione, a town in central Italy. He grew up there as an only child.

When he was 14, while studying industrial design in school, he started taking singing lessons. He also began performing as part of a five-person singing group. After school, he moved to Rome to study languages. To support himself, he worked as a barman and sang at piano bars and weddings. During this time, he also gained experience in the music business by working as a sound mixer and music programmer.

Marco's Music Journey

2009: Winning X Factor

In 2009, Marco Mengoni tried out for the third season of the Italian talent show X Factor. He sang "Uomini semplici" by Eduardo De Crescenzo. His mentor, Morgan, chose him for the live shows. Marco sang many different types of songs and impressed famous Italian singers like Mina and Elisa.

On 2 December 2009, Marco Mengoni won X Factor! This win came with a recording contract and a spot in the Sanremo Music Festival 2010. His winning song, "Dove si vola", became number one in Italy. This song was also on his first EP, Dove si vola, which reached number nine on the Italian album charts.

2010: Sanremo and Re matto

Mengoni performing during a concert in 2010

In February 2010, Marco Mengoni took part in the 60th Sanremo Music Festival with his song "Credimi ancora". He came in third place. "Credimi ancora" became a top three hit in Italy. The song was included in his second EP, Re matto, released in February 2010. This EP stayed at number one on the Italian Albums Chart for four weeks.

To promote Re matto, Marco went on his first concert tour, called Re matto live. It started in Milan in May 2010 and had 56 shows. He sang songs from his EPs and also covered famous songs like "Live and Let Die" and "Tears in Heaven". A live album and video from this tour, Re matto live, was released in October 2010 and also topped the Italian charts.

In 2010, Marco won the TRL award for Man of the Year. He also won the MTV Europe Music Award for Best European Act, becoming the first Italian artist to win this big award!

2011–2012: Solo 2.0 Album

On 2 September 2011, Marco Mengoni released "Solo (Vuelta al ruedo)", the first song from his first full studio album, Solo 2.0. Marco helped write most of the songs on this album. The album was influenced by electronic and rock music.

Solo 2.0 was released on 27 September 2011 and immediately went to number one on the Italian Albums Chart. It was later certified gold, meaning it sold over 30,000 copies. He went on an Italian tour called Solo tour 2.0 to promote the album.

2013–2014: Sanremo, Eurovision, and #prontoacorrere

Mengoni performing at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013

In February 2013, Marco Mengoni competed in the 63rd Sanremo Music Festival with two songs: "L'essenziale" and "Bellissimo". "L'essenziale" was chosen as the song he would continue with. On 16 February 2013, Marco Mengoni won the competition!

That same night, he was also chosen to represent Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden. He sang a shorter version of "L'essenziale" at Eurovision. As one of the "Big Five" countries, Italy automatically qualified for the final. Marco finished seventh out of 26 countries, earning 126 points.

"L'essenziale" became a huge hit, staying at number one on the Italian Digital Downloads chart for eight weeks. Both "L'essenziale" and "Bellissimo" were included in Marco's second studio album, #prontoacorrere, released in March 2013. This album also went to number one in Italy.

2015–2016: Parole in circolo and Le cose che non ho

In January 2015, Marco Mengoni released his third studio album, Parole in circolo. This was the first part of a two-part music project. The second part, Le cose che non ho, came out in December 2015.

Marco won the MTV Europe Music Award for Best European Act again in 2015, making him the first Italian artist to win it twice! The final part of this project was a live album, Marco Mengoni Live, released in October 2016. It included new studio songs and a duet with English singer Paloma Faith.

2018–Present: Atlantico and Materia Trilogy

On 19 October 2018, Marco released two new songs, "Voglio" and "Buona Vita", which were part of his fifth studio album, Atlantico, released in November. This album is available in both Italian and Spanish.

In 2021, Marco released "Venere e Marte" and "Ma stasera". "Ma stasera" was part of his sixth studio album, Materia (Terra), released in December 2021. This album is the first part of a three-part series called the Materia trilogy. The second part, Materia (Pelle), came out in October 2022.

In 2023, ten years after his first win, Marco Mengoni won the Sanremo Music Festival 2023 again with his song "Due vite". This meant he would represent Italy once more at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool. He finished fourth in the competition with 350 points.

In 2024, as the latest Sanremo winner, he was invited to co-host the first night of the 2024 festival.

Marco's Music Style

Marco Mengoni is mostly known as a pop artist. He has a very soulful voice with hints of pop rock. He says The Beatles are a big inspiration for him. Other artists who have influenced his music include David Bowie, George Michael, Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson, and Renato Zero.

Studio Albums

Solo 2.0 (2011)
#prontoacorrere (2013)
Parole in circolo (2015)
Le cose che non ho (2015)
Atlantico (2018)
Materia (Terra) (2021)
Materia (Pelle) (2022)
Materia (Prisma) (2023)

Tours

2010: Re matto tour
2011: Solo tour 2.0
2012: Tour teatrale
2013: L'Essenziale Tour
2015, 2016, 2019, 2022: #MengoniLive
2022–2023: Marco negli stadi

Awards and Achievements

Marco Mengoni has won many awards throughout his career.

He won two TRL Awards.
He has won nine Wind Music Awards.
He has received nine MTV Italian Music Awards.
In 2010 and 2015, he won the MTV Europe Music Award for Best European Act, becoming the first Italian artist to win this award twice.
In 2013, he also won the MTV European Music Award for Best Southern European Act.
In 2014, he won the Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards for Best Italian Singer.
In 2023, he won a Nastro d'Argento for Best Original Song.