Lorenzo Fragola (born 26 April 1995) is an Italian singer-songwriter. He rose to fame after winning the eighth season of the Italian talent show X Factor. His winner's single, "The Reason Why", debuted atop the Italian Singles Chart, and was later certified double platinum by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Fragola competed both in the 65th and 66th Sanremo Music Festival, performing the songs "Siamo uguali" and "Infinite volte", and placing tenth and fifth, respectively. Both his debut album 1995, released in Italy on 31 March 2015, and its follow-up, Zero Gravity (2016) debuted atop the Italian Albums Chart.

Lorenzo Fragola
Background information
Birth nameLorenzo Fragola
Born (1995-04-26) 26 April 1995 (age 29)
Catania, Sicily, Italy
GenresPop
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • guitar
Years active2014–present
Labels

Biography

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1995–2012: Early birds

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Lorenzo Fragola was born in Catania, Sicily, on 26 April 1995.[1] His parents divorced when he was three. Since then, he lived with his mother and brother.[2] His interest in music was encouraged by his father, who plays piano. As a child, Fragola started to take music lessons, and he subsequently entered a choir. Despite writing songs since a few years, he refused to sing them to an audience until when he was 17, when he composed and performed a song for a musical based on the film Shakespeare in Love.[2]

After completing high school, Fragola moved to Bologna, where he started studying Arts, Music and Entertainment.[2]

2013–14: X Factor and career breakthrough

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In 2013, he auditioned for the seventh series of the Italian talent show X Factor, but he failed to pass the first selection.[3] He tried once again to enter the competition in 2014, when he performed Domenico Modugno's "Cosa sono le nuvole" and his own song "The Reason Why".[4][5] As a result, he was chosen as one of the contestants of the eighth series of X Factor. Mentioned by Italian rapper Fedez, Fragola reached the final of the competition and, on 11 December 2014, he was announced the winner, beating runner-up Madh.[6] His prize was a recording contract with Sony Music, with a stated value of €300,000.[7]

During the week preceding the final of X Factor, Fragola's debut single, as well as the new song performed by the remaining semi-finalists, was released to Italian radio stations and as a digital download.[8] Titled "The Reason Why", the song immediately achieved commercial success, reaching the top position of the Italian chart during its first week.[9] The single was also certified double-platinum by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry, denoting sales in excess of 60,000 units.[10] The song was later included in his self-titled EP, released by Sony Music on 12 December 2014.[11] In December of the same year, Fragola appeared in the music video for the song "Sayonara", released by X Factor runner-up Madh.[12] Shortly after, Fragola signed a deal with Newtopia, the recording company co-founded by his former X Factor mentor, Fedez. According to the deal, Fragola is now co-managed by Newtopia and Sony Music.[13]

2015: Sanremo Music Festival and debut album

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In February 2015, Fragola competed in the "Big Artists" section of the 65th Sanremo Music Festival, performing the song "Siamo uguali", co-written with Fedez and Fausto Cogliati.[14][15] During the contest, Fragola also performed a cover of Ron's "Una città per cantare", which is an Italian adaptation of "The road", originally recorded by Jackson Browne.[16][17] After reaching the final, he finished in tenth place.[18]

Fragola's debut album, 1995, was released on 31 March 2015.[19] The album, composed of both Italian-language and English-language songs, includes both his previous singles, "The Reason Why" and "Siamo uguali", as well as tracks co-written by Nek, Rebecca Ferguson and Tom Odell, among the others.[20] 1995 debuted at number one on the Italian Albums Chart.[21] It also spawned the singles "The Rest", released in April 2015, and "#fuori c'è il sole", which became a top-ten hit in Italy during the summer of 2015.[22][23][24] On 29 June 2015, Fragola performed a show at the PalaLottomatica in Rome, titled Fragola al cinema and broadcast live in 180 Italian theatres. The show, including Francesca Michielin, Rocco Hunt, Chiara and Nek as musical guests, was a preview of 1995 il Tour, Fragola's first Italian concert tour, which debuted in Autumn of the same year.[25][26]

2016: Zero Gravity

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In February 2016, Fragola competed for the second year in a row in the Sanremo Music Festival. He performed the song "Infinite volte", which reached the fifth position in the Big Artists section.[27][28] The song preceded Fragola's second studio album, Zero Gravity, which was released on 11 March 2016.[29] The album became his second number-one on the Italian Albums Chart.[30] It also spawned the singles "Luce che entra" and "D'improvviso", certified gold and platinum in Italy, respectively.[10] On 21 May 2016, Fragola performed the Italian national anthem during the 68th Coppa Italia Final at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.[31]

Personal life

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In 2014, when he was selected as one of the contestants of the eighth series of X Factor, Fragola was engaged with his girlfriend, Federica Consiglio. During an interview released to the Italian edition of Vanity Fair, Fragola stated he considered himself "as if he was married to her", since the couple started living together immediately after completing high school, splitting their time between Bologna, where he was studying Arts, Music and Entertainment, and Modena, where she studies Biotechnology.[2] However, in late December 2014, Consiglio announced through a Facebook post the couple had split on 17 December of the same year.[32][33]

Discography

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Studio albums

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List of studio albums, with chart positions and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
ITA
[34]
1995
  • Released: 31 March 2015
  • Label: RCA
  • Formats: CD, download
1
Zero Gravity[29]
  • Released: 11 March 2016
  • Label: RCA
  • Formats: CD, download
1
Bengala
  • Released: 27 April 2018
  • Label: Sony
  • Formats: CD, download
4
List of extended plays, with selected chart positions and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
ITA
[34]
Lorenzo Fragola
  • Released: 12 December 2014
  • Label: Sony BMG
  • Formats: CD, digital download
11

Singles

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As lead artist

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List of singles, with chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name
Single Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album or EP
ITA
[24]
"The Reason Why" 2014 1
  • FIMI: 2× Platinum[10]
Lorenzo Fragola
"Siamo uguali" 2015 8
  • FIMI: 2× Platinum[10]
1995
"The Rest"
"#fuori c'è il sole" 5
  • FIMI: 3× Platinum[10]
"Infinite volte" 2016 7 Zero Gravity
"Luce che entra"
"D'improvviso" 42
  • FIMI: 2× Platinum[10]
"Bengala" 2018 58 Bengala
"Battaglia navale"[36]
"Super Martina"[37]
(featuring Gazzelle)
"Solero"
(featuring The Kolors)
2021 Non-album single
"—" denotes singles that did not chart or were not released
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List of singles, with chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name
Single Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
ITA
[24]
SWI
[38]
"L'esercito del selfie"
(Takagi & Ketra featuring Lorenzo Fragola and Arisa)
2017 4 53
  • FIMI: 2× Platinum[10]
Non-album singles
"Camera con vista"[39]
(Federica Abbate featuring Lorenzo Fragola)
2019
"—" denotes singles that did not chart or were not released

Other charted songs

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List of non-single tracks entering the charts, with year released and album name
Song Year Peak chart positions Album or EP
ITA
[40]
"Impossible" 2014 52 The Reason Why
"Cosa sono le nuvole" 60

Album appearances

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List of other album appearances
Contribution Year Album
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"[41]
(with Madh, Leiner and Riccardo Schiara)
2014 X Factor Christmas 2014
"Una città per cantare"[42] 2015 Super Sanremo 2015
"Matrioska"[43]
(Two Fingerz featuring Lorenzo Fragola)
La tecnica Bukowski
"Io ti cercherò"[44]
(Ron featuring Lorenzo Fragola)
2016 La forza di dire sì
"Rimani qui"[45]
(Briga featuring Lorenzo Fragola)
Talento
"Borotalco"[46]
(Mameli featuring Lorenzo Fragola)
2020 Amarcord

Music videos

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Title Year Director(s)
"The Reason Why"[47] 2015 Cosimo Alemà
"Siamo uguali"[48] Mauro Russo
"The Rest"[49]
"#fuori c'è il sole"[50]
"Infinite volte"[51] 2016 Niccolò Celaia, Antonio Usbergo
"Zero Gravity"[52] Luca Tartaglia
"Weird"[53]
"D'improvviso"[53]
"Luce che entra"[54] Gaetano Morbioli
"L'esercito del selfie"[55]
(Takagi & Ketra featuring Lorenzo Fragola and Arisa)
2017
"Bengala"[56] 2018 Tania Gualeni
"Battaglia navale"[57] Niccolò Celaia, Antonio Usbergo
"Super Martina"[58]
(Lorenzo Fragola featuring Gazzelle)
"Camera con vista"[59]
(Federica Abbate featuring Lorenzo Fragola)
2019 Enea Colombi

Sanremo Music Festival entries

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Year Section Song and writers Result
2015 Big Artists "Siamo uguali"[60]
(Lorenzo Fragola, Fedez, Fausto Cogliati)
10th place[18]
2016 "Infinite volte"[27]
(Lorenzo Fragola, Rory Di Benedetto, Rosario Canale, Fabrizio Ferraguzzo, Antonio Filippelli)
5th place[28]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Nomination Work Result
2015 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Italian Singer[61] Himself Nominated
MTV Italian Music Awards Best New Artist[62] Won
Medimex Awards Best Debut Album[63] 1995 Won
2016 Onstage Awards Italian Talent of the Future[64] Himself Nominated
Best Fanbase[64] Fragola's Fans Nominated
MTV Italian Music Awards Best Italian Male[65] Himself Nominated

References

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  1. ^ Giorgio Dell'Atri (15 December 2014). "Lorenzo Fragola". Catalogo dei viventi 2015 (in Italian). Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d Sara Faillaci (17 December 2014). "Lorenzo Fragola: Vado a Sanremo". Vanity Fair (Italian edition) (in Italian). Archived from the original on 19 December 2014.
  3. ^ Luca Dondoni (13 December 2014). "Lorenzo Fragola: "Per vincere a X Factor ho battuto le mie paure"". La Stampa (in Italian). Archived from the original on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  4. ^ Cecilia Uzzo (26 September 2014). "X Factor 8, cantautori alla riscossa". Vanity Fair (Italian edition) (in Italian). Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  5. ^ Alessandro Alicandri. "X Factor 8: le Audizioni. Lorenzo Fragola e le pagelle della seconda puntata". Panorama (in Italian). Archived from the original on 30 November 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  6. ^ Anna Lupini (11 December 2014). "X Factor, vince Lorenzo Fragola". la Repubblica (in Italian). Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  7. ^ Alessandra De Tommasi (11 December 2014). "X Factor, vince Lorenzo, Madh secondo. Il pubblico fischia Morgan e lui: 'Str...'". Leggo (in Italian). Archived from the original on 28 December 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  8. ^ "Da oggi in radio i quattro inediti dei finalisti di X Factor 2014" (in Italian). Rockol.it. 5 December 2014. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  9. ^ "Classifiche – Archivio – Top Digital – Classifica settimanale WK 49 (dal 01-12-2014 al 07-12-2014)" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014. "FIMI – Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana – Certificazioni". Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Italian single certifications – Lorenzo Fragola" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 19 December 2014. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Lorenzo Fragola" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  11. ^ "Esce oggi in Cd e digitale l'EP di debutto omonimo di Lorenzo Fragola, vincitore di X Factor 8" (in Italian). Sony Music. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  12. ^ "Madh: il video di Sayonara in anteprima su Sky Uno e VEVO" (in Italian). Sky Italia. 24 December 2014. Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  13. ^ "Fedex: A Sanremo con Lorenzo Fragola". TGCOM (in Italian). Mediaset. 22 December 2014. Archived from the original on 28 December 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  14. ^ Alessandro Alicandri. "Sanremo 2015, i nomi dei 20 cantanti in gara". TV Sorrisi e Canzoni (in Italian). Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  15. ^ Gianni Sibilla (23 January 2015). "Sanremo 2015, l'ascolto in anteprima delle canzoni dei Campioni" (in Italian). Rockol.it. Archived from the original on 27 January 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  16. ^ "Sanremo 2015, le cover di stasera 12 febbraio" (in Italian). Rockol.it. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  17. ^ Alessandra Vitali (12 February 2015). "Sanremo, Nek vince la serata delle cover. Luca e Paolo, si ride con la R.I.P. Parade". la Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  18. ^ a b "Sanrmeo 2015 – Risultati Artisti Campioni" (PDF) (in Italian). RAI. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  19. ^ "1995: Il primo disco di Lorenzo Fragola uscirà il 31 marzo" (in Italian). Radio Italia Solo Musica Italiana. 9 March 2015. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  20. ^ Massimiliano Logno (31 March 2015). "Esce oggi 1995, l'album di debutto di Lorenzo Fragola: ecco tutti gli autori" (in Italian). AllMusicItalia.it. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  21. ^ "Hit parade, esordio al top per Lorenzo Fragola" (in Italian). Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata. 9 April 2015. Archived from the original on 9 April 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  22. ^ Massimiliano Longo (16 April 2016). "Per il nuovo singolo di 1995 Lorenzo Fragola si affida a Tom Odell e lancia The Rest". Archived from the original on 18 April 2015.
  23. ^ "Lorenzo Fragola: Fuori c'è il sole, nuovo singolo dall'album 1995" (in Italian). Radio Italia Solo Musica Italiana. 11 June 2015. Archived from the original on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  24. ^ a b c Peak positions on the Italian Singles Chart:
  25. ^ Alessandro Alicandri (29 June 2015). "Fragola al cinema: gli 8 momenti più belli". TV Sorrisi e Canzoni (in Italian). Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  26. ^ Mattia Marzi (3 October 2015). "Lorenzo Fragola, al via da Roma '1995 il tour' – Live Report / Scaletta" (in Italian). Rockol.it. Archived from the original on 18 February 2016.
  27. ^ a b "Sanremo 2016: ecco i 20 Big in gara in un cast già "telefonato" tra cui Annalisa, Lorenzo Fragola, Patty Pravo e Bluvertigo" (in Italian). AllMusicItalia.com. 13 December 2015. Archived from the original on 18 February 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  28. ^ a b Chiara Sarra (14 February 2016). "Festival di Sanremo 2016, la classifica finale dei big" (PDF). Il Giornale (in Italian). Archived from the original on 21 February 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  29. ^ a b Caterina Maconi (6 February 2016). "Lorenzo Fragola, il suo secondo album è Zero Gravity". TV Sorrisi e Canzoni (in Italian). Archived from the original on 8 February 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  30. ^ "Lorenzo Fragola subito primo nella hit parade degli album" (in Italian). Adnkronos. 18 March 2016. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  31. ^ "Finale Coppa Italia, Lorenzo Fragola canterà l'inno di Mameli all'Olimpico". Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 19 May 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  32. ^ "X Factor, il vincitore Lorenzo Fragola lasciato dalla fidanzata: ormai è irriconoscibile". Leggo (in Italian). 26 December 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  33. ^ "Lorenzo Fragola, il vincitore di X Factor ripudiato dalla sua ex ragazza: Basta associarmi a lui, è irriconoscibile". Libero (in Italian). 26 December 2014. Archived from the original on 27 December 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  34. ^ a b "Italian Charts – Lorenzo Fragola – Albums". Italiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  35. ^ a b "Italian album certifications – Lorenzo Fragola" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 21 February 2022. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Lorenzo Fragola" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  36. ^ "Lorenzo Fragola: Battaglia anticipa il nuovo album Bengala" (in Italian). Radio Italia Solo Musica Italiana. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  37. ^ "Lorenzo Fragola con Gazzelle: il video di Super Martina". Billboard (in Italian). 2 July 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  38. ^ "Swiss Charts – Lorenzo Fragola – Songs". Hung Medien. Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  39. ^ "Federica Abbate, il nuovo singolo con Lorenzo Fragola è Camera con vista" (in Italian). Sky Italia. 31 May 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  40. ^ Peak positions for non-single tracks in Italy:
    • For "Impossible":
  41. ^ "X Factor Christmas 2014: festeggia Natale con noi!" (in Italian). Sky Italia. 25 November 2014. Archived from the original on 25 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  42. ^ "Super Sanremo 2015 – CD Cover e Tracklist" (in Italian). M&B Music. 13 February 2015.
  43. ^ "Two Fingerz, il primo giugno esce l'album La tecnica Bukowski" (in Italian). Rockol.it. 4 May 2015. Archived from the original on 6 May 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  44. ^ "Jovanotti, Antonacci, Mengoni e tanti altri nell'album di Ron" (in Italian). Radio Italia Solo Musica Italiana. 18 February 2016. Archived from the original on 18 February 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  45. ^ "Briga, esce il nuovo album Talento: È un prisma con tante facce. A Sanremo ci andrei per togliermi un sassolino dalla scarpa" (in Italian). Rockol.it. 6 October 2016. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  46. ^ Federico Durante (30 October 2020). "Mameli presenta l'album d'esordio: Con Amarcord mi metto a nudo". Billboard (in Italian). Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  47. ^ Gianmarco Regaldi (13 January 2015). "Lorenzo Fragola: attesa finita. Ecco il video di The Reason Why" (in Italian). AllMusicItalia.it. Archived from the original on 14 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  48. ^ Enrico Furnari. "Lorenzo Fragola: storia d'amore al fast food per il video di Siamo uguali" (in Italian). AllMusicItalia. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  49. ^ Gianmarco Regaldi (24 April 2015). "Lorenzo Fragola: 1995 conquista il disco d'oro mentre esce il video di The Rest" (in Italian). AllMusicItalia.it. Archived from the original on 6 May 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  50. ^ Vassily Sortino (29 June 2015). "Lorenzo Fragola: "Fuori c'è il sole", il video girato in Sicilia". la Repubblica (in Italian). Archived from the original on 4 September 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  51. ^ Federica De Martino (13 February 2016). "Lorenzo Fragola: Infinite volte, testo e video" (in Italian). CanzoniWeb.com. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  52. ^ "Lorenzo Fragola pubblica il video di Zero Gravity" (in Italian). Radio Italia Solo Musica Italiana. 10 March 2016.
  53. ^ a b "Lorenzo Fragola: In Zero Gravity ho osato di più" (in Italian). Adnkronos. 9 March 2016. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  54. ^ Francesco Chignola (6 April 2016). "Lorenzo Fragola, guarda il video ufficiale di Luce che entra". TV Sorrisi e Canzoni (in Italian). Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  55. ^ "Arisa e Fragola: Pippo Baudo nel nuovo video de L'esercito del selfie" (in Italian). Radio Italia Solo Musica Italiana. 20 June 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  56. ^ "Lorenzo Fragola: online il video di Bengala – Guarda" (in Italian). Rockol.it. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  57. ^ "Lorenzo Fragola: Battaglia navale, ecco il video, girato a New York" (in Italian). Radio Italia Solo Musica Italiana. 6 April 2020.
  58. ^ "Lorenzo Fragola: Macchina vintage, cestino da picnic e pistole d'acqua, per immortalare l'estate nel video di Super Martina" (in Italian). AllMusicItalia.it. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  59. ^ "Video: Federica Abbate – Camera con vista Feat. Lorenzo Fragola" (in Italian). Newsic.it. 19 June 2019.
  60. ^ Gianni Sibilla (23 January 2015). "Sanremo 2015, l'ascolto in anteprima delle canzoni dei Campioni" (in Italian). Rockol.it. Archived from the original on 27 January 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  61. ^ "Annalisa, Dear Jack, Fedez e Lorenzo Fragola candidati ai KCA 2015!" (in Italian). Nickelodeon. 20 February 2013. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  62. ^ Alessandro Alicandri (14 June 2015). "Mtv Awards 2015: le migliori esibizioni e i vincitori". Panorama (in Italian). Archived from the original on 15 June 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  63. ^ Gabriele Antonucci (16 October 2015). "Jovanotti: Lorenzo 2015 cc premiato dal Medimex come miglior album". Panorama (in Italian). Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  64. ^ a b Luca Marra (16 March 2016). "Tim Music On Stage Awards 2016: ospiti, nomination. Su Rai 2 il 18 marzo". International Business Times (in Italian). Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  65. ^ "MTV Awards 2016, vota da oggi! Ecco tutti gli artisti in gara". MTV Italy. 9 May 2016. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by Italian X Factor
Winner

2014
Succeeded by