Max Gazzè

Born in Rome, Italian pop singer, songwriter, and producer Max Gazzè grew up in Brussels, where at age 14 he began formal music studies through electric bass instruction. He soon performed with multiple bands across soul, funk, progressive rock, and ska styles. After a stint in the English group 4 Play 4, he moved back to Rome in 1991. There he founded the rhythm & blues outfit Emporium, scored soundtracks for area short films, and tracked his debut solo album, Contro un'Onda del Mare (Against a Wave of the Sea), in 1994; Virgin Records issued it in November 1995. An audience had already begun forming after he opened for Franco Battiato ahead of the record’s release, so Gazzè developed his follow-up while touring and appearing at the San Remo Festival. La Favola di Adamo ed Eva surfaced in 1998, and the self-titled third album arrived two years later. Label issues surfaced, prompting a switch from Virgin to EMI in 2003; the first album under the new deal, Un Giorno, appeared the next year.