Paola & Chiara

Milan natives Paola Iezzi, born March 30, 1974, and Chiara Iezzi, born February 27, 1973, first harmonized as teenagers inside the band Elefunky. Producer Claudio Cecchetto brought the pair aboard in 1995 to supply backing vocals for 883 on both recordings and live dates, a role that also placed the statuesque sisters—blonde Chiara and brunette Paola—inside multiple band videos. The siblings soon struck out independently, composing and delivering original material under their own name. Their entry “Amici Come Prima” captured the “Nuove Proposte” prize at the 1997 San Remo Festival and appeared on the debut album Ci Chiamano Bambine; the same year they supplied voices to the Italian edition of Disney’s Hercules soundtrack. Poor sales greeted the follow-up Giornata Storica in 1998, prompting a temporary exit from music and a stint hosting programs on MTV Italy. Momentum returned in summer 2000 when “Vamos a Bailar (Esta Vida Nueva)” became a seasonal smash, featured on the album Television that redefined their image as a Europop dance and club act modeled on Pet Shop Boys or Madonna rather than the rock and folk-rock textures of their opening releases. Later albums, singles, and provocative clips—including the “Kamasutra” video, barred from broadcast and circulated solely online—sustained that direction, earning steady notice among European club audiences plus listeners in Japan and Latin America while gradually incorporating English- and Spanish-language material. A greatest-hits set surfaced in 2005. Although each sister pursued separate endeavors, they maintained joint recordings and performances, culminating in the 2007 release Win the Game, their first project for the independent imprint Trepertre.