Zero Assoluto

Friends Matteo Maffucci and Thomas de Gasperi formed the Italian pop duo Zero Assoluto (Absolute Zero) after meeting in 1995 as fellow students. Their close bond soon prompted them to exchange musical ideas and write songs strictly for their own amusement. The year 1999 brought their first single, "Ultimo Cappodanno" (Last New Year's Eve), issued with scant expectation of success, yet the track and its video gained favorable notice. Three years later came "Magari Meno," followed by "Tu Come Stai," whose video earned an award for best photography that year. In 2004 the pair began hosting Suite 102.5 on the national radio network, a program that quickly attained cult status among young Italians. That same year Zero Assoluto issued their debut album, Scendi, which reached platinum status and spawned several radio hits. Strong showings at the Sanremo Music Festival together with sustained radio exposure markedly broadened the duo's reach over the next few years. Their 2006 platinum release Appena Prima di Partire and a collaboration with Nelly Furtado on "All Good Things (Come to an End)" from the Italian edition of her album Loose delivered international recognition.