Music in Italy is an important part of the culture and history of the country. From the tarantella napoletana to more contemporary jazz, rock and hip-hop, music holds an important role in Italian culture and society.
In our ongoing series 5 Artists You Should Know, we introduce local artists from regions all over the world. We’re very excited to share these five rising artists in Italy that showcase the country’s diversity and global growth:
Gabriele Esposito
Neapolitan singer-songwriter Gabriele Esposito combines traditional Neapolitan music with sounds from overseas. Beginning his career by playing on the streets of Naples, he began building his sound “new-politan.”
Gabriele released his debut single “Napoli lo-fi” in 2021. After his cover of “me staje appennenn’ amò” by LIBERATO garnered over 10 million views on social media, Gabriele went from playing in the street to performing through live shows throughout Italy.
He released his first EP Via Scarlatti in June 2022, which got over 15 million streams and views. He then released another single in December 2022 titled “L’UNICA,” which became the most viral song by an Italian artist in the Neapolitan language as of January 2023.
Now, Gabriele continues to tour and has just released “‘NA RIVOLUZIONE (SENTO ‘O BBENE CA ME FACCIO)” on January 12, after which the artist was selected to be on the VEVO Newcomers 2024 campaign.
City: Brusciano
Follow on Instagram: @gabrieleespositomusic
GIMA
Artist and producer GIMA, born in Avellino in July 1996, was surrounded by music from a young age. He began to study classical guitar at age eight, and was inspired by his grandparents, both of whom were painters. As a teenager, GIMA was influenced by the English punk rock scene and new electronic sounds. He began to study DJing and music production, with a degree in Cultural Heritage and Electronic Music Production from SAE.
After his studies, GIMA began to work as a producer. In 2021, he founded Dirty Söcks — a collective that brings together artists from different parts of Italy. It was within this creative environment that GIMA began writing his first songs and eventually signed with Carosello Records.
City: Avellino
Follow on Instagram: @_____gima
PRINCIPE
Eugenio Bovina, who goes by PRINCIPE, was born in the small town Sant’Agata Bolognese in the province of Bologna in 2004. Inspired by the classic Italian music his parents would play, PRINCIPE learned to play his father’s guitar and eventually began writing his first songs.
PRINCIPE’s music focuses on vulnerability and emotional expression. In 2021, PRINCIPE released his first single as an independent. In 2023, he joined the music label Thamsanqa to release the single “Uh la la.” Since then, PRINCIPE has released “DA PAURA” “DAI FIDATI DI ME” and “ESAGERATA,” and is now working on his debut record project.
City: Sant’Agata Bolognese (BO)
Follow on Instagram: @sonoilprincipe
IDDA
Valeria Romeo, also known as IDDA, is a singer-songwriter and producer born in Catania, Italy.
At 11 years old, IDDA was immersed in gospel and soul music. As she got older, she moved into pop, folk and experimental music as well. At 16, IDDA began experimenting more often, and mixed elements of pop with Sicilian Folk music.
She was picked up by Platinum Label records, where she released her first single “BILENU” in 2023. Her debut EP KUNTA (Tells in English) was released the same year. KUNTA features IDDA as a producer and singer, combining Italian lyrics with those of her Sicilian dialect. The combination of her languages within her music reflects her love of her hometown and of Italy.
City: Catania
Follow on Instagram @iddasono
Daniela Pes
Singer-songwriter Daniela Pes was born in Gallura, Sardinia in 1992. She completed a degree in jazz singing at the Luigi Canepa Conservatory of Sassari in 2016. Daniela received a scholarship to the ‘Nuoro Jazz Summer Seminars’ directed by Paolo Fresu, which led her to perform at Time in Jazz and the Harp Festival in Rio de Janeiro.
As a singer, instrumentalist and electronic musician, Daniela is a multi-faceted artist. In 2017, she won multiple awards in the Andrea Parodi Prize, where she set music to poems written in Gallurese dialect by a priest from the eighteenth century.
In 2023, Daniela released her debut album SPIRA, which won the Targa Tenco as Best Opera prima.
City: Tempio Pausania
Follow on Instagram: @daniela___pes
