Rhythm

He is one of the most appreciated voices by Millennials, who see themselves in his love-filled lyrics and dance to the rhythm of his summer hits.

Not just a performer: Irama captures glances - and ensures an ever-larger slice of enamored fans! – also thanks to her look that is never predictable, never repetitive, accompanied by a hairstyling that ranges from the wild bob to the reinterpretation of the mullet of the Eighties. His outfits are not recommended for anyone who doesn't like to be noticed: after all, audacity is one of the qualities of this local talent.

 

Biography

Filippo Maria Fanti, better known as Irama (anagram of his second name and “ritmo” in the Malay language) was born in Carrara on 20 December 1995.

He had just finished primary school when the entire Fanti family moved from Carrara to Monza. The young singer took his first steps in the world of music, immediately distinguishing himself for his eclectic and "encyclopedic" streak: at an early age he approached our "involved" music with curiosity, loving sacred monsters like De André or Guccini, yet the genre with which he put himself to the test right from the start was rap.

Between 2014 and 2015 the Tuscan pigeonholed a series of important collaborations, among which we remember Valerio Sgargi and the duo then composed of Benji and Fede . In 2016 he entered the Olympus of Sanremo Nuove Proposte, ranking seventh in the final ranking with the single Cosa restarà.

It is the end of the year 2017 when Irama, fresh from a lot of experience and looking for a showcase in which to show his talent to a wider segment of the public, decides to take part in the well-known talent show “Amici di Maria De Filippi“. During this edition the singer wins and seizes the more unique than rare opportunity to manage and implement his success.

The showcase offered by Mediaset and the success of the single Nera allow Irama this time to enter the Ariston Theater from the entrance reserved for the Bigs. In 2019 he received unanimous acclaim with the poignant The girl with the tin heart, which ranked seventh.  The ballad is inspired by the true story of Martina Nasoni, winner of Big Brother whom Irama met in Salento; he was so struck by the story of the young woman (who wears a pacemaker) that he wrote the song together with Giuseppe Colonnelli.

The Sanremo experience of 2019 will not be the only one for the singer-songwriter. In 2021 Irama tries again, presenting the single La genesi del tuo colore during the event, which marks a turning point in the artist's musical style, more leaning towards the urban. A Sanremo that Irama hardly forgets: he ranks fifth despite never having sung live in theatre, due to the isolation imposed on him by the restrictions to stem the spread of Covid-19. In his place, the host Amadeus decides to broadcast the recordings of the rehearsals in the theater.

In 2022 Irama rises one place in the final Sanremo ranking, singing - this time live! – an intense one Wherever you will be and managing to return to the Ariston stage during the evening dedicated to covers Gianluca Grignani.

The singer's most recent single, 5 drops (feat. Rkomi) is already gold record.

Interviews

During the numerous interviews released on TV and in the press Irama has always told the genesis of his songs with sensitivity and without frills. During the interview given to Mara Venier on “Domenica In” the day after the end of the 2022 Sanremo edition Fanti explained how Ovunque ordini was born, underlining that the song is dedicated “To a person who no longer exists“.

"I was on a terrace in Salento. It was a bit of a bad time for me, dark... I couldn't write - admitted the singer-songwriter who, having moved away from the group of musicians who accompanied him, began to - look at the sky, look at the earth...I started writing a sort of poem to this person, I started talking to her".

Clearness and emotion often shine through in Irama's interviews, as feisty on stage as he is kind and delicate in his discussions with hosts and journalists. An approach that conquers young but also older people, who underline its politeness and sweetness.

Musical influences

Although his detractors label him only as the singer of summer hits - both listened to and hated - there is, in reality, much more behind the artist Irama.

It's undeniable: the success of popular hits like Nera and Mediterranea is there for all to see. The boy, however, does not want to be classified in just one gender. Irama explains it in depth in 2020, following the release of his EP “Crepe“.

"I'm not a rapper, a songwriter or a rock star. None of us can be contained in a single "genre", not even my music. From an emotional point of view, cracks are what happens to us and makes us grow. Cracks is what I am today: a set of influences that I don't like to catalogue. I like to be influenced by other cultures and bring them into my music".

In Irama's works we quickly move from the sensual Latin rhythm to the most romantic of love songs until reaching rhythms closer to rap: all this testifies to the "hunger" for musical knowledge of such a young performer.

Irama's stylistic preferences

Like any boy of his age, Irama is rather attentive to current trends not only in terms of hairstyling, but also and above all in terms of fashion.

The boy sets the trend: thumbs down for sneakers and tracksuits, green light for jewels, leather jackets, eclectic combinations. His style is often compared to that of former One Direction Harry Stiles, although "our" Irama could be considered even more "extreme" in the choice of outfits to wear. In fact, the final result of the singer's total look - clothing plus hairstyling - often borders on "pirate" and sometimes has almost "shamanic" references!

“I only wear things that make me feel comfortable and that are in tune with my taste, that speak about me“, he admitted in an interview dated 2020 given to the well-known magazine GQ Italia. A mantra that often creates rather bright contrasts between the songs he brings to the stages of festivals and shows and the looks sported by the boy born in 1995 and curated for him by the stylist Simone Rutigliano .

Hedi Slimane, Haider Ackermann, Dries Van Noten, Saint Laurent, Givenchy and Celine are just some of the fashion brands favored by the singer-songwriter, who is not afraid to dare by focusing on spotted patterns, sweaters that resemble the texture of his grandmother's classic doilies, transparencies, bandanas and an appeal spasmodic to black. Details that make the difference, but which overall give a sophisticated look.

Discography

Three albums, two EPs and many successful singles: here is Irama's complete discography.

Album in studio

• 2016 – Rhythm
• 2018 – Young people
• 2022 – The day I stopped thinking

EP

• 2018 – Plume
• 2020 – Crepe 

Singles

• 2015 – What will remain
• 2016 – You will come back to me
• 2016 – NI didn't go to university
• 2017 – I'll take drugs
• 2018 – One more day
• 2018 – What do you know
• 2018 – Nera
• 2018 – Beautiful and ruined
• 2019 – The girl with the tin heart
• 2019 – Arrogant
• 2020 – Milan (with Francesco Sarcina)
• 2020 – Mediterranean
• 2020 – Crepe
• 2020 – Fog Boys (with Mace and FSK Satellite)
• 2021 – The genesis of your color
• 2021 – Forbidden melody
• 2021 – Full Moon (with Rkomi)
• 2022 – Wherever you will be
• 2022 – 5 drops (with Rkomi)

TV appearances

Not only talent, but above all many festivals, Sanremo in the lead: Irama has participated in numerous small screen shows.

• Sanremo Giovani – competitor Nuove Proposte (Rai 1, 2015)
• Sanremo Festival – New Proposals (Rai 1, 2016) – competitor
• Summer Festival – Youth Section (Canale 5, 2016) – winner
• Battiti Live (Telenorba, Radionorba Tv, 2016; Telenorba, Radionorba Tv, Italia 1, 2018-2021)
• Summer Festival – Big (Channel 5, 2017)
• Friends of Maria de Filippi (Real Time, Canale 5, 2017-2018) – winner
• Summer Festival – Big (Channel 5, 2018)
• Sanremo Festival (Rai 1, 2019, 2021, 2022) – Big competitor
• SEAT Music Awards (Rai 1, 2019-2020)
• Special friends (Channel 5, 2020) – winner

Awards

During his still short career Irama has obtained a series of awards. The boy is on track to achieve ambitious goals.

• 2016 –  Winner of the fourth edition of the Summer Festival in the Youth section
• 2018 – Winner of the seventeenth edition of the talent show Amici di Maria De Filippi
• 2018 – Winner of the Radio 105 award at Amici di Maria De Filippi
• 2020 – Winner of Special Friends

Quotes

Reflections on music, on fashion, on Irama's way of being collected for you in this space dedicated to quotes. Happy reading!

• "I've always liked a phrase by Oscar Wilde who says that "only superficial people don't judge by appearances". Well, that's how it is for me. Substance also manifests itself through what you put on, it's a way of expressing your world"
• "Art must not be conditioned by the catchment area or by the audience that one thinks one has or would like. Thus it would no longer be art, but a work on commission. There would no longer be anything creative, there would no longer be an inspiration or an artistic streak. I am a singer-songwriter, I do not imprint my life and music on others"
• "“Amici” was a way to tell as many people as possible about my music, my truth. Not to achieve success, but to show my art to as many people as possible"