Franco Battiato

Franco Battiato
Battiato in 2005
Background information
Birth name	Francesco Battiato
Born	(1945-03-23) 23 March 1945 (age 72)
Origin	Ionia, Sicily, Italy
Genres	Beat, new wave, experimental, musique concrète, progressive pop, electronic pop, pop, new-age, opera, free jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, filmmaker, painter
Instruments	Vocals, piano, guitar
Years active	1967–present
Labels	Ricordi EMI Sony Music
Associated acts	Alice, Juri Camisasca, Giuni Russo, Milva
Website	Official website

Francesco "Franco" Battiato (Italian: [ˈfraŋko batˈtjaːto]; born 23 March 1945, Ionia, Sicily) is an Italian singer-songwriter, composer, filmmaker and, under the pseudonym Süphan Barzani, also a painter. Battiato's songs contain esoteric, philosophical and religious themes.

He is and has been for decades one of the most popular pop singer-songwriters in Italy. His unique sound, song-crafting and especially his lyrics, often containing philosophical, religious, and culturally exotic references, as well as tackling or painting universal themes about the human condition - unusual subjects for pop songs - earned him a unique spot on Italy's music scene, and the nickname of "Il Maestro" ("The Master" or "The Teacher"). His work includes songwriting and joint production efforts with several Italian and international musicians and pop singers, including the long-lasting professional relationship with Italian singer Alice. Together with Alice, Franco Battiato represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 with the song "I treni di Tozeur".

Born March 23, 1945 in Ionia, in the province of Catania, the town that, under Fascism, met the ancient authorities of Ripon and Giarre, back politically autonomous at the end of World War II. After graduating from high school at the Liceo Scientifico "Archimede" of Acireale, and following the death of his father (truck driver and longshoreman in New York), in 1964 he moved first to Rome. Franco Battiato moved to Milan at age 22, and soon after won his first musical contract. His single La Torre was released and Battiato appeared on TV to perform the song. He scored some success with the romantic song È l'amore. After further covers of pop songs, he met the experimental musician Juri Camisasca in 1970 and collaborated with , an Italian psychedelic-progressive rock band. As a solo artist, he released the science-fiction single La convenzione (The convention), one of the finest Italian progressive rock songs of the 1970s.