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Mina (singer)

Mina
Anna Maria Mazzini (1972).jpg
Mina in the Teatro 10 television programme in 1972
Background information
Birth name Anna Maria Mazzini
Also known as Baby Gate
Born (1940-03-25) 25 March 1940 (age 76)
Busto Arsizio, Italy
Origin Cremona, Lombardy, Italy
Genres Pop, blues, jazz, rhythm and blues, Canzone Napoletana, bossa nova, dance
Occupation(s) Singer
Years active 1958–present
Labels , , , EMI
Associated acts Lucio Battisti, Bruno Canfora, Adriano Celentano, Gianni Ferrio, Giorgio Gaber, Augusto Martelli, Ennio Morricone, Pino Presti
Website www.minamazzini.com

Anna Maria QuainiOMRI (born 25 March 1940), known as Mina Mazzini or simply Mina, is an Italian singer. She was a staple of television variety shows and a dominant figure in Italian pop music from the 1960s to mid-1970s, known for her three-octave vocal range, the agility of her soprano voice, and her image as an emancipated woman.

In performance, Mina combined several modern styles with traditional Italian melodies and swing music, which made her the most versatile pop singer in Italian music. Mina dominated the country's charts for fifteen years and reached an unsurpassed level of popularity. She has scored 79 albums and 71 singles on the Italian charts.

Mina's TV appearances in 1959 were the first for a female rock and roll singer in Italy. Her loud syncopated singing earned her the nickname Queen of Screamers. The public also labeled her the Tiger of Cremona for her wild gestures and body shakes. When she turned to light pop tunes, Mina's chart-toppers in West Germany in 1962 and Japan in 1964 earned her the title of the best international artist in these countries. Mina's more refined sensual manner was introduced in 1960 with Gino Paoli's ballad "This World We Love In", which charted on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961.

Mina was banned from TV and radio in 1963 because her pregnancy and relationship with a married actor did not accord with the dominant Catholic and bourgeois morals. After the ban, the public broadcasting service RAI tried to continue to prohibit her songs, which were forthright in dealing with subjects such as religion, smoking and sex. Mina's cool act combined sex appeal with public smoking, dyed blonde hair, and shaved eyebrows to create a "bad girl" image.


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