Franco de Vita

Biography

Franco Atilio De Vita De Vito (born January 23, 1954) is a Venezuelan Latin Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter. His first album as a solo artist garnered three Spanish-language hits in Venezuela. He signed with the CBS Records label in 1989, and in 1990, his album Extranjero×Extranjero1990 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Ella está loca por mí3:422No basta4:353Latino4:314Será4:495Esto es América5:046Sexo3:527Ya lo he vivido3:428Nada que no me guste a mí3:429Ella es única4:1610Extranjero6:12 had a song that reached No. 1 on the United States Latin charts and won an MTV Video Music Award. His 2004 album Stop reached the Top 10 throughout Latin America and on the United States Latin charts. In the United States alone, he has scored more than two dozen hits on the Billboard charts.

1980s

De Vita was born in Caracas, Venezuela, one of four children born in Venezuela to Italian immigrants, De Vita returned to Rome, Italy with his family when he was three years old. The family moved back to Venezuela when De Vita was 13. Due to his upbringing in Rome, Italy, De Vita learned Italian as his first language and did not learn Spanish until he returned to Venezuela at age 13. He later studied piano at the university level. In 1982, De Vita formed the group Icaro, which released one self-titled album in his homeland. Two years later, he released his first disc as a solo artist, simply titled Franco De Vita (1984). The album spun off three Spanish-language hits: "Somos Tres", "No Hay Cielo", and "Un Buen Perdedor×Un Buen Perdedor1990 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Ana2Como Apartarte De Mi3Este Es Mi Numero4Ahora5Maquinas Humanas6Somos Tres7Un Buen Perdedor8Lluvia Pasajera9Por Que Te Escondes10No Hay Cielo". His 1986 in album Fantasía×Fantasía1986 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Fantasía4:202Aquí estás otra vez3:343Como quedo yo3:344Descansa tu amor en mí3:345Frívola3:346No hace falta decirlo4:187Descúbreme4:388Lo que espero de ti3:119Mi buen amigo3:3110Solo importas tú3:36 produced several more hits, including the title song and "Aquí Estás Otra Vez". "Sólo Importas Tú", taken from the album, was used as the theme song to the Spanish-language soap opera La Dama De Rosa. He appeared in the end credits of every episode, performing the song at the piano.
Seeking wider international exposure, De Vita moved to the CBS Records label for the 1988 album Al Norte del Sur×Al norte del sur1988 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Te equivocaste conmigo4:382Louis5:123Te amo3:494Un poco de respeto3:525Aún vivo3:496Soy como soy4:207Promesas4:178Esta vez3:549Loco de atar4:0210Plaza del centro4:2311Al norte del sur2:39. The album showed his socially conscious, adult-oriented pop, particularly through the tunes "Te Amo" and "Louis". The latter song, about a daydreaming cabbie who idolizes The Beatles, was promoted with a music video considered quite advanced for its time. De Vita's 1990 album Extranjero×Extranjero1990 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Ella está loca por mí3:422No basta4:353Latino4:314Será4:495Esto es América5:046Sexo3:527Ya lo he vivido3:428Nada que no me guste a mí3:429Ella es única4:1610Extranjero6:12 featured the song "No Basta", which spent four weeks at No. 1 on the United States Latin charts and won an MTV Video Music Award.

1990s

Subsequent albums have included the live release En Vivo Marzo 16 (1992); Voces a mi Alrededor×Voces a mi alrededor1993 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Que no muera la esperanza5:002Mi amigo Sebastián3:573Y te pienso4:174Cálido y frío (Versión acústica)4:585Con un poco de ti4:086Voces a mi alrededor5:137Cálido y frío (Versión pop)4:398Sin tanto espacio4:599La misma persona4:0810Los hijos de la oscuridad4:1911Otoño5:06 in 1993; the acoustic-flavored Fuera de Este Mundo (1996); and 1999's world-beat inspired Nada Es Igual. He left Sony for the 2002 album Segundas partes también son buenas×Segundas partes también son buenas19 April 2002 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Promesas4:292Palabras del corazón4:183Vuelve4:084Louis4:445Latino4:286¿Cómo decirte no?4:147Aún vivo4:038Lo que espero de ti3:309Sexo4:2110No hace falta decirlo4:1611Como apartarte de mí3:3312¿Cómo decirte no? (Pop latino)4:52, but returned to the label the following year.

2000s

His 2004 album Stop reached the Top 10 throughout Latin America and on the United States Latin charts, spurred by the hits "Tú De Qué Vas" and "Si La Ves," the latter a collaboration with pop group Sin Bandera. That same year, he toured arenas in the United States on a co-headlining tour with Ricardo Montaner, a fellow Venezuelan songwriter. He also has recorded in Italian and Portuguese. As a songwriter, he has written songs for Ricky Martin and Chayanne.
In 2005, an expanded edition of Stop was released, titled Stop + Algo Más, that included remixes and live recordings, as well as No Sé Lo Que Me Das, De Vita's first recording in English. The following year saw the release of Mil y Una Historias En Vivo, a two-disc live album that also featured four studio tracks, including collaborations with Alejandro Fernández and Diego El Cigala. A DVD version was released simultaneously.
In 2007, De Vita collaborated on a single with reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel called "Oye Donde Esta El Amor", which borrowed the chorus from his composition "Donde Esta El Amor." They released an updated version of "Un Buen Perdedor×Un Buen Perdedor1990 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Ana2Como Apartarte De Mi3Este Es Mi Numero4Ahora5Maquinas Humanas6Somos Tres7Un Buen Perdedor8Lluvia Pasajera9Por Que Te Escondes10No Hay Cielo" that peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. In 2008, he re-recorded "Que No Muera La Esperanza" (originally featured on Voces A Mi Alrededor) with Wisin & Yandel, as well as releasing a new studio album, Simplemente La Verdad×Simplemente la verdad2008 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Simplemente la verdad4:592Si un día te vuelvo a ver4:193Mi sueño3:514Probablemente3:385Cuando tus ojos me miran4:546No se olvida4:057Callo4:208Palabras del corazón3:529Cántame3:531010 años y un día8:1111Cuando tus ojos me miran (libre)5:34. He was also presented with the ASCAP Latin Heritage Award.

2010s

In 2012, De Vita appeared on Tony Bennett's album Viva Duets. He was named Pop Artist of the Year at the 2012 Pepsi Venezuela Music Awards. In 2014, De Vita was inducted into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame.
On January 30, 2014, the "Tour Mexico 2014" began in San Luis Potosí, which toured eight cities in Mexico and is part of his new musical tour entitled "Vuelve en Primera fila Tour".

Personal life

De Vita has lived in Madrid since the 1990s. In addition to Spanish and Italian, he also speaks English.

Spanish-language discography

Franco De Vita (1984)
Fantasía (1986)
Al Norte Del Sur (1988)
Extranjero (1990)
En Vivo Marzo 16 (1992)
Voces a mi Alrededor (1993)
Fuera de Este Mundo (1996)
Nada Es Igual (1999)
Segundas partes también son buenas (2002)
Stop (2004)
Stop + Algo Más (2005)
Mil y Una Historias En Vivo (2006)
Simplemente La Verdad (2008)
En Primera Fila (2011)
Vuelve en Primera Fila (2013)
Libre (2016)
(excludes compilations)

Non-Spanish discography

1993 Straniero (Italian)
1993 Isto é America (Portuguese)