User:Razr Nation/sandbox/Franco De Vita

Franco De Vita (born January 23, 1954 in Caracas, Venezuela) is a singer-songwriter. His first disc as a solo artist garnered three Spanish-language hits in Venezuela. He signed with the Sony label in 1988, and in 1990, his album Extranjero had a song that reached No. 1 on the U.S. Latin charts and won an MTV Video Music Award. His 2004 album Stop reached the Top 10 throughout Latin America and on the U.S. Latin charts.

1980s
One of four children born in Venezuela to Italian immigrants, De Vita’s family returned to Italy when he was 3. The family moved back to Venezuela when De Vita was 13. Due to his upbringing in 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. The album spun off three Spanish-language hits: "Somos Tres", "No Hay Cielo", and "Un Buen Perdedor". His 1986 album Fantasía 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 Sony label for the 1988 album Al Norte Del Sur. 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 featured the song "No Basta", which spent four weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. Latin charts and won an MTV Video Music Award.

1990s
Most albums have included the live release En Vivo Marzo 16 (1992); Voces a mi Alrededor 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, but returned to the label the following year.

2000s
His 2004 album Stop reached the Top 10 throughout Latin America and on the U.S. 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" 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.

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

Album discography (non-Spanish)

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