Francesca Michielin

Francesca Michielin (February 25, 1995) is an Italian singer-songwriter, mostly known as the winner of the fifth season of talent show X Factor. Born in Bassano del Grappa, she took her first steps in music by studying piano and electric bass, and then participated in her hometown’s gospel choir. Inspired by Adele’s 19, Francesca Michielin began writing her own songs during her teenage years and then went on to front a punk rock trio in high school. In 2011, she auditioned for the fifth series of X Factor and passed the test with flying colors with a rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” Mentored by Simona Ventura, Francesca Michielin wowed the judges with every single performance and reached the grand finale, where she beat vocal group I Moderni. This led to a recording contract with Sony Music, who released her debut single “Distratto” in 2012. The song shot straight to the top of the Italian charts, obtaining double platinum certification shortly after. An EP of the same name saw the light that year and so did Riflessi di me, her debut full-length. The album peaked at Number 4 on FIMI’s Albums Chart and spawned the singles “Sola,” “Tutto quello che ho,” and “Se cadrai.” Following a series of collaborations with Italian rapper Fedez, 2013’s “Cigno nero” and 2014’s “Magnifico,” Francesca Michielin returned with a second album titled di20 in 2016. Preceded by the Top 10 entry “L’amore esiste,” di20 climbed to Number 3 in Italy and was certified gold. 2016 found the singer embarking on her first tour and representing Italy at the 61st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, where she finished in 16th place with the English version of the track “Nessun grado di separazione.” The song later reached the top of the Singles Chart and was included in di20are, a deluxe version of Michielin’s sophomore effort. A few years later, Francesca Michielin reappeared with a third album named 2640, which peaked at Number 2 on FIMI’s Albums Chart and contained the singles “Vulcano” and “Io non abito al mare.” Released amidst the coronavirus pandemic, Michielin’s fourth studio album Feat (Stato di natura) hit the shelves in 2020 and featured cameos by Gemitaiz, Fabri Fibra, and Max Gazzé. An extended edition titled Feat (Fuori dagli spazi) followed in 2021 and included the Number 1 single “Chiamami per nome,” which featured Fedez and was presented at the 71st Sanremo Music Festival.