Dolcenera

Dolcenera's debut single, "Solo tu", was released in September 2002.[5] The song allowed her to participate in the singing contest Destinazione Sanremo,[8] broadcast on Rai 2 from 27 September 2002, with the purpose to choose 12 of the 16 newcomers participating to the 53rd Sanremo Music Festival.[9] On 20 December 2002, during the final of the show, Dolcenera was announced one of the winners.[8]

During the festival, held in May 2003, Dolcenera performed the song "Siamo tutti là fuori", later released as her second single. On 7 March 2003, Dolcenera won first place in the newcomers' section of the competition[10] and she received the "Press, TV and Radio Award".[11] The single, which peaked at number 10 on the Italian Singles Chart,[12] was included in Dolcenera's debut album, Sorriso nucleare, released in March 2003.[7] The album also spawned the singles "Devo andare al mare"[13] and "Vivo tutta la notte".

In summer 2003, Dolcenera embarked on a concert tour throughout Italy,[14] promoting her debut album.

In 2005, Dolcenera won the second edition of Music Farm, an Italian reality show, whose contestants were well-known or promising singers.[15] During the live shows, she performed Italian and international songs, such as Loredana Bertè's "Sei bellissima"[16] and Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive".[17] She also sang for the first time "Mai più noi due", the first single from her second studio album titled Un mondo perfetto.[18]

The album, released on 20 May 2005, peaked at number 4 on the Italian Albums Chart[19] and was certified Platinum,[20] selling more than 90,000 copies.[21] In 2005 she also received the De André Award,[22][23] the Leone d'Argento as "Musical Revelation of the Year"[23] and she scooped "Best New Artist of the Year" at the MEI ("Meeting of Independent Record Labels").[23]

Dolcenera and her band during a concert in 2006

In 2006 Dolcenera participated in the 56th Sanremo Music Festival singing "Com'è straordinaria la vita",[24] the lead single from her second album, titled Il popolo dei sogni.[23] The album was certified Gold in the first week and it later received the Platinum certification in Italy.[22]

In August 2006 she released Un mondo perfetto, a compilation album published in Germany, Austria and Switzerland only. The album includes songs from her previous Italian studio albums.[25] On 30 March 2007 the album was re-released with additional bonus tracks, and it was supported by a tour in Germany.[26][27]

Dolcenera during a concert in Sanremo (Province of Imperia, Liguria) in 2009

In 2009 she signed a recording contract with Sony Music and she published her fourth studio album, titled Dolcenera nel paese delle meraviglie.[28] The first single from the album, "Il mio amore unico", was performed during the 59th Sanremo Music Festival, competing in the "Artists" section,[29] but it failed to reach the final.[30] Despite the competition's outcome, the single was strongly aired by Italian radios, reaching the first position in the airplay chart[31] and peaked at number 5 on the Italian Albums Chart.[32] The other singles from the album are "La più bella canzone d'amore che c'è" and "Un dolce incantesimo".[33]

In April 2009, she recorded the song "Domani 21/04.09" with the charity supergroup Artisti Uniti per l'Abruzzo, formed to raise money for the population struck by the earthquake in L'Aquila.[34] To support the same population, in June 2009 she sang together with more than 40 Italian female singers at the San Siro Stadium. The event, organized by Laura Pausini, was titled Amiche per l'Abruzzo.[35]

On 18 June 2009, she was the support act for Depeche Mode's concert in Milan, during their Tour of the Universe.[36]

On 8 April 2011, Dolcenera released the single "Il sole di domenica",[37] which was later included in her fifth studio album, Evoluzione della specie,[38] recorded from June to November 2010[39] and released on 17 May 2011 by EMI Music Italy.[37] The Evoluzione della specie tour started on 9 June 2011 in Falcade, province of Belluno (Veneto).[40][41]

The second single from the album, "L'amore è un gioco", was released on 26 August 2011.[42] To promote the music video for the song, starring four Playboy Playmates, Dolcenera appeared on the cover of the Italian version of the men's magazine Playboy.[43] On 12 November 2011, Dolcenera embarked on a new leg of her tour, performing in theaters throughout Italy.[44]

She also featured on the Italian version of Professor Green's song "Read All About It (Tutto quello che devi sapere)", included in British rapper's second studio album, At Your Inconvenience, and released as a digital single on 9 December 2011.[45]

In February 2012, Dolcenera participated in the 62nd Sanremo Music Festival, placing sixth[46] with the song "Ci vediamo a casa",[47] written for the soundtrack of Maurizio Ponzi's film with the same title.[48] The song was included on the 2012 version of her fifth album, Evoluzione della specie², released on 15 February 2012. On 16 February 2012, during the third night of the Festival, she dueted with Professor Green in "My Life Is Mine", a cover version of "Vita spericolata" by Vasco Rossi.[49]

In March 2012, Dolcenera received a TRL Awards nomination in the category Italians Do It Better.[50] In April 2012, she will embark on the Ci vediamo in tour, promoting her fifth studio album throughout Italy.[51]