Blind (rapper)

Last updated
Blind
Birth nameFranco Popi Rujan
Born (2000-01-13) January 13, 2000 (age 22)
Perugia, Italy
Origin Ponte San Giovanni, Perugia, Italy
Genres Hip hop, pop rap
Years active2017–present
Labels Sony Music

Franco Popi Rujan (born 13 January 2000), better known as Blind, is an Italian rapper. [1] [2] He rose to fame in late 2020, when he took part in the fourteenth series of Italian talent show X Factor , finishing in third place and achieving commercial success with the single "Cuore nero", which peaked at number 2 on the FIMI Single Chart and was certified platinum, denoting 70,000 equivalent units.

Contents

Biography

Blind was born to Romanian parents in Perugia and grew up in Ponte San Giovanni, a frazione of his hometown. [3] After going through family issues, he cut ties with his father. [3] He left school at the age of 15, and he admitted he later dealt and used drugs. [3] Inspired by American artists whose lyrics described the suburbs they lived in, Blind started playing music at the age of 16. [4] During his adolescence, he was charged multiple times for theft and brawl. [5] The Juvenile court entrusted him to the association "Risorse & Talenti", which helped him to pursue his musical goals. [6]

He chose to perform under the pseydonym "Blind", because "it means not looking at barriers, criticism, and everything that can hinder you". [7] [8] Since 2017, he started releasing songs online, including the track "Sotto 'sti palazzi". [9] His first music video was self-produced, with financial help from his friends who collected money to support his music. [10] In 2019, he released the single "Classe 2000", featuring Italian rapper Vacca. [11] He also performed as an opening act for Italian rappers such as Izi, Rkomi, Tedua and Drefgold. [9]

During the summer of 2019, while working as a barman in Marina di Massa, he met Maurizio Laudicino, Pistoia Basket 2000's head of marketing. As a result, Blind composed and recorded the song "Jordan", filming a music video together with the basket team and performing the song live in Piazza del Duomo, Pistoia, as well as at PalaCarrara, during the season's opening match. [12]

In 2020, he auditioned for the fourteenth series of Italian talent show X Factor , performing his original song "Cuore nero". [13] He was chosen by his mentor Emma Marrone as one of the contestants in the "Boys" category. During the first live show, he performed "Cuore nero", which was immediately released as part of the X Factor Mixtape, together with all the contestants' original songs. [14] [15] The song was also released as a single on 30 October 2020. [16] During the live shows, Blind also performed his own songs "Cicatrici" and "Affari tuoi", as well as reworked hits with original lyrics. [17] [18] [19] After reaching the final, he ended up in third place, behind the series' winner Casadilego and runner-up band Little Pieces of Marmelade. [10]

The single "Cuore nero" was certified gold before the final of the show, and went on to receive a platinum certification. [10] [20] An extended play with the same title was also released in December 2020, featuring studio recordings of six songs originally performed during X Factor, as well as a new original track, "Hola". [21] A new song, titled "Promettimi", was recorded with fellow rappers Gué Pequeno and Nicola Siciliano, and released as a single on 24 February 2021. [22] His autobiography, titled Cicatrici, was released in June 2021. [23]

On 8 February 2022, Blind was announced as one of the ten established artists competing in the final of Una voce per San Marino . However, on 18 February, one day before the final, it was announced that he would withdraw from the contest due to health reasons. [24] [25]

Discography

Extended plays

TitleDetailsPeak chart positionsCertifications
ITA
[26]
Cuore nero [27] 19

Singles

TitleYearPeak chart positions Certifications Album
ITA
[28]
"Cuore nero"20202Cuore nero
"Cicatrici"59
"Affari tuoi"—
"Promettimi"
(featuring Gué Pequeno and Nicola Siciliano)
2021—TBA
"Triste" [29]
(with Giaime)
—
"Popolari" [30] —
"Non mi perdo più" [31] 2022—
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released.
TitleYearPeak chart positions Certifications Album
ITA
[28]
"Non cambi mai" [32]
(Mameli featuring Blind and Nashley)
2021—TBA
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released.

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

Noemi (singer) Italian singer-songwriter and television personality

Noemi is an Italian singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in 2009, after competing in the second season of Italian talent show X Factor. Immediately after being eliminated from the competition, she released her debut single, "Briciole", which peaked at number 2 on the FIMI Singles Chart. As of 2022, she has released 6 studio albums, which spawned commercially successful singles such as "Vuoto a perdere", "Sono solo parole", "La borsa di una donna", "Glicine" and the chart toppers "L'amore si odia", featuring vocals by Fiorella Mannoia, and "Per tutta la vita". She dueted with Italian band Stadio and with rapper Fedez, among others, and her single "Makumba", a duet with Carl Brave, became a summer hit in 2021. Noemi performed songs for the soundtrack of Italian films Women vs. Men and Domani è un altro giorno, receiving a special Nastro d'Argento award in 2019.

Francesca Michielin Italian singer and songwriter (born 1995)

Francesca Michielin is an Italian singer and songwriter. She rose to fame after winning the fifth season of the Italian talent show X Factor. Her first single, "Distratto", debuted atop the Italian FIMI Top Digital Downloads chart and was certified double platinum by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Michielin's debut studio album, Riflessi di me, was released in October 2012, preceded by the single "Sola".

Chiara Galiazzo Italian singer

Chiara Galiazzo is an Italian singer. She rose to fame in 2012, after winning the sixth season of the Italian talent show X Factor. Her debut single, titled "Due respiri" and co-written by Eros Ramazzotti, was released on 8 December 2012 and debuted atop the Italian Singles Chart. Chiara released her first studio album, Un posto nel mondo, which debuted at number 2 on the Italian Albums Chart, and spawned the singles "Il futuro che sarà", "Mille passi" and "Vieni con me". In November of the same year, Galiazzo featured on Mika's single "Stardust", which became a number-one hit in Italy.

Fedez Italian rapper and public figure

Federico Leonardo Lucia, better known by his stage name Fedez, is an Italian rapper, influencer, singer and songwriter. In 2011, he released the albums Penisola che non c'è and Il mio primo disco da venduto, released as free digital downloads. His first studio album, Sig. Brainwash – L'arte di accontentare, was released in 2013, and it debuted at number one on the Italian Albums Chart. The album, which spawned three singles, including the top 10 hit "Cigno nero" featuring Francesca Michielin, was later certified 3× Platinum by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry. As of December 2021, Fedez has 5 #1 studio albums, 25 top ten singles and 50 Platinum certifications.

Michele Bravi Italian pop singer

Michele Bravi is an Italian pop singer, songwriter and actor. He rose to fame after winning the seventh season of the Italian X Factor. His coronation song, "La vita e la felicità", was penned by Tiziano Ferro and reached the top spot of the Italian Singles Chart. Bravi's debut album, A passi piccoli, was released in June 2014.

Francesca Michielin discography

The discography of Italian singer Francesca Michielin consists of four studio albums, two extended plays, twenty-four singles as a lead artist and five singles as a featured artist.

Elodie (singer) Musical artist

Elodie Di Patrizi, known professionally as simply Elodie, is an Italian singer and model. She first came to prominence as the runner-up of the fifteenth season of the show Amici di Maria De Filippi.

Ghali Amdouni, known by the mononym Ghali, is an Italian rapper and record producer. Born in Milan to Tunisian parents, he originally started his career using the pseudonym Fobia. He would like to become a father but his mother doesn’t let him have a son.

Mirko Manuele Martorana, known professionally as Rkomi, is an Italian rapper and songwriter.

Calcutta (singer) Musical artist

Edoardo D'Erme, better known as Calcutta, is an Italian singer-songwriter. He debuted with the album Forse…, released by Geograph Records in 2012. Its follow-up, Mainstream, was released by Bomba Dischi on 30 November 2015, preceded by the single "Cosa mi manchi a fare". Initially ignored by Italian media, the album started to achieve success after a few months, when its lead single received airplay by Italian radio networks. The song "Oroscopo", produced by Takagi & Ketra, was released as a stand-alone single in May 2016. Since its release, Calcutta considered the song as something which did not represent himself; despite this, it became his first commercial success and his first single to be certified gold by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry.

Irama (singer) Italian singer (born 1995)

Filippo Maria Fanti, known as Irama, is an Italian singer and songwriter.

Achille Lauro (singer) Italian rapper and singer (born 1990)

Lauro De Marinis, known professionally as Achille Lauro, is an Italian singer, rapper, and songwriter. He gained popularity in the Italian hip hop scene and he competed in at the Sanremo Music Festival 2019 with the song "Rolls Royce", at the 2020 edition with the song "Me ne frego", and at the 2022 edition with the song "Domenica". He represented San Marino at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 with the song "Stripper", after winning Una voce per San Marino, but failed to qualify from the semi-final.

Gaia Gozzi Italian singer

Gaia Gozzi, known as Gaia, is an Italian singer and songwriter.

Madame (singer) Italian rapper

Francesca Calearo, known professionally as Madame, is an Italian rapper and singer-songwriter. After signing a recording contract with Sugar Music at the age of 16, she gained popularity in August 2019, when her single "Sciccherie" was shared by Cristiano Ronaldo on his Instagram profile. Between 2019 and 2020, she released several singles as lead artist and collaborations with, among others, Marracash, Negramaro, DRD, Ghali, Ensi and producer Chris Nolan. In March 2021 she competed in the 71st Sanremo Music Festival. Her entry "Voce", as well as the single "Il mio amico" recorded with Fabri Fibra, were included in her debut album Madame, released on 19 March 2021.

Nitro (rapper) Italian rapper

Nicola Albera, known professionally as Nitro, is an Italian rapper from Vicenza, Veneto.

Roshelle Italian singer-songwriter

Rossella Discolo, best known as Roshelle, is an Italian singer-songwriter.

Victoria De Angelis Italian bassist and songwriter

Victoria De Angelis is an Italian bassist and songwriter. She founded the Italian rock band Måneskin in 2015 alongside guitarist Thomas Raggi, with whom she won the Sanremo Music Festival 2021 and subsequently the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 for Italy with the song "Zitti e buoni".

Blanco (singer) Italian singer, rapper and songwriter

Riccardo Fabbriconi, known professionally as Blanco, is an Italian singer, rapper and songwriter. He rose to fame following the success of his singles "Mi fai impazzire" and "La canzone nostra". In 2022, he won the Sanremo Music Festival 2022 alongside Mahmood with the song "Brividi", and represented host nation Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin.

<i>Cuore dartista</i> 2016 studio album by Noemi

Cuore d'artista is the fourth studio album by Italian singer Noemi, released on 12 February 2016 by Sony Music. The album was launched by the single "La borsa di una donna", co-written by Marco Masini and performed at the Sanremo Music Festival 2016, where it placed 8th in the Big Artists Section. Italian singer-songwriters Ivano Fossati, Giuliano Sangiorgi and Gaetano Curreri also penned other tracks featured on the album, while Noemi only co-wrote the track "I Love You".

Michele Zocca, professionally known as Michelangelo, is an Italian record producer, composer and musician, best known for his frequent collaborations with Blanco.

References

  1. ↑ Mariangela Celiberti (10 December 2020). "Blind finale X Factor 2020: età, chi è, canzoni e biografia, vero nome". The Italian Times. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  2. ↑ Michele Bellucci (12 December 2020). "Blind, terzo a X Factor e Disco d'oro: Il nome del mio quartiere ce l'ho tatuato in testa. E il Ponte replica". Il Messaggero (in Italian). Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "Blind a Le Iene: Ho fatto risse, spacciato e tentato di rapinare le massaggiatrici cinesi". Corriere dell'Umbria (in Italian). 18 December 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  4. ↑ Vincenzo Chianese (10 December 2020). "Chi è Blind di X Factor 14? Età, nome e Instagram". Novella 2000 (in Italian). Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  5. ↑ "Blind prima di X Factor: Ho avuto denunce per furti e risse" (in Italian). Rockol.it. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  6. ↑ "La musica lo toglie dalla strada e ora sogna un futuro da rapper: la storia di Blind, il giovane talento perugino". Perugia Today. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  7. ↑ "Blind, il singolo Cuore Nero è disco di platino" (in Italian). Sky Italia. 27 January 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  8. ↑ Silvia Fumarola (29 October 2020). "X Factor-Live, Blind: Ho avuto una vita difficile, ora realizzo il mio sogno". la Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  9. 1 2 Emanuele Lombardini (22 October 2020). "L'Umbria fa doppietta ad X Factor: Blind ed i Melancholia promossi ai live". La Notizia Quotidiana. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 Andrea Conti (11 December 2020). "X Factor 2020, Alessandro Cattelan dice addio al programma. Ecco chi ha vinto". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  11. ↑ "Classe 2000 di Blind, Vacca" (in Italian). Universal Music . Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  12. ↑ Martina Trivigno (13 November 2020). "Così Pistoia ha portato fortuna a Blind il rapper stella nascente di X Factor". Il Tirreno (in Italian). Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  13. ↑ Andrea Cominetti (2 October 2020). "X Factor 14, le ultime audizioni tra lacrime e sorprese". La Stampa (in Italian). Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  14. ↑ Ernesto Assante (30 October 2020). "X Factor è live: le squadre si confrontano dal vivo per la prima volta". la Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  15. ↑ Claudio Cabona (29 October 2020). "X Factor Mixtape: cambia la forma, non la sostanza" (in Italian). Rockol.it.
  16. ↑ Adriano Giunta (30 October 2020). "Blind - Cuore Nero (Radio Date: 30-10-2020)" (in Italian). EarOne.it. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  17. ↑ Paolo Madeddu (14 November 2020). "X Factor 14, i nuovi inediti dal peggiore al migliore". Rolling Stone (in Italian). Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  18. ↑ Paolo Madeddu (29 November 2020). "X Factor 14, gli inediti del quinto live dal peggiore al migliore". Rolling Stone (in Italian). Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  19. ↑ Boris Sollazzo (4 December 2020). "X Factor 14, le pagelle: chi ha messo la museruola ai giudici?". Rolling Stone (in Italian). Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  20. 1 2 "Italian single certifications – Blind" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved 28 January 2021. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Blind" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  21. ↑ "Blind, esce l'EP Cuore Nero: info e tracklist" (in Italian). Sky Italia. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  22. ↑ "Blind insieme a Guè Pequeno e Nicola Siciliano nel nuovo singolo Promettimi" (in Italian). MTV Italy. 24 February 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  23. ↑ Andrea Conti (16 June 2021). "Blind: Due anni della mia vita buttati via per la cocaina. Mia sorella ha cercato di uccidere mia madre… Sarei morto senza la mia ragazza". Il Fatto Quotidiano . Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  24. ↑ "Una Voce per San Marino: Ecco i "big" in finale, c'è anche Achille Lauro". 8 February 2022.
  25. ↑ "Una voce per San Marino: Blind non ci sarà". 18 February 2022.
  26. ↑ "Italian Charts - Blind - Albums". Italiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  27. ↑ Matteo Mori (10 December 2020). "X Factor 2020: Gli EP dei quattro finalisti (Cover e Tracklist)" (in Italian). Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  28. 1 2 "Italian Charts - Blind - Songs". Italiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  29. ↑ "Blind & Giaime… arriva il duetto per l'estate, fuori Triste" (in Italian). AllMusicItalia.it. 28 July 2021.
  30. ↑ "Popolari è il nuovo singolo di Blind" (in Italian). MTV Italy. 18 September 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  31. ↑ Fabrizio Basso (21 January 2022). "Blind ha trovato la sua strada e promette che...Non Mi Perdo Più" (in Italian). Sky Italia . Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  32. ↑ "Mameli nel nuovo singolo, Non cambi mai, coinvolge Blind e Nashley" (in Italian). AllMusicItalia.it. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.