Italy's soul and jazz sensation Mario Biondi will be performing in Malta on August 8 during a concert which is being held at the Piazza d'Armi at Fort St Elmo.

 

Biondi, whose real name is Mario Ranno is Sicilian. Born in Catania, the stylish singer has built a solid reputation along the years as the leading Italian soul and jazz musician of the modern era.

 

Biondi’s unmistakable deep voice is warm and sensual, yet clear and confident. A vast range of experiences has made him the great artist he is today, often gaining comparisons to the late legendary Barry White.

 

When asked about the choice of venue for this concert, event organiser Antonella Vassallo, stated that the venue provides the perfect setting for an  intimate performance.  

 

The concert will surely feature hits from Biondi's latest album Brazil along with old favourites from his repertoire.

 

Biondi, the son of a popular songwriter, started singing in a church choir at the age of 12 and soon he was singing in public squares in front of hundreds of people.

 

His first foray on stage was in the Festival Della Canzone Siciliana, placing third. Biondi's musical pursuits earned him the opportunity to perform alongside great Italian singers which included Califano and Fred Bongusto as well as American jazz legend Ray Charles.

 

As his reputation grew, Biondi found himself collaborating with various groups like The Change, Mario Brothers and Funky Company on studio recordings and tours.

 

With his powerful and unique voice, Biondi was encouraged to pursue a solo career. Featuring material inspired by American R&B artists like Lou Rawls, Luther Vandross and Donny Hathaway, Biondi's debut record was released in 2006 named Handful of Soul.

 

This is What You Are was the stand-out hit from this album and Biondi performed the song at the Sanremo Festival of that year, boosting the record's popularity and helping to push it into Billboard's European Top 100 chart.

 

Biondi's material continued to gain popularity with his 2009 album It being a huge success in Italy reaching number two and selling three-times platinum.

 

The 2011 album Due followed with Biondi certainly proving to be unique by showing off his own soulful touch in every song. Due featured 20 Italian and international emerging artists performing with Biondi. With 13 original songs and seven covers, the energy on this album is created by its diversity, ranging from soul-jazz to R&B, lounge and bossa nova. Biondi’s main goal behind this innovative project was to give these hidden talents a chance to be heard.

 

A turning point in his career came with the release of his 2013 album Sun, which reached number one in the Italian charts. Produced by Biondi along with Jean Paul Maunick of Incognito, it featured an array of big-name guests and influences including Leon Ware, Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau and James Taylor.

Sun charted for over a year in Italy and when a holiday album, Mario Christmas was released at the end of 2013, it followed Sun to the top of the charts.

 

Biondi's seventh studio album, Beyond, was issued in 2015 followed by the European smash single Love is a Temple.

 

During 2016 and 2017 Biondi toured, played festivals and contributed tracks to numerous compilations. The artist's obsession with Brazilian music was the inspiration to his latest album, aptly named Brazil. The album includes a slew of cover versions and features guest appearances by Ivan Lins and Claudya on two tracks, Daniel Jobim and Ana Carolina (Rivederti) and Till Bronner on another pair of tracks, including the bossa cover of Sade's Smooth Operator.