# Malika Ayane

Malika Ayane (Italian pronunciation:; born 31 January 1984) is an Italian pop singer.

## Early life

Malika Ayane was born in Milan, Italy, on 31 January 1984, to a Moroccan father, Ahmed, and an Italian mother. She grew up in the Zone 2 of Milan, the most multi-ethnic area of the city. In 1995, she entered the White Voices Choir at the Teatro alla Scala in her hometown, where she sang for seven years. In the meanwhile, she started studying cello at the "Giuseppe Verdi" Conservatory in Milan, where she graduated in 2001.

## Career

During the mid 2000s, Ayane recorded songs for some TV spots, including a cover of "Over the Rainbow" for the campaign of Italian food company Yomo in 2005, and the original track "Soul Waver", performed in 2007 for Swedish car manufacturer Saab.
In 2007, Ayane met Italian record producer and former singer Caterina Caselli, which granted her a deal with independent label Sugar Music. As a result, "Soul Waver" was released as her debut single. The song was also re-released in an Italian-language version, "Sospesa", with singer-songwriter Pacifico. "Sospesa" will also feature in the movie Letters to Juliet, released in 2010. Malika Ayane's self-titled first studio album was released on 26 September 2008. The album also spawned the single "Feeling Better", which became a radio hit in 2008, while the track "Il giardino dei salici" was chosen by Barilla for a TV commercial.
In December 2008, Ayane was chosen as one of the contestants of the Newcomers' section of the 59th Sanremo Music Festival. During the show, held in February 2009, she performed her entry "Come foglie", written by Negramaro's frontman Giuliano Sangiorgi. During the third night of the show, the song was also performed as a duet with singer-songwriter Gino Paoli.
For Valerio Scanu, contestant of the eighth season of the talent show "Amici di Maria De Filippi", she wrote the song "Dopo Di Me" that reached the ninth position in the Italian charts.
Malika, in April 2009, took part in the song "Domani 21-04-09" with other Italian singers to fund raise to rebuild schools in Abruzzo, the region where the disastrous earthquake centred in L'Aquila and surrounding villages struck on 6 April. In 2010, she was a contestant in the 60th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival where she won the "Mia Martini" critics award for her song "Ricomincio da qui". In 2010 she collaborated with her fiance Cesare Cremonini on "Hello!".

## Discography
### Albums

List of albums, with chart positions and certifications :
| Title | Album details | Chart positions | Certifications |
| Title | Album details | ITA | Certifications |
| Malika Ayane | Released: 26 September 2008 Label: Sugar Formats: CD, download | 9 | FIMI: Platinum |
| Grovigli | Released: 19 February 2010 Label: Sugar Formats: CD, download | 2 | FIMI: 2× Platinum |
| Ricreazione | Released: 18 September 2012 Label: Sugar Formats: CD, download | 2 | FIMI: Platinum |
| Naïf | Released: 12 February 2015 Label: Sugar Formats: CD, download | 9 | FIMI: Platinum |
| Domino | Released: 21 September 2018 Label: Sugar Formats: CD, download | 10 | |
| Malifesto | Released: 26 March 2021 Label: Sugar Formats: CD, download | 9 | |

### Singles

| Title | Year | Chart positions | Certifications | Album |
| Title | Year | ITA | Certifications | Album |
| "Soul Waver" / "Sospesa" (feat. Pacifico) | 2008 | — | | Malika Ayane |
| "Feeling Better" | 2008 | 6 | | Malika Ayane |
| "Come foglie" | 2009 | 2 | FIMI: Platinum | Malika Ayane |
| "Contro vento" | 2009 | — | | Malika Ayane |
| "La prima cosa bella" | 2010 | 5 | FIMI: Platinum | Grovigli |
| "Ricomincio da qui" | 2010 | 2 | FIMI: Platinum | Grovigli |
| "Satisfy My Soul" | 2010 | — | | Grovigli |
| "Thoughts and Clouds" | 2010 | — | | Grovigli |
| "Il giorno in più" | 2011 | — | | Grovigli |
| "Tre cose" | 2012 | 13 | FIMI: Platinum | Ricreazione |
| "Il tempo non inganna" | 2012 | — | | Ricreazione |
| "E se poi" | 2013 | 8 | FIMI: Platinum | Ricreazione |
| "Niente" | 2013 | 39 | | Ricreazione |
| "Cosa hai messo nel caffè?" | 2013 | — | | Ricreazione |
| "Neve casomai (Un amore straordinario)" | 2013 | — | | Ricreazione |
| "Adesso e qui (nostalgico presente)" | 2015 | 9 | FIMI: Gold | Naïf |
| "Senza fare sul serio" | 2015 | 10 | FIMI: 3× Platinum | Naïf |
| "Tempesta" | 2015 | 74 | FIMI: Gold | Naïf |
| "—" denotes singles that did not chart |||||

#### Featured singles

| Title | Year | Chart positions | Certifications | Album |
| Title | Year | ITA | Certifications | Album |
| "Domani 21/04.09" (Artisti Uniti per l'Abruzzo) | 2009 | 1 | FIMI: 2× Platinum | Charity single |
| "Verrà l'estate" (Pacifico feat. Malika Ayane) | 2009 | — | | Dentro ogni casa |
| "Hello!" (Cesare Cremonini feat. Malika Ayane) | 2010 | 7 | FIMI: Gold | 1999-2010 The Greatest Hits |
| "L'unica cosa che resta" (Pacifico feat. Malika Ayane) | 2012 | — | | Una voce non basta |
| "—" denotes singles that did not chart |||||

### Other appearances

List of non-single guest appearances, showing year released and album name :
| Song | Year | Album |
| "Blue Christmas" (Andrea Bocelli feat. Malika Ayane) | 2009 | My Christmas |
| "Ragazza del '95" (Francesco De Gregori feat. Malika Ayane) | 2012 | Sulla strada |
| "Omero al Cantagiro" (Francesco De Gregori feat. Malika Ayane) | 2012 | Sulla strada |
| "Quella giusta per te" (Stylophonic feat. Malika Ayane & Dargen D'Amico) | 2013 | Boom! |
| "La ladra" (Marta sui Tubi feat. Malik Ayane) | 2014 | Salva gente |
| "Sirene" (Fedez feat. Malika Ayane) | 2014 | Pop-Hoolista |
| "La prima cosa bella" (Luca Barbarossa feat. Malika Ayane) | 2015 | Radio DUEts – Musica libera |
| "Anima" (Ron feat. Malika Ayane) | 2016 | La forza di dire sì |
| "Buena fortuna" (Raphael Gualazzi feat. Malika Ayane) | 2016 | Love Life Peace |
| "Noi" (Boosta feat. Malika Ayane) | 2016 | La stanza intelligente |
| "Pollyanna" (Cristina D'Avena featuring Malika Ayane) | 2018 | Duets Forever |

### Music videos

List of music videos, showing year released and director :
| Title | Year | Director(s) |
| "Sospesa" (with Pacifico) | 2008 | Paolo Rambaldi, Roberto Battaglia |
| "Feeling Better" | 2008 | Marco Gentile |
| "Come foglie" | 2009 | Federico Brugia |
| "Contro vento" | 2009 | Federico Brugia |
| "Domani 21/04.09" (Artisti Uniti per l'Abruzzo) | 2009 | Ambrogio Lo Giudice |
| "Verrà l'estate" (with Pacifico) | 2009 | — |
| "La prima cosa bella" | 2010 | Simone Manetti |
| "Ricomincio da qui" | 2010 | Federico Brugia |
| "Satisfy My Soul" | 2010 | — |
| "Thoughts and Clouds" | 2010 | Federico Brugia |
| "Il giorno in più" | 2011 | Federico Brugia |
| "Tre cose" | 2012 | Federico Brugia |
| "Il tempo non inganna" | 2012 | Federico Brugia |
| "E se poi" | 2013 | Federico Brugia |
| "Niente" | 2013 | Federico Brugia |
| "Cosa hai messo nel caffè?" | 2013 | Federico Brugia |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Nomination | Work | Result |
| 2010 | TRL Awards | First Lady | Herself | Won |
| 2010 | Premio Videoclip Italiano | Best Video by a Female Artist | "Ricomincio da qui" | Nominated |
| 2010 | Premio Tenco | Best Interpreter | Grovigli | Nominated |
| 2010 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Best Italian Act | Herself | Nominated |
| 2010 | Premio Videoclip Roma | Special Award "Cinema Meets Music" | "La prima cosa bella" | Won |
| 2011 | TRL Awards | Best Look | Herself | Nominated |
| 2011 | TRL Awards | Italians Do It Better | Herself | Nominated |
| 2012 | Nastro d'Argento | Best Original Song | "Something Is Changing" | Nominated |
| 2013 | Nastro d'Argento | Best Original Song | "Grovigli" | Nominated |
| 2013 | Lunezia Award | Lunezia for Sanremo Award | "E se poi" | Won |