Giorgio Vanni (born 19 August 1963) is an Italian songwriter and guitarist.

Biography

1963–1995: Early beginnings, the album Tomato and Grande Cuore 
Giorgio Vanni was born in Milan on 19 August 1963, and grew up in San Giuliano Milanese. He approaches to the music very early thanks to his parents which were music lovers. In 1976, when he was 13, he started his first band called Luti's Band. Two years later, he got in touch with reggae music because of Bob Marley's Babylon by Bus. 

In 1980, he started his first professional pop-rock group called Tomato with Paolo Costa and Claudio D'Onofrio. Two years later they be noticed by the Italian producer Roberto Colombo.

In 1983, Tomato had made The Island of the Sun, sung by Giorgio under the pseudonym Iudy. In 1984, Tomato collaborated with Miguel Bosé on his album Bandido and with Den Harrow, Taffy and Ivan. He later released his first single Tam Tam in 1984, with the collaboration of Mike Ogletree, formerly the drummer from Simple Minds.

In 1987, Giorgio wrote the music of Lay Down on Me of XXX Miguel Bosé's album. The band had to wait for four more years to find a record company that could give an opportunity in his music. In 1991, after Giorgio and the band had collaborated with a lot of artists like Mango, Eugenio Finardi, Cristiano De André, Roberto Vecchioni, Pierangelo Bertoli and Tazenda, he released his first album also called Tomato produced by Mauro Paoluzzi and Angelo Carrara.

In 1992, Giorgio and the band participated in the most important Italian national music competition, Sanremo Music Festival, in the "newcomer" category with the song Sai cosa sento per te. However Tomato didn't win for the final round. After said festival, the band had broken up.

In 1994, Giorgio then released his first solo album called Grande Cuore.

1996–1998: Career breakthrough with Max Longhi and Alessandra Valeri Manera 
He met up with musician Max Longhi. In 1996 they began to work together on televised music-related programs (i.e. Generazione X on Italia 1) and jingles. They also provided arrangements for advertising campaigns like Always Coca Cola, in which Giorgio sings the jingles, along with Dietorelle, Q8 and Brooklyn.

In 1998, Giorgio and Max wrote Buone verità for Laura Pausini's album La mia risposta. The song was also translated in Spanish with the title of Una gran verdad.

Vanni and Longhi met up with the leader  of Mediaset television, Alessandra Valeri Manera. As she was a fan of the two and their dance style, they agreed to compose for their versions of opening themes (for a variety of animated TV shows) in 1998. Giorgio sung the lyrics for these compositions. Their first composition, Superman, released on Cristina D'Avena's album Fivelandia 16.

1999–2008: Pokémon, Dragon Ball, Cartuno and television music career 
In 1999, they wrote Italian opening themes for Pokémon and Dragon Ball, and were used on their respective shows. The anime franchises  became national phenomenons in Italy, as well as their Italian theme songs. They became two of the most iconic songs in Vanni's history.

Giorgio also met up with singer Cristina D'Avena, a popular vocalist for Italian cartoon opening themes. Giorgio and Max wrote for her a song titled Imbarchiamoci per un grande viaggio, the first of a long series of songs. During that year they also wrote Hello Sandybell, Mille emozioni tra le pagine del destino per Marie Yvonne and Una giungla di avventure per Kimba.

In 2000, Mediaset acquired rights for the second season of Pokémon and Dragon Ball and two new songs were made for the two franchises, Pokémon: Oltre i cieli dell'avventura and What's my destiny Dragon Ball. The latter became more iconic than his previous one. In the same year, Giorgio performed his first duet with Cristina D'Avena in Rossana, the Italian name and opening of Kodomo no omocha, composed by Franco Fasano, arranged by Max Longhi and written by Alessandra Valeri Manera.

Given the success of dance music, RTI Music produced various "remix" albums, the most famous of them being Cartuno, the first album they made in a total of four.

In 2002, Vanni and Max Longhi became the founders of LoVa Music, a record company. "LoVa" may have been derived from the first two letters of Vanni and Longhi's surnames. 

In 2003, they composed Super Lover - I need you tonight, sung by Japanese group W-inds. This song became very successful in Japan and became platinum record.

Since 2001 to 2003, Giorgio and Max wrote a number of theme songs for various cartoons and anime series, like All'arrembaggio!, Hamtaro piccoli criceti, grandi avventure, Ma che magie Doremì and Doraemon. They were sung by Cristina D'Avena. He also sung some of his opening themes, like Yu-Gi-Oh!, Detective Conan, L'incredibile Hulk, Maledetti scarafaggi and many others.

Since 2004 to 2008, Giorgio Vanni wrote and release over fifty opening themes sung by him, like He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Zoids, Keroro and Io credo in me, and sung by Cristina, like Mirmo and Hamtaro. They also had duets together in his opening themes Gadget e i Gadgettini, Pokémon Advanced and Zip e Zap.

2009–2013: Live performances, Project - I cartoni di Italia1 and Time Machine - Da Goldrake a Goku 
Since 2009, Giorgio performed live concerts in comic conventions throughout Italy. The first one was at Lucca Comics & Games, during the years the artist said that he couldn't imagine performing live himself and that the music he wrote was intended for an audience of children, though he admits they would still be loved nonetheless. During this year he and Max wrote Blue Dragon, sung by him and Cristina – and Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Runner. He also sung the second version for Io credo in me.

At the end of 2010, he released his first album Giorgio Vanni Project - I cartoni di Italia1, based off of his work for American animated series. This was after all of his songs were published on Cristina D'Avena's respective album.

In 2011, he wrote "Beyblade Metal", a song that coincided with his long break and Mediaset's acquiring of anime and cartoon IPs, that ended in 2015.

During this break, Giorgio and Max focused on the production of a new album, and on 4 July 2012, Time Machine - Da Goldrake a Goku was released, a cover album which paid homage to the songs and the artists of the past, like Massimo Dorati, Enzo Draghi and Cristina D'Avena. The tracklist begun with the 80's and ends coming back to 2000 with a What's My Destiny Dragon Ball and Go West mash-up, two songs that were very similar.

2014–2015: Super Hits - Il meglio del meglio del meglio and cartoon openings returns 
On 27 May 2014, Super Hits - Il meglio del meglio del meglio was released. It comprised Giorgio Vanni's compositions during his solo career (since 1998 to 2014) and new songs like Hover Champs! and Conan, il detective più famoso.

In 2015, after four years, he came back to RTI writing the Italian opening of Lupin III - L'avventura italiana called Lupin, un ladro in vacanza. This song is a duet with the Italian rapper Moreno and for this reason was opened a very strong debate on the various social networks, also leading to the creation of petitions to change the theme.

In November 2015, three of Giorgio's songs (Principesse gemelle, Doraemon, All'arrembaggio!) written for Cristina were released on vinyl on the Cristina D'Avena LP Picture disc. Rossana was also re-released.

Some changes are brought into the live performances, like Occhi di gatto and Lucky Luke and new cover songs, like an acoustic version of Capitan Harlock and Piccoli problemi di cuore. Giorgio and Max also bought a DJ set of their song (previously remixed in his Cartuno compilation).

2016–2019: YouTube and Toon Tunz 
In early August of 2016, the artist released a music video for the song Pokémon Go (composed with Max Longhi and written by Alessandra Valeri Manera) during the worldwide success of the homonymous game. The song was released also on digital stores.

At the end of the year, Mediaset purchased Dragon Ball Super wanted a new Italian theme song, but due to circumstances surrounding the duo and Toei Animation, it never was used for the version of said anime. However, the song was still released on the same day of the Italian airing of Dragon Ball Super (December 23) on the artist's YouTube channel. The official name is Dragon Ball Super Kame Hame Ha.

After five years, Giorgio Vanni, Max Longhi and Alessandra Valeri Manera composed a new song for Cristina D'Avena, Noi Puffi siam così, released on 16 March 2017. Vanni also took part in the Ninni Carucci's welfare project to raise money, so they could build a music school for Amatrice after the earthquake of 24 August 2016, singing with various musicians (for animated IPs) a new song called Alza gli occhi e vai.

On 21 July, Giorgio released Sole e Luna a reggaeton song dedicated to the anime Pokémon: Sun and Moon, and on 24 November, a new version of Time Machine - Da Goldrake a Goku, but with a new subtitle dubbed "Time Machine Reloaded".

During this part of his career, Giorgio Vanni often collaborated with various Italian Youtubers who bring him to new music productions and to promotional content. He sung Santa Claus Is Coming to Town for a prank video of TheShow, Bruco Gianluco written and composed by the cartoonist and Youtuber Sio and various parodies with .

In 2018, he collaborated on Dj Matrix and Matt Joe's album Musica da giostra - Volume 5 providing vocals for a new dance song called Supereroi. He also wrote and composed new opening themes for different television networks (after years of inactivity); two new songs for Mediaset, Lupin ladro full-time and Rubami ancora il cuore for Lupin the Third Part 5. He also provided vocals for Energia ardente and Limit Break, the Italian versions of Cardfight!! Vanguard: Asia Circuit's Japanese opening and ending themes. He later composed and provided vocals for Gormiti the Legend is Back, for the Italian network television RAI.

In 2019, he collaborated with Dj Matrix and Matt Joe again on their album Musica da giostra - Volume 6, with a new song called Onda dopo onda.

Since January 2019, Giorgio revealed that he and Max Longhi are working on a new album. Meanwhile, the single Dragon Ball Super Kame Hame Ha is released in a limited "special edition" on its 45th vinyl. The release was a non-profit initiative, but it was to raise profit for the Italian web radio RadioAnimati which Vanni had often collaborated with.

On April 18, 2019, the artist reveals the name of the new album, Toon Tunz, on social media. The name is a pun on the word cartoon and Tunz Tunz (an easy way to refer to LoVa music cause its dance sound). It marked the first time his earlier and recent works, since 2016 up until 2019, were officially released.

Discography 

 Tomato
 Grande cuore
 Giorgio Vanni Project - I cartoni di Italia1
 Time Machine - Da Goldrake a Goku
 Super Hits - Il meglio del meglio del meglio
 Time Machine Reloaded - Da Goldrake a Goku (Dragon Ball)
 Toon Tunz
 ChalkZone Theme Song (ChalkZone)

Videography 

Giorgio Vanni's videography are made up of music videos recorded in the ninenties for Grande cuore. New ones recorded since 2016 are published on YouTube.

References 

Children's musicians
Pop rock singers
Italian pop singers
1963 births
Italian male singers
Italian television personalities
Italian male singer-songwriters
Italian singer-songwriters
Anime singers
Living people