Michelangela

**Maria Michelangela Donato** (born 14 August 1962), known professionally as simply **Michelangela**, is a Regian singer, songwriter, and actress. Referred to by the Regian and international media as the "Queen of Pop," Michelangela has been noted for her continuous growth and versatility as an artist, in addition to her boundary-pushing and inventive approaches to mainstream music. A cultural icon of the 20th and 21st centuries, particularly in the 1980s decade, Michelangela has been referred to as the most well-documented media figure of the modern-era, with a number of scholarly reviews and literature written about her and her impact on popular culture.

Michelangela was born and raised in the small town of Molfevenna, Fortania, where she described herself as an "outcast," and relocated to Cezzina to pursue a music career at the age of 18 in 1980. After initially finding work as a dancer and backup singer, Michelangela achieved her breakthrough after competing in the Vocaldo Music Festival 1982 with the song "La mia stella." She went on to place fourth in the competition, but the song became a widespread commercial success throughout Regia, leading to a recording contract with Global Music Regia. Her debut studio album *Michelangela* (1982) was released later that year, becoming a smash hit in Regia. The success of *Michelangela* led her record label to decide to promote her internationally with her sophomore release, which led to Michelangela releasing the album *Babydoll* (1984). *Babydoll* has gone on to become one of the most commercially successful albums of all-time, and additionally produced the worldwide chart-topping hits "Babydoll," "Little Miss Perfect," and "The Rhythm of Love." With the promotion and success of *Babydoll*, Michelangela developed a sexually charged and boundary-pushing public image, which went on to define her for the remainder of her career.

In the aftermath of *Babydoll*, Michelangela had established herself as a global icon for pop music, and achieved even further success with the release of her third studio album *Rhythm of the Night* (1985), which became the world's best-selling album of the year and one of the best-selling albums of all-time. She has gone on to release a further eleven studio albums: *Heavenly Bodies* (1989), *Touch Me* (1991), *Afraid of the Dark* (1996), *Soak It Up* (1999), *In My Garage* (2001), *La Ragazza* (2003), *Drama Queen* (2005), *Hawkeye* (2008), *Glamorous* (2013), *Abigail Jane* (2016), and *The Grand Dame* (2020), all of which have become chart-topping successes. In addition to her studio albums, Michelangela has achieved a number of international chart-topping singles, holding the record for the most chart-topping hits in 11 countries, including Regia.

Outside of music, Michelangela has also received recognition for her roles in film, primarily appearing in Regian films during the late 1980s and early 1990s, including *My Best Friend Rosanna* (1988), *Carry Me with You* (1992), *Their Own Team* (1993), and *Anastasia* (1994). While the majority of her films only saw a wide release in Regia and received a lukewarm reception, *Anastasia* was a widespread international success, and led to Michelangela winning the Ventuzzi Award for Best Actress. Michelangela has additionally pursued various business ventures, including fashion lines, jewelry lines, fragrances, and written works. In 1998, Michelangela founded the Heavenly Bodies Foundation, a philanthropic organization through which she raises funds for various charitable organizations, often supporting women and children in Tarfica.

With sales of over 400 million records worldwide, Michelangela is both the best-selling female musician of all-time and best-selling Regian musical act of all-time. She is additionally the most-successful artist in the history of the Regian music charts, amassing 24 number-one singles and 12 number-one studio albums throughout her career, holding similar chart records in a number of other countries as well. Numerous media outlets have referred to Michelangela as the greatest woman in music of all-time, and one of the greatest musicians in history.

## Early life and education

Michelangela was born on 14 August 1962 under the birth name Maria Michelangela Donato in the small town of Molfevenna, Fortania. Her father was Nicolò Donato (1932–2011) and her mother was Maria Castelli (1934–2019). Nicolò worked as a civil servant with the municipal government, while Maria was a homemaker, former seamstress, and local church volunteer. Since her birth, Michelangela was referred to by her middle name, in order to avoid confusion with her mother. Michelangela was the youngest of four children; her elder siblings include Luigi (born 1956), Luisa (born 1958), and Margarita (born 1960). Despite eventually forming bonds with them as adults, Michelangela was not close with her elder siblings growing up, describing them as "conservative" and "normal," and believing that she did not fit in with them. Growing up, Michelangela's family was devoutly Eurean Catholic; she grew disillusioned with the church as a teenager, and this disillusionment went on to become a recurring motif in her music.

Michelangela was educated at public schools in Molfevenna and surrounding municipalities, beginning her education in 1967. While in school, Michelangela suffered from behavioral issues brought on by hyperactivity, and has stated in interviews that her teachers "hated" her. Due to her hyperactivity, her parents enrolled her in dance classes at age six, which later inspired her to pursue music. She began singing by age seven, and wrote her first song at age ten. Michelangela graduated from primary school in 1973, and completed middle school in 1976. While applying to high school, Michelangela had desired to attend a performing arts school, but as there were no such schools in her immediate area, her parents forbade her from moving away to enroll in one. She ultimately enrolled in a *liceo linguistico*, where she studied the Ditrovian language, and graduated with her high school diploma in 1980. Michelangela had difficulties making friends at school, describing herself as an "outcast" in her small, conservative town, often wearing bright colors and exotic outfits that ostracized her from the community. She was frequently disciplined by her parents, who believed that Michelangela's behavior reflected poorly on the family, but has stated that her parents "could not control [her]." Throughout her upbringing, Michelangela's only friend in her hometown was a gay school classmate, calling him "the only person who understood [her]."

## Personal life

### Family and relationships

Michelangela's first marriage was to Regian actor Carlo DiCapelli in 1989. They had met one year prior and began a relationship soon afterwards. They split up three weeks following the marriage, but did not finalize their divorce until 1993. DiCapelli and Michelangela have both spoken positively of the other in the years following their marriage, with DiCapelli calling Michelangela a "great person" and claiming that they married because they were "young and in love" in a 2005 interview.

Michelangela's second marriage was to Ditrovian filmmaker Thomas Jaunes in 1999. They began their relationship in 1995, and were chronicled as a well-documented celebrity couple by the Ditrovian and Regian media throughout their relationship. Michelangela and Jaunes had two biological children together: fraternal twins Alexander and Katia (born 2000), who were born through surrogacy. Michelangela went on to adopt one son with Jaunes: Boris (born 2004), who was born in Borus and adopted by the family at six months old. Michelangela filed for divorce from Jaunes in December 2004, citing irreconcilable differences, and the divorce was finalized the following year. She later went on to adopt two more children as a single mother: biological sisters Sasha (born 2004) and Makenna (born 2006), both from The Kandia. Makenna was adopted by Michelangela at age two in 2008, while Sasha was adopted the following year at age five.

Michelangela's third marriage was to Ryptian male model Muhammad al-Fabiq in 2017, following a nine-month relationship. The marriage was controversial as al-Fabiq is 28 years Michelangela's junior, with the media dubbing Michelangela a "cougar" or "sugar momma" and al-Fabiq a "gold digger" or "sugar baby." Michelangela has defended her marriage from the criticism, stating that al-Fabiq is a "great person" and "fatherly figure" to her children.

### Residences and properties

Michelangela owns several pieces of property and has resided in various cities in the world throughout her career. After relocating to Cezzina as an 18-year-old in 1980, Michelangela moved out of Regia after relocating to Danchester in 1985. In 2020, Michelangela owned more than $85.6 million in residential property. Her real estate acquisitions include a six-floor townhome in Danchester valued at $25.5 million, where the family makes their primary residence, an 18-bedroom estate in San Giuseppe di Peppo, Govary valued at $19.5 million, a beach mansion in Dragonea sul Mare, Fortania on the Fetara Coast valued at $9.5 million, a beach house in Stiza valued at $8.8 million, a *château* in Diviers-sur-Morne valued at $7.2 million, and various other smaller pieces of real estate.

From 2008 to 2017, Michelangela resided part-time in a ruined castle in the municipality of Felidades do Nação in Escaria, also aiding in its restoration by financially backing it. Since 2013, Michelangela has called herself an "amateur house flipper," focusing on palaces and castles, often buying ruined palaces and castles throughout Eurea, restoring and renovating them, and selling them for a profit.

### Personal beliefs

Michelangela was raised in a devoutly Eurean Catholic family, attending church every Sunday and also on holidays such as Christmas and Easter. Michelangela's mother was a volunteer at the local church and also taught Sunday school, while her elder brother had served as an altar boy at the church. Michelangela's disillusionment with the church began as a teenager, primarily due to her disagreements with the church's stances on issues such as homosexuality, abortion, and women's rights. Michelangela has stated that, by age 16, she "stopped believing in Christianity altogether," although she hid this from her family. After leaving home at age 18, Michelangela stopped attending religious services. Throughout her career, Michelangela has been the subject of frequent criticism from the Eurean Catholic Church and Eurean Catholic advocates, due to reoccurring religious motifs used in her music and her sexually-charged public image.

Since her adulthood, Michelangela has identified herself with various religious practices. In 1991, Michelangela first began to identify herself with Deruism, although she confirmed that she had not formally converted to the faith. By 2003, Michelangela had begun to affiliate with Tirism following a two-week spiritual trip to Tiria, and had become a vegetarian. She continued to espouse Tiri beliefs until beginning to revert to Deruism in 2006, despite remaining vegetarian. By 2009, Michelangela had confirmed that she had formally converted to Deruism, as had her children. In 2015, Michelangela confirmed that she had left Deruism following disagreements with the government policies of Bisael. The following year, she identified herself as "irreligious," but confirmed that she still has respect for Deru traditions and practices. In 2020, Michelangela stated that she meditates and partakes in yoga daily, and had done so ever since first exploring Tirism.

For many years, Michelangela refused to talk about politics. In a 1987 interview, Michelangela stated that she was "uninterested" in politics, and did not vote. She began to become more political in the 21st century, campaigning on behalf of LGBT rights and women's rights in Regia, the Ditrovian Kingdom, and internationally. Although Michelangela has resided primarily in the Ditrovian Kingdom since 1985, she is not a citizen and thus cannot vote in parliamentary elections. She has continuously refrained from making any endorsements in Ditrovian elections. In a 2017 interview, Michelangela claimed that she votes in Regian elections, and cited support for the Democratic Party, while criticizing the Progressive Movement and Brothers of Regia political parties.