Gian Marco
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| Gian Marco Zignago | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gian Marco Javier Zignago Alcóver |
| Also known as | Giani, Gianmarco |
| Born | July 17, 1970 Lima, Peru |
| Genre(s) | Pop, rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Label(s) | Sony Music |
| Associated acts | Pedro Suarez Vertiz |
| Website | www.gianmarco.com.pe |
Gian Marco Javier Zignago Alcóver (born in Lima, Peru on August 17, 1970) is a singer-songwriter. He has won the Grammy Latino 2005 for the best 'álbum Cantautor' (Singer-Songwriter Album) and was named UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in Peru.
His mother is the well-known Peruvian actress and singer Regina Alcóver Ureta, and his father was the late Peruvian composer and singer Javier Zignago, known in the musical world as "Joe Danova".
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Childhood beginnings
He pursued a career in singing. At the age of 5 he was brought to a station in Buenos Aires Argentina. And he did his first television commercial.
Gian Marco did his elementary and secondary education in the Santa Margarita school in the affluent neighborhood of Monterrico en Lima, Perú.
In 1981, at eleven years old, he participated alongside his mother in the musical work, Papito Piernas Largas (Daddy Long Legs), recording a piece on the soundtrack.
During his youth, Gian Marco participated in a series of artistic events, singing and acting, developing his talent and preparing himself for what would later become, and still is, his successful professional career.
Years later, with guitar in hand, he would seek in various parts of the capital--among them La Estación in Barranco--what he would later call in his song Retrato, the applause for and recognition of his first songs and compositions.
At age 18 Gian Marco travelled to Santiago, Chile (Chile) to work on a specialization in Graphic Design. Even though everything seemed to be going well, he needed his music, and decided to showcase his art, appearing in the most frequented venues in Santiago and Viña del Mar. His name began to be recognized since his personal style got the attention of those who heard him for the first time.
[edit] First disc
A year and a half later he returned to Lima and one of his songs classified for the Peruvian version of the Festival OTI 1989. He managed to capture the attention of the press, being the most publicized artist at the event. It was there that Discos Independientes proposed recording his first disc. At the beginning of 1990 his first production hit the national record market with the title Gian Marco, under the musical direction of Pepe Ortega.
In 1992 he recorded his second long play production with the title, Personal, produced in Santiago, Chile by Pepe Ortega. From this recording the songs Te Extrañaré (I will miss you) and Dame un Beso (Give Me a Kiss) made the charts that year.
In September of 1993 he won first place in the national version of the Festival OTI, and gained the right to represent Perú in the XXII edition of the International Festival OTI with his song Volvamos a Empezar (Let's Start Over). The International Festival took place in Valencia (España).
[edit] Television and national recognition
In the mid to late 1990s he came back with other successful productions. He began to dedicate himself to composing songs, and he was called to conduct one of the most popular game shows, Campaneando, together with Bruno Pinasco. Conducting this program was crucial in gaining the recognition of the wider Peruvian public.
His television appearance combined with a prolific period of musical activity. He composed and recorded the discs, Entre la arena y la luna' (Between the Sand and the Moon) (1994), Señora, cuénteme (Lady, Tell Me) (1994) and Al quinto día (On the Fifth Day) (1997). His fourth album, Señora, cuénteme, is a tribute to canción criolla (creole music) in which he affirms with his music the appreciation that he has for the feeling of native peoples like those in Perú.
[edit] International success
Inspired by his own dreams and a blind faith in his talent, Gian Marco decided to travel to the United States, convinced that he needed to introduce his artistic talent to the international market. He got the attention of Emilio Estefan who contracted him as a composer and performer. This did not stop him from working on his own material, and he published A tiempo (On Time) (2002) under the seal of Crescent Moon / Sony.
This last disc was heard on the most significant radio stations in the world, and sold more than 50,000 copies in Spain and thousands more around the world. The album supplied him with 3 nominations to the Latin Grammies and confirmed him as the most significant Peruvian sing-songwriter of recent times.
In that same year, Gian Marco recorded the theme song for the Americas Cup (Soccer) that would be played in Perú in 2004. The song, entitled, Más allá de los sueños (Beyond Dreams), became a resounding success.
In 2003 he received the Artista Revelación Latino (Emmerging Latin Artist) prize in the Musical Arts Awards of the Sociedad General de Autores y Editores de España (SGAE) (Spanish General Society of Authors and Editors).
Later came the album Resucitar (Resurrection) (2004), a much more organic album that, as he says, doesn't sing as much about lost love as the previous one, it's a more positive album. This disc had unbelievable success, which brought him a Latin Grammy in 2005. Several singles sprang from this album: Resucitar (Resurrection), Sin querer (By Accident), Gota de lluvia (A Drop of Rain), Después de mi (After Me), Lejos de ti (Far from You), and Soy (I Am).
