Born in 1977, Italian-Finnish Lara Martelli begins to study dance and gospel singing at the age of 10; completely
self-taught, she is guided only by passion and intuition.
She falls in love with jazz and listens to Billy Holiday, Nina Simone and Duke Ellington. She goes on to discover
the rock of Janis Joplin and forms, at the age of 14, her first band.
At 16, she obtains her first recording contract, followed by a two-year tour that will see her perform in the best
clubs around Italy.
In June 1995, Lara wins second prize at the ‘European Music Festival’ in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Following this, she works with Daniele Silvestri covering the song ‘Giro in si’, released on his album ‘Sig Depatas’.
While continuing to perform live, she creates and presents the TV show ‘Colorage’, which was aired on TMC2. She also
performs in the film ‘Terra Bruciata’ appearing alongside Giancarlo Giannini; she also writes and sings two songs
for the film’s soundtrack.
In the winter of 2001, following three intense years working and performing in the Italian underground music scene,
Lara starts working on her new record that sees her expressive flair renewed.
In October 2002, her second record ‘Orchidea porpora’ is released.
On the 17th and 18th November of the same year Lara performs, as the only Italian artist, at the fifth official
tribute to Jeff Buckley at the ‘Uncommon Ground’ and famous ‘Metro’ in Chicago, USA.
Back from the States, Lara kicks off her ‘Orchidea porpora’ tour at the ‘Rolling Stones’ in Milan.
She spends the next year performing at the best venues in the main Italian cities enlarging her fan base.
In November 2002, Lara performs at the M.E.I. (Meeting Etichette Indipendenti) where she promotes her album.
Following this she agrees to do a cover version of the Beatles’ song Across the Universe’ for the compilation
‘Let it Bloom’, (care of MusicBoom), which goes on to become the most popular tune with over 5000 downloads.
The film director Daniele Persica produces two video clips for her, ‘Ode a Renoir’
(which is nominated at the Faenza MEI as best Independent Video) and ‘Orchidea porpora’.
In the same year, Lara also lands the lead role in a short film by Daniel Marini, ‘Aurora’, and writes a series
of short ‘metropolitan’ stories.
Lara then dedicates a period of time to writing the continuation of ‘Orchidea porpora’.
In June 2005 Lara supports James Taylor Quarter, opening his Roma concert at the beautiful Teatro di Ostia Antica,
showcasing for the first time some of the songs that will be on the new record ‘Cerridwen’.
Lara is accompanied on this occasion by a cello player, a bassist and keyboard player and, as a special guest,
guitarist Roberto Angelini.
At the same time Lara begins to actively support a new project, REC-RADIO EFFETTI COLLATERALI a web-based radio that
supports independent music, working as writer and presenter of some of its programmes.
In July 2006 Lara performs at the tribute to Nick Drake, ‘Way to blue’ at Villa Doria Phamphili , Rome,
where she does two vibrant cover versions of ‘Cello Song’ and ‘Time of no Reply’.
Lara continues to tour Italy and part of Europe with her band and releases her third album ‘Cerridwen’ in October 2007.
This album is her first all-English work, and wins her the first M.E.I. prize as ‘rivelazione indie pop’.
(New indie-pop)
The video from the single ‘Stupid Desires’, directed by Ivan Vania, wins the M.E.I. prize for photography,
First prize at the ‘Festival dei corti’ at Orvieto and is short listed to win the ‘Festival del cinema’ in Rome.
Lara has worked with many artists both from the Italian music scene, such as the ‘Hollowblue’, and international
scene, such as the English project by Guy Pople, ‘virtual strangers’.
Lara, ever more involved in the live scene, has given ample space to different projects, the latest one with an
electronic flavour.
This latest project, by the name of ‘I didn’t like the disco’, is a collaboration between her and some of the most
prestigious names on the Roman electronic scene,
Folco Peroni and Alessandro Angiolillo, with whom she continues to perform on the stages of the best Music Festivals
in Italy.
Recently Lara worked with Andrea Ferri as co-author of two songs, written for the Italian Fiction
‘La scelta di Laura’, aired on Canale Cinque.
She is currently working on her new album, which has been provisionally called ‘ Cupid, the girl’ and on the
electronic formation of ‘I didn’t like the disco’, as well as presenting the first web show ‘food 2.0’ for the
famous magazine ‘Rolling Stones’.
May 2007: Release EP "Stupid Desire" with Midfinger Records.
October 2007: "CERRIDWEN" - the new Album is available now in DOWNLOAD VERSION from the label web site.
Management: Christoph Storbeck info@striker-entertainment.com
Bookings: Emiliano Tortora for Grinding Halt Concerti emiliano@grindinghalt.it
Lara Martelli - NYC Sunset from Lara Martelli on Vimeo.
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