Calogero

Calogero Joseph Salvatore Maurici (born 30 July 1971), better known as Calogero, is a French singer.

Calogero was born in Échirolles, Isère, to Sicilian-born Italian parents from Sommatino, Caltanissetta, Sicily.

By the age of six, Calogero had already taken an interest in music. He quickly learned to play several instruments, including the flute, piano, and bass.

In 1986 he became the lead singer and songwriter for a band called Les Charts he started with his brother, Gioacchino Maurici, and a childhood friend, Francis Maggiulli. Between 1989 and 1997, Les Charts released five albums, L'Océan sans fond (1989), Notre monde à nous (1991), Hannibal (1994), Acte 1 (1995), their most successful charting album, and Changer (1997).

As the band began to lose its momentum, Calogero decided to launch himself as a solo artist and gathered important connections by writing songs and collaborating with already popular artists such as Zazie and Pascal Obispo. The latter helped produce Calogero's first solo album Au milieu des Autres (2000). His second album, Calogero (2002), was a huge success, with the hit singles "En apesanteur" (In Weightlessness), "Aussi libre que moi" (As Free as Me), "Tien an men" and "Prendre racine" (To Take Root). Finally, in 2004, Calogero released 3, featuring "Face à la mer", a duet with French rapper Passi, and several other top singles, such as "Yalla" and "Si seulement je pouvais lui manquer" (If Only He Could Miss Me).

Calogero's moving lyrics and frail, tender voice have made him one of France's top pop/rock singers.