Background and career
Riccardo Fabbriconi (born 10 February 2003), known professionally as Blanco, is an Italian singer, rapper and songwriter. He rose to prominence in 2021 with the hits "La canzone nostra" and "Mi fai impazzire", which topped the Italian Singles Chart. He later released his debut album Blu celeste, driven by the singles "Notti in bianco", "Paraocchi" and the title track. In 2022, he won the 72nd Sanremo Music Festival alongside Mahmood with the song "Brividi", with which the duo represented Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, finishing in sixth place.
Riccardo Fabbriconi was born in Brescia on 10 February 2003, to a father from Rome and a mother from Lombardy, and raised in Calvagese della Riviera, a small town on Lake Garda. He spent most of his childhood between his hometown, Brescia and Desenzano del Garda, where he attended school. During his childhood, his father introduced him to artists such as Lucio Battisti, Lucio Dalla, and Pino Daniele. He also enjoyed listening to pop music on the radio. Growing up, he was involved in the Italian hip hop scene.
2020–2021: "Mi fai impazzire" and Blu celeste In June 2020, he released on SoundCloud his EP Quarantine Paranoid, thanks to which he was noticed and signed by Universal and Island Records. He subsequently released his debut single "Belladonna (Adieu)", followed by his second single "Notti in bianco", which became a sleeper hit in the summer of 2021, peaking at number two on FIMI's singles chart. On 8 January 2021, Blanco, Mace and Salmo released the collaborative single "La canzone nostra". It became Blanco's first single to peak at number one on FIMI's singles chart and was certified quintuple platinum, having sold 350,000 copies. On 26 February 2021, Blanco released his single "Paraocchi", which also reached the top ten of FIMI's singles chart. On 18 June 2021, he released the hit single "Mi fai impazzire" in collaboration with Sfera Ebbasta; it peaked at number one on FIMI's singles chart for eight consecutive weeks and was certified sextuple platinum, having sold 420,000 copies.
On 10 September 2021, Blanco released his debut studio album Blu celeste, containing nine original tracks produced by Michelangelo, as well as the previously published singles "Notti in bianco", "Ladro di fiori" and "Paraocchi". The album, which debuted atop FIMI's album chart, was certified as a gold record a week after its release, having sold 250,000 album-equivalent units, and as a platinum record the following week. Simultaneously, the lead single of the same name debuted at number one on FIMI's singles chart and Blanco's songs occupied the entire top ten; furthermore, all twelve tracks included in the album appeared concomitantly on the chart. In November 2021, the track "Finché non mi seppelliscono" was selected as a radio single.
How Blanco makes money
Growing up, he was involved in the Italian hip hop scene. 2020–2021: "Mi fai impazzire" and Blu celeste In June 2020, he released on SoundCloud his EP Quarantine Paranoid, thanks to which he was noticed and signed by Universal and Island Records.
