Sabrina Salerno

File:Sabrina-Gringo-59801.jpg

Sabrina Salerno on the cover of her single "Gringo" (1989)

Sabrina Salerno (born 15 March, 1968 in Genoa, Italy as Norma Sabrina Salerno) is an Italian singer, showgirl, model, actress and record producer.

Biography

After winning a beauty contest in her native region, Liguria, she started modeling, and in 1985 made her TV debut in the prime time show Premiatissima on Canale 5. That same year, her debut single was released: Sexy girl, produced by Claudio Cecchetto, the single became a Top20 hit in her native Italy.

She released her first album in late 1987, simply titled Sabrina, which soon became her stage name in the 1980s. In addition to "Sexy Girl", tha album included Sabrina's international top5 breakthrough, the smash hit single "Boys (Summertime Love)", which has sold more than 1,5 million copies to date worldwide, and "Hot Girl", which made the top10 in five European countries.

In 1988 Sabrina received "The Best European Singer" award, and enjoyed another European-wide summer hit with the single "All Of Me (Boy Oh Boy)" (produced by Stock, Aitken & Waterman). Later in that year, her second album, Super Sabrina, was released, and she established herself as a true European sex symbol thanks to the raunchy videos that accompanied hits such as My Chico and Like A Yo Yo (produced by Giorgio Moroder). The latter became the TV theme of Odiens, a very popular Italian Saturday prime time TV show, in which Sabrina also starred.

Thanks to the success of the albums and her sexy image, she was soon to perform in several European TV shows and concert such as the Montreux Pop Festival in 1988. Another famous performance was in 1989 at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, where fifty thousand people gathered over three days to enjoy Sabrina's shows & music.

In 1989 she starred in the Italian movie Fratelli d'Italia and released a remix album called Super Sabrina Remix, as well as a new single, Gringo. In 1990 Sabrina co-hosted the daily morning TV show Ricomincio da 2 with Raffaella Carrà on Rai Due, and appeared on the popular music show Festivalbar with a new single called Yeah, Yeah.

1991 marked a turning point in Sabrina's career: she performed a duet with Italian singer Jo Squillo in singing Siamo donne, her first release in the Italian language. They performed together at 1991's Sanremo Music Festival to much acclaim. Sabrina's third studio album, Over the Pop, was released the same year, and for the first time she was allowed to co-write and produce some of the songs. It was clear that Sabrina's will to mature as an artist were emerging, and this desire for independence and a distancing from her sexy image led to conflict with her management. As a result the album promotion was interrupted and the new single, Cover model, was released only in France. Sabrina parted with her label and management, a decision that took to a four-years hiatus in her career and just in 1995 she was able to come back to show biz, co-hosting some Italian TV shows and releasing with an indie label two new singles, Rockawillie and Angel boy, which were minor successes in Italy and Scandinavian countries.

The following year she established her own recording studio in Treviso with her then-husband Enrico Monti and released her first Italian language album, Maschio dove sei? in which she collaborated with Massimo Riva (Vasco Rossi's guitarist and longtime friend), who added a more mature pop/rock influence to Sabrina's music. The album was surprisingly acclaimed by the critics, but was a commercial failure due to a lack of promotion and distribution.

Disillusioned by the flop of the album, Sabrina focused her attention on other projects.

1996 saw her theater debut with the comedy I cavalieri della Tavola Rotonda, playing the role of Morgan le Fay, and after a two year stint she then hosted the game show Il mercante in fiera on TMC.

In 1998 after the success of her stage debut, she was cast in a new comedy called Uomini sull'orlo di una crisi di nervi which was also very successful, but during production she suffered a broken knee and was unable to continue. She had recovered by Summer and could host the show Cocco di mamma on Rai Uno. In this show she had the chance to sing some Italian and international summer hits of the past, and these performances led to her pursuing a musical comeback. The same year she was in the cast of Italian music band 883's debut movie, Jolly Blu, and of the sit-com Tutti gli uomini sono uguali aired on Italia 1.

In 1999 she released a new album, Flower's broken, in Italy and Spain but, although an early curiosity was evoked by the new single - I love you - video, both album and single were unsuccessful. She was a guest in UK show Eurotrash where she performed new single "I love you".

2001 saw Sabrina's comeback to theatre with the musical Emozioni that received very good reviews from critics. The following year she hosted another TV show on Italia 1 called Matricole & Meteore, in which she travelled the world in order to uncover the current situations of former star such as Shannen Doherty, Al Corley, Gary Coleman, Jimmy Sommerville, Charlene Tilton and others.

In April 2004 she gave birth to her first child, a son called Luca.

In 2005 she has starred in the independent film Colori that was premiered at the Salerno´s Independent Cinema Festival, where she won the The Critics' Choice Awards as best actress. Sabrina also took part in ITV's Hit Me Baby One More Time where she sung live "Boys (Summertime love)" and Sugababes' "Hole in the head". In November she performed Boys and All Of Me on Russian concert "Дискотека 80-х".

In 2006 she released (only through her official web site) a new song called I Feel Love (Good Sensation).

Discography

Albums

• 1987 Sabrina (as "Sabrina") - also known as Boys in some territories and when re-released. Finland #4, Switzerland #11, Gold Award from Spain, Top30 in France, lots of other chart data unavailable still.

• 1988 Something Special (as "Sabrina") A remix album released on the Danish Mega label for the Scandinavian market only. Finland #15, Sweden #31.

• 1988 Super Sabrina (as "Sabrina") Finland #9, Switzerland #28, Sweden #39, lots of other chart data unavailable still. Originally released in late 1988 in Italy, but in most territories during spring 1989.

• 1991 Over The Pop (as "Sabrina")

• 1996 Numeri / Maschio dove sei (as "Sabrina Salerno") (produced by Massimo Riva, Enrico Monti and Sabrina Salerno)

• 1999 Flower's Broken (as "Sabrina Salerno")

Singles

• 1986 Sexy Girl (produced by Claudio Cecchetto) - Italy #20, Australia #36 (remixed version in 1988), Finland #11 (remixed version in 1988).
• 1987 Lady Marmalade (produced by Claudio Cecchetto) Released in France and Holland only France #41
• 1987 Boys (Summertime Love) - France #1, Switzerland #1, Germany #2, Spain #2, Finland #2, UK #3, Ireland #3, Norway #3, Austria #5, Italy #5, Netherlands #5, Australia #11, South Africa #14. (Written by M.Bonsanto, R.Rossi, C.Cecchetto, M.Charlton. Produced by Claudio Cecchetto. Mixed by M. Bonsanto and R. Rossi)
• 1987 Hot Girl - Spain #2, Finland #6, Germany #19, Switzerland #13, Netherlands #10, France #12, Italy #21.
• 1988 All Of Me (Boy Oh Boy) - Finland #2, UK #25, Germany #16, Switzerland #12, Italy #12, France #15 (written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman)
• 1988 My Chico (produced Elvio Moratto) - Italy #2, Germany #56,Finland #3.
• 1989 Like A Yo-Yo - #72UK (Written by Giorgio Moroder, arranged by R.Boldi and C.La Bionda),Finland #1, Italy #18 (Hit Parade chart, not official singles chart)
• 1989 Gringo - UK #91,Italy #12 (produced by Menzione)
• 1990 Yeah, Yeah Italy #24 (produced by Severo Lombardoni)
• 1991 Siamo Donne Italy #21
• 1991 Dirty Boy Look Italy promo only in Italy.
• 1992 Cover Model Released in France and Italy only.
• 1994 Rockawillie
• 1994/1995 Angel Boy - Finland #15 (produced by Enrico Monti, Sergio Portaluri and F. Zafret)
• 1996 Fatta E Rifatta (promo only)
• 1996 Maschio dove sei (promo only)
• 1999 I Love You promo only
• 2004 Boys (2004 Remix) - also shown as: Boys Boys Boys 2004
• 2006 I Feel Love (Good Sensation) ltd.edition released only via website

Filmography

• 2006 Film D
• 2005 Colori
• 1998 Tutti gli uomini sono uguali (TV sit-com)
• 1998 Jolly Blu
• 1989 Fratelli d'Italia
• 1988 Festa di Capodanno (mini series)
• 1986 Grandi magazzini
• 1986 Professione vacanze (TV series)
• 1986 Ferragosto O.K. (TV movie)

See also

• Euro disco

External links

• Official web site of Sabrina Salerno
• Sabrina Salerno's Official MySpace
• Template:Last.fm
• Discography at discogs.com
• Sabrina Salerno at IMDb
• Sabrina Salerno fan site