Lorenzo Urciullo (born 6 September 1983), known professionally as Colapesce, is an Italian singer-songwriter.[1]
Life and career
Born in Solarino, Urciullo graduated in Communication Sciences at the University of Catania.[2] He started his career as frontman of the indie rock group Albanopower and part of the musical project Santiago.[3] In 2010 he adopted the stage name Colapesce, inspired by a traditional local mith about a legendary fisherman who holds Sicily on his shoulders to prevent it from sinking,[4][5] and released the EP Colapesce.[3] His 2012 debut album Un meraviglioso declino included duets with Roy Paci and Meg from 99 Posse, received critical acclaim and got him a Targa Tenco for best debut work.[3][6][7]
In 2015 Colapesce released his second album Egomostro,[7][8] and made his debut as a comics writer with the graphic novel La distanza, illustrated by Alessandro Baronciani.[3] Active as a songwriter for other artists including Luca Carboni, Irene Grandi, Malika Ayane, Emma Marrone, Samuel and Levante, he often collaborated with singer-songwriter Dimartino, with whom in 2020 he started a duo musical project with the album I mortali.[3][9]
Colapesce and Dimartino participated at Sanremo Music Festival 2021 with the song "Musica leggerissima", and the song was a surprise hit, ranking first on the Italian hit parade.[10] The track also featured on Colapesce and Dimartino's second album I Mortali².[11] In 2022 they collaborated with rapper Fabri Fibra in the hit single "Propaganda";[12][13] the same year they featured the Cerrone's single "Non chiamarmi mai", an Italian version of Cerrone's 1979 song "Call Me Tonight".[14] They took part at Sanremo Music Festival 2023 with the song "Splash", winning the Mia Martini Critics Award.[15] The same year they made their film debut, both as actors and screenwriters, in La primavera della mia vita.[16]
