It isn't often that a voice appears on the music horizon that is so unique and refreshing that it stirs latent emotions and becomes imbued deep within one's soul. On the Italian musical scene, one such voice exists in the form of Antonino. Antonio Spadaccino was born in Foggia in the southern region of Puglia, on March 9, 1983, into a modest working class family that valued simplicity and an honest work ethic. During his formative years, his love of music never diminished, and with the support of his family, he pursued his dream of singing professionally by participating in various competitions and performing at festivals. Upon completing his compulsory military service, he attempted to gain entry into the prestigious "Amici" amateur talent television competition produced by Maria De Filippi. His stubborn determination would pay off when, after failing on three previous attempts, he was finally granted admission in the fourth edition of the show.

He impressed the audiences, judges and the media by performing emotive duets with Gino Paoli, Ornella Vanoni, Lucio Dalla, Grazia Di Michele and Michael Bublé. These collaborations, along with his moving performances, catapulted him into first place in the singing category. Antonino earned the privilege of performing as a guest vocalist alongside established artist Gigi D'Alessio on his entry "L'amore che non c'é" on the third night of the 2005 Sanremo Music Festival. His appearance would not go unnoticed, as he attracted the attention and earned the admiration of legendary Italian music producer and composer Mario Lavezzi. He was immediately signed to a recording contract with the BMG music division of Sony Entertainment and went on tour for the summer of 2005.

Later that year in November, he went to the recording studios to cut his first single, "Ce la faro," which became a hit, selling over 15,000 digital copies and earned him the right to record an entire album. His self-titled release, "Antonino," was produced by Lavezzi and was released in April of 2006, achieving gold status and selling over 30,000 copies. The album featured a straightforward, pop-rock blend and yielded two more hit singles, "Un ultimo brivido" and "Nel mio segreto profondo," both of which were also released in video format and received extensive airtime on the Video Italia television network. He went back out on tour in support of this debut release and was accompanied by a 12-piece Big Band ensemble under the direction of noted RAI music director Davide Di Gregorio.

In September, he was awarded the prestigious "Premio Lucio Battisti" as the "Miglior Cantante Emergente" (Best New Singer). Upon completing a lengthy tour throughout the peninsula, he returned to the studio in January of 2008 and recorded his second album, "Nero indelebile," which predominantly featured Antonino revealing his rhythm-n-blues and soul roots. Although the release received critical praise, it achieved overall low sales, and the al;bum's only single, "Resta come sei," was only a modest hit. Nevertheless, he embarked on another tour throughout Italy and later in 2009, Antonino participated in and was victorious at two other international music festival competitions: The "Cerbul de Aur" (Golden Stag) in Brasov, Romania, followed by the "Izmir Music Festival" in Çeşme, Turkey

Despite these triumphs, Antonino was dropped by the record label. Undaunted, in 2011 he participated in another Maria De Filippi television talent production, capturing first place in the Amici 10 -"Io ci sono" music competition with the song "Amore surreale," written for him by Federica Camba. With the victory, he received a recording contract on Italian music producer Mara Maionchi's "Non ho l'età" record label. His third album, "Costellazioni," was released in October of that year and retained the musical sonorities of rhythm-n-blues and soul and yielded two popular singles, "Costellazioni" and "Chi sono," the second of which was penned for him by Italian baritone soul vocalist Mario Biondi.

Antonino returned to the Amici television talent competition the following year and presented his own self-authored song, "Libera quest'anima," which received positive critical acclaim and made its way onto his re-released version of his previous recording, becoming the new title track. Another song authored by himself, "Ritornerà" and "Resta ancora un po,'" composed for him by rising star and fellow "Pugliese" female recording artist Emma Marrone, would serve as the singles from the album that garnered great success and were also released in video format. Antonino would return the favor by writing the song "Chimera" for Emma that made its way onto her successful 2013 release "Schiena." Most recently, Antonino has returned to television and is now serving as a music coach, guiding and training prospective aspiring amateur singers on the weekly television talent show, "La pista." When not in the recording or television studios, he continues to tour throughout Italy and Europe, playing to receptive audiences and delivering his tasteful blend of pop-tinged soul and rhythm-n-blues.

For more information you can visit his website at www.antoninomusic.com. Photo courtesy of www.antoninomusic.com.