Maria Antonietta (singer)
Maria Antonietta | |
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Maria Antonietta in February 2026 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Marie Antoniette |
| Born | Letizia Cesarini 26 August 1987 Pesaro, Marche, Italy |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels |
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Partner | Colombre (2011–present) |
Letizia Cesarini (born 26 August 1987), known professionally as Maria Antonietta, is an Italian singer-songwriter.
Early life and education
She studied Medieval Art History (a passion inherited from her father, an icon painter)[1] and began her musical career at the age of eighteen.[2] In the 2010s, following a return to religion, she also studied theology.[3] In an interview, she revealed that her artistic breakthrough came after meeting Bob Corn in Verona in 2007.[1]
Career
She gained recognition as the vocalist and guitarist of the duo Young Wrists, which she formed with Alberto Baldolini. In 2009, she recorded and self-produced her solo debut, Marie Antoinette, in July 2010, a tribute to the Queen of France.[4] The album, titled Marie Antoinette Wants to Suck Your Young Blood, features a distinctly punk attitude and English lyrics.[5] The underlying theme is the courage of women. There are dedications to Joan of Arc and the poet Sylvia Plath.[6]
In July 2011 she co-wrote the book Cosa vuoi sentire, along with 13 other artists from the Italian independent scene. The collection includes fourteen short stories, published the following fall by Minimum fax.[7]
In November 2011, Young Wrists finally disbanded, and Letizia embarked on a long solo tour that concluded, after a year of personal difficulties, with the release of an album in Italian.[1][8] Her second album, titled Maria Antonietta, was distributed under the name Maria Antonietta and released on 6 January 2012 via Picicca Dischi. The album was recorded and produced by Brunori Sas. The album features many vocal and artistic influences, drawing inspiration from great Italian singers such as Nada, Carmen Consoli, and Cristina Donà, but Maria Antonietta's punk soul also brings to mind PJ Harvey and Courtney Love.[9] This album also contains elements of hagiography and references to the sacred, especially feminine, universe mixed with the profane (see "Saint Catherine" and "Mary Magdalene"), and highly autobiographical lyrics.[1] The singles released are "Quanti eri bello" and "Saliva". A video for the former was directed by Giacomo Triglia, while the latter features Leandro Emede and Nicoló Cerioni.
In May 2012, Maria Antonietta won the KeepOn Award in the "Live Revelation" category. She is also considered by many magazines and websites to be one of the absolute revelations of the Italian independent music scene.[10][11]
After an acoustic tour, on 18 June 2013, she released the single "Animali", marking her debut with the record label La Tempesta Dischi. The single is accompanied by a cover of Gigliola Cinquetti's "Non ho l'età (Per amarti)" and the music video for "Animali",[12] which she edited herself with filming by Flavia Eleonora Tullio and published exclusively on the La Repubblica XL website. From June to August 2013, she embarked on a new tour, accompanied by her brothers Marco and Colombre, members of Dadamatto and Chewingum, respectively.
In July 2013 he joined the project Hai paura del buio?, promoted by Afterhours: it is a travelling cultural festival in which not only other musicians (including Marta sui Tubi, Il Teatro degli Orrori, Daniele Silvestri and Verdena) take part, but also cinema and theatre actors (Antonio Rezza with Flavia Mastrella, Michele Riondino), writers (Chiara Gamberale, Paolo Giordano), designers and dancers.[13]
On 20 January 2014 she announced the release of her second official album (third overall), titled Sassi.[14] The album was produced and arranged by Marco Imparato and Colombre and distributed by La Tempesta Dischi, released on 11 March.[15]
In February, the video for the song "Ossa"[16] was released, and a month later, that of "Giardino comunale", directed by Dandaddy (who previously worked on Baustelle, Le luci della centrale elettrica, and Dente).[17]
In November 2014, after the release of the video for the song "Tra me e tutte le cose",[18] she began a new tour, accompanied by Colombre and Fabio Marconi.
On 21 April 2015, she released the EP Maria Antonietta loves Chewingum, created in collaboration with the band Chewingum, who have accompanied the singer in numerous live concerts.[19]
In May 2015, she performed at Musica da Bere, where she was awarded the Emerging Artist Award.[20]
In 2017, she collaborated with Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti as a songwriter for the song "E invece niente".[21] She also worked in the theater world, composing the music for a new version of the show Tutta casa, letto e chiesa by Dario Fo and Franca Rame, directed by Sandro Mabellini and starring Valentina Lodovini.[22]
In January 2018, she released a new single, "Deluderti", which previewed her third studio album.[23] Her next single, "Pesci", was released the following March.[24] On 30 March 2018, she released her third studio album, Deluderti,[25] and on 1 May, she performed at the traditional concert in Rome.[26] In 2019, she published the book Sette ragazze imperdonabili,[27] in which she sketches seven female figures to whom she feels connected, including the aforementioned Sylvia Plath and Joan of Arc, as well as Cristina Campo, Etty Hillesum, Antonia Pozzi, Marina Tsvetaeva and Emily Dickinson.[28][29]
In February 2020, she sang a duet at the Sanremo Music Festival on cover night with Levante (a competitor) and Francesca Michielin on the song "Si può dare di più".[30] In 2021 she hosted Sacra bellezza on Sky Arte, a documentary series focusing on relics and Christian sacred art,[31] and the following year, the documentary Maddalena - Il mistero e l'immagine, dedicated to the exhibition of the same name.
After a period of writing and health problems,[32] in 2023 she duetted with Colombre in "Io te certamente"[33] and in May 2023 she released the album La tigre assenza, whose title pays homage to Cristina Campo's poetry collection of the same name. It was preceded by the singles "Arrivederci",[34] released in January on the Warner label; "Per le ragazze come me", featuring Laila Al Habash;[35] and "Viale Regina Margherita", written with Francesco Bianconi of Baustelle.[36] On 2 July she and Laila Al Habash opened for Lana Del Rey at Lido di Camaiore, part of the La Prima Estate festival.[37]
On 19 September 2025 she released the collaborative album Luna di miele together with Colombre.[38] On 30 November, paired with the latter, she was announced alongside among the participants of the Sanremo Music Festival 2026.[39] They competed with the song "La felicità e basta".[40]
Personal life
Since 2011 she has been romantically linked to the singer-songwriter Giovanni "Colombre" Imparato.[41]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| ITA [42] | ||
| Marie Antoinette Wants to Suck Your Young Blood (credited as Marie Antoinette) |
|
— |
| Maria Antonietta |
|
— |
| Sassi |
|
— |
| Deluderti |
|
99 |
| La tigre assenza |
|
— |
| Luna di miele (with Colombre) |
|
— |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released. | ||
Extended plays
| Title | EP details |
|---|---|
| Maria Antonietta Loves Chewingum (with Chewingum) |
|
Singles
As lead artist
| Single | Year | Peak chart positions | Album or EP |
|---|---|---|---|
| ITA [42] | |||
| "Quanto eri bello" | 2012 | — | Maria Antonietta |
| "Saliva" | — | ||
| "Animali" | 2013 | — | Sassi |
| "Ossa" | 2014 | — | |
| "Giardino comunale" | — | ||
| "Abbracci" | — | ||
| "Tra me e tutte le cose" | — | ||
| "Molto presto" (with Chewingum) |
2015 | — | Maria Antonietta Loves Chewingum |
| "Deluderti" | 2018 | — | Deluderti |
| "Pesci" | — | ||
| "Vergine" | — | ||
| "Arrivederci" | 2023 | — | La tigre assenza |
| "Per le ragazze come me" (featuring Laila Al Habash) |
— | ||
| "Viale Regina Margherita" | — | ||
| "Signorina, buonasera" (with Colombre) |
2025 | — | Luna di miele |
| "Gomma americana" (with Colombre) |
— | ||
| "La felicità e basta" (with Colombre) |
2026 | 58 | |
| "—" denotes singles that did not chart or were not released. | |||
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Io e te certamente" (Colombre featuring Maria Antonietta) |
2023 | Realismo magico in Adriatico |
Television programs
| Year | Title | Network | Rol | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Castrocaro Music Festival | Rai 2 | Juror | Annual music festival |
| 2021 | Sacra bellezza - Storie di santi e reliquie | Sky Arte | Host | Historical TV program |
| 2022 | Maddalena - Il mistero e l'immagine | |||
| 2026 | Sanremo Music Festival 2026 | Rai 1 | Contestant | Annual music festival |
Works
- Santa Caterina al Sinai, in Cosa volete sentire. Compilation di racconti di cantautori italiani, Minimum fax, 2011
- Sette ragazze imperdonabili. Un libro d'ore, Rizzoli, 2019
References
- ^ a b c d "Maria Antonietta - Sono una donna, non sono una santa". Rockit.it (in Italian).
- ^ "La mia intervista con Maria Antonietta, nuovo astro nascente dell'indie rock". PELLEeCALAMAIO di Gianni Gardon (in Italian).
- ^ "Storie di santi e reliquie, con Maria Antonietta in TV". ANSA (in Italian).
- ^ "Chi è Maria Antonietta? Fidanzato, Colombre, Sanremo, canzoni". Chi (in Italian).
- ^ "Intervista Maria Antonietta - Purezza della verità". mescalina.it (in Italian).
- ^ "Maria Antonietta". Rockit.it (in Italian).
- ^ "Dalle note alla scrittura, parla Maria Antonietta". Indygesto.
- ^ "Maria Antonietta: "Maria Antonietta" recensione". Rockit.it (in Italian).
- ^ televisionet. Maria Antonietta - Mi sento molto capace perché sono felice – via YouTube.
- ^ "Maria Antonietta - Maria Antonietta - la recensione di Rockol". Rockol (in Italian).
- ^ "Maria Antonietta: è donna la novità più bella del rock italiano". tv.wired.it (in Italian).
- ^ "Maria Antonietta — Animali". latempesta.org. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014.
- ^ "Hai paura del buio? Il Manifesto". XL Repubblica.it (in Italian).
- ^ "Sassi, il disco felice di Maria Antonietta". Ritratti di Note (in Italian).
- ^ "Maria Antonietta, esce l'11 marzo il nuovo album Sassi". Rockit.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Guarda: Maria Antonietta, Ossa". rumoremag.com (in Italian). 20 February 2014.
- ^ "Guarda Giardino comunale, il nuovo video di Maria Antonietta". Rockit.it (in Italian).
- ^ ""Tra me e tutte le cose", il nuovo video di Maria Antonietta". Rockit.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 16 April 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Nuovo EP per Maria Antonietta, in collaborazione con i Chewingum". Rockit.it (in Italian).
- ^ "MdB 2015, 6ª Edizione | Musica da Bere" (in Italian).
- ^ "Maria Antonietta - E invece niente". Rockit.it (in Italian).
- ^ "Tutta casa, letto e chiesa con Valentina Lodovini". AMAT (in Italian).
- ^ "Maria Antonietta, è uscito il nuovo singolo Deluderti". Rolling Stone Italia (in Italian). Archived from the original on 15 June 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Maria Antonietta: Pesci è il nuovo singolo - Video e Testo". Spettacolo Periodico Daily (in Italian). Archived from the original on 25 March 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Maria Antonietta: il nuovo album è Deluderti". Billboard Italia (in Italian).
- ^ "Chi è Maria Antonietta, sul palco del Concerto del Primo Maggio 2018 a Roma". Rockol (in Italian).
- ^ "Sette ragazze imperdonabili: la cantautrice Maria Antonietta ci racconta le sue muse". ilLibraio.it (in Italian).
- ^ "Maria Antonietta e le sue Sette ragazze imperdonabili". XL Repubblica.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Da Giotto a Lana Del Rey: a tu per tu con Maria Antonietta". The Submarine (in Italian). Archived from the original on 6 February 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Sanremo 2020, chi è Maria Antonietta che duetta con Levante e Francesca Michielin". Sky TG24 (in Italian).
- ^ "Maria Antonietta ci accompagna in un viaggio nella Sacra bellezza". Sky TG24 (in Italian).
- ^ "Maria Antonietta e La tigre assenza: "Così esorcizzo il ghosting e i peggiori fantasmi"". Billboard Italia (in Italian).
- ^ "Io e te certamente, una conversazione tra Colombre e Maria Antonietta". Lampoon Magazine (in Italian). Archived from the original on 9 December 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Maria Antonietta torna a cinque anni di distanza da Deluderti con Arrivederci, un brindisi a chi se ne va". All Music Italia (in Italian).
- ^ "Per le ragazze come Maria Antonietta e Laila Al Habash il mondo non si può fermare". Cromosomi (in Italian). Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Cambiamo strada con Maria Antonietta verso il Viale Regina Margherita". Cromosomi (in Italian). Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "La Tigre Assenza Club Tour, il ritorno di Maria Antonietta". Panico (in Italian).
- ^ "Maria Antonietta e Colombre si raccontano nell'album Luna di miele". Sky TG24 (in Italian).
- ^ "Sanremo 2026. Da Tommaso Paradiso a Patty Pravo, Carlo Conti annuncia i nomi dei 30 Big in gara". RaiNews (in Italian). RAI. 30 November 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ^ Dammacco, Beppe (15 December 2025). "Sanremo 2026: i titoli dei brani in gara. Definite le quattro Nuove Proposte". Eurofestival News (in Italian). Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ "Fresh Talent: Maria Antonietta e Colombre". Cromosomi (in Italian).
- ^ a b "Maria Antonietta in FIMI charts" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 6 June 2025.