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Max Pezzali

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Max Pezzali
Pezzali at Cartoomics in 2013
Pezzali at Cartoomics in 2013
Background information
Born
Massimo Pezzali

(1967-11-14) 14 November 1967 (age 58)
Pavia, Lombardy, Italy
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
InstrumentVocals
Years active1988–present
LabelsFRI (1991–2000)
Warner (2000–present)
Formerly of883
Websitewww.maxpezzali.it

Massimo "Max" Pezzali (born 14 November 1967) is an Italian singer-songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the pop rock group 883. Following the group's disbandment, he began a solo career with the album Il mondo insieme a te (2004). His releases include several commercially successful albums, and his whole career has reportedly sold more than 10 million records in total.[1]

Early life

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Pezzali in 2024

Pezzali was born on 14 November 1967 in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. His parents owned a florist shop.[2]

After failing a year at the Taramelli high school in 1984, Pezzali was made by his parents to work in the family shop, where his duties included flower deliveries for funerals.[3] He was subsequently transferred to the Copernico Institute, where he met Mauro Repetto. Sharing an interest in rock and roll and punk music, the two decided to pursue music together. Pezzali also performed civilian service as an ambulance volunteer with the Italian Red Cross in Pavia, completing his service in 1991.[4]

Career

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883

[edit]

Pezzali and Repetto began writing songs together while attending high school. Initially performing under the name I Pop, they made their television debut in 1988 on 1, 2, 3 Jovanotti, a programme hosted by Jovanotti, with the English-language rap song "Live in the Music".[5] The experience brought them into contact with music producer Claudio Cecchetto, to whom they later submitted a demo tape. With Cecchetto's support, the duo adopted the name 883, inspired by the engine displacement of a Harley-Davidson Sportster.[6] They subsequently shifted to writing songs in Italian and made their recording debut with "Non me la menare", which they performed at the Castrocaro Music Festival in 1991.[7]

The duo achieved widespread success with their debut album, Hanno ucciso l'Uomo Ragno (1992), which topped the Italian albums chart.[8] Their follow-up, Nord sud ovest est (1993), further established their popularity, producing the hit singles "Sei un mito" and "Come mai".[8] That year, Pezzali and Rosario Fiorello won the Festival Italiano performing with "Come mai".[9]

In 1994, Repetto left 883 to pursue a career in the film industry in the United States. His departure marked the end of the duo's original lineup, although Pezzali continued under the group's name forming a band. The split was attributed to Repetto's desire to pursue different artistic ambitions, and the two lost contact. 883's third album, La donna, il sogno e il grande incubo, was released in 1995 and became a commercial success. That year, the group also competed at the Sanremo Music Festival with "Senza averti qui". Pezzali continued the group's success with La dura legge del gol! (1997), the compilation Gli anni (1998), Grazie mille (1999), Mille grazie (2000), released in German-speaking markets, and Uno in più (2001). In 1998, Pezzali also starred in Jolly Blu, a musical comedy film inspired by 883's music, which marked his only acting role and was poorly received by critics and audiences.

In 2002, Pezzali began preparing for a solo career, and the 883 project came to an end. The compilation Love/Life was released that year, bringing together songs from the group's later period.

Solo

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In 2003, Pezzali began working on his first solo album, Il mondo insieme a te, which was released in May 2004.[10] The album topped the Italian albums chart and sold more than 200,000 copies in Italy.[11] In 2005, he released a greatest hits compilation, Tutto Max, credited to Pezzali/883, accompanied by a DVD featuring his music videos.[12] His second solo studio album, Time Out, followed in 2007 and achieved commercial success in Italy.[13][14][15]

In 2008, Pezzali released Max Live 2008, a live album featuring recordings of his performances alongside two previously unreleased songs, "Mezzo pieno o mezzo vuoto" and "Ritornerò".[16] That year, he embarked on the Max Live Tour, performing in more than 25 Italian cities.[17] After the tour, Pezzali reduced his musical activities to spend more time with his family following the birth of his son.[18] During this period, he continued to make occasional television appearances and collaborate with other artists, including an appearance on the Italian version of X Factor in 2009.[19]

After a four-year gap between studio albums, Pezzali returned in 2011 with Terraferma, released on 16 February. The album was preceded by the single "Il mio secondo tempo", with which he competed at the Sanremo Music Festival 2011, marking his return to the festival after 16 years. He subsequently embarked on the Terraferma Tour to promote the album.[20][21][22] The next year, Pezzali released Hanno ucciso l'Uomo Ragno 2012, a rap reworking of 883's 1992 debut album, to mark its 20th anniversary. The album featured collaborations with several prominent Italian rappers, including J-Ax, Club Dogo, Fedez, Emis Killa and Baby K.[23] In 2013, Pezzali released Max 20, a compilation featuring 14 songs from his work with 883 and his solo career, re-recorded as duets with various Italian artists, alongside five original tracks.[24] The album also marked Pezzali's reunion with former 883 co-founder Repetto, who authored two of the new songs.[25]

His next studio album, Astronave Max, was released in June 2015, preceded by the single "È venerdì".[26]. In 2017, he released the single "Le canzoni alla radio", featuring Nile Rodgers.[27][28] The song was included on his compilation album of the same name, which featured songs from his career with 883 and as a solo artist, as well as seven previously unreleased tracks.[29] In 2018, Pezzali embarked on a joint tour with Nek and Francesco Renga, followed by the release of Max Nek Renga – Il disco, a live album featuring performances by all three artists.[30][31][32]

In 2020, Pezzali released Qualcosa di nuovo, his fifth solo studio album. Its release had been postponed from April to October because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[33] In 2024, Pezzali released Max Forever: Vol. 1, a compilation of songs from his career, featuring collaborations with artists including J-Ax, Cesare Cremonini and Riccardo Zanotti.[34] A second volume, Max Forever: Vol. 2, was announced for release on 30 October 2026.[35]

Personal life

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Pezzali is currently living in Pavia, for some years he lived in Rome where he used to live with Martina Marinucci, his ex-wife. Max and Martina were married on 2 April 2005. After 13 years together, they officially separated in 2014.[36] They have a son, Hilo, born in 2008.[37] A few months after his separation, he became engaged to Debora Pelamatti.[38][39][40] Pezzali is a big fan of motorbikes, especially of Harley-Davidson models (his group was named after the 883cc Harley-Davidson Sportster[41]), and since 2000, he has been a partner of an authorized Harley-Davidson dealership in Pavia. He is a great fan of comics and his favorites are the superhero comics published by Marvel[42] and the Italian comic book series Rat-Man created by Leo Ortolani.[43] In fact, he has a collection of over 1300 comics.[44] He is also a great fan of Bruce Springsteen, who represented an important source of inspiration for his music career.[45][46][47][48] Pezzali is also a supporter of Inter Milan and has even dedicated a song to his football team, entitled "Sei Fantastica".[49]

Discography

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Studio albums

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List of studio albums, with chart positions and certifications
Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications
ITA
[50]		 SWI
[51]
Il mondo insieme a te 181
Time Out
  • Released: 25 May 2007[13]
  • Label: Warner
 1—
Terraferma
  • Released: 16 February 2011[20]
  • Label: Warner
 488
Astronave Max
  • Released: 1 June 2015[26]
  • Label: Warner
 249
Qualcosa di nuovo
  • Released: 30 October 2020[33]
  • Label: Warner
 3—

Compilation albums

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List of compilation albums, with chart positions and certifications
Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications
ITA
[50]		 SWI
[51]
Tutto Max[a] 163
  • FIMI: 3× Platinum[56]
Hanno ucciso l'Uomo Ragno 2012[a]
  • Released: 12 June 2012[23]
  • Label: Warner
 1—
  • FIMI: Gold
Max 20
  • Released: 4 June 2013[24]
  • Label: Warner
 157
  • FIMI: 2× Platinum[57]
Le canzoni alla radio[a]
  • Released: 17 November 2017[29]
  • Label: Warner
 3—
Max Forever: Vol. 1
  • Released: 13 December 2024[34]
  • Label: Warner
 11—
Max Forever: Vol. 2
  • To be released: 30 October 2026[35]
  • Label: Warner
 ——
  1. 1 2 3 Credited as Max Pezzali/883.

Live albums

[edit]
List of live albums, with chart positions and certifications
Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications
ITA
[50]		 SWI
[51]
Max Live 2008 5—
  • FIMI: Platinum[6]
Max Nek Renga – Il disco
(with Nek and Francesco Renga)
  • Released: 9 March 2018[31]
  • Label: Warner
 3—

883

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Other works

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  • In 1998, Pezzali dedicated much of his time to writing a book, which explained in detail the inspiration and details of his lyrics. It was titled Stessa storia, stesso posto, stesso bar. During the same year, he starred in the film Jolly Blu along with his old band-mates; the film featured many of 883's biggest hits, while the story-line was centered around the lyrics of selected songs from the band's repertoire.
  • In 2002, he wrote the lyrics and performed the Italian-language version of "I'm Still Here (Jim's Theme)" for the Disney animated film Treasure Planet.
  • On 8 April 2008, he released his first novel, Per prendersi una vita.
  • In 2013, he released an autobiographical novel, I cowboy non mollano mai.
  • He dubbed the Italian take on Jack Taggert in the movie Iron Man 3.[60]

In fiction

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Pezzali is portrayed by Elia Nuzzolo in the 883's biopic series Accidentally Famous (2024–2026).

Awards and nominations

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Year Ceremony Category Work Result
2013 MTV Europe Music Awards Best Italian Act[61] Himself Nominated

References

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  1. ↑ "Max Pezzali al Gff, così sono rinato". Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  2. ↑ "Max Pezzali racconta in un libro la sua storia (e quella degli 883)". Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  3. ↑ Maffioletti, Chiara (6 October 2024). ""Hanno ucciso l'uomo ragno", arriva la serie sugli 883: sogni e inquietudini di una generazione". Corriere della Sera (in Italian).
  4. ↑ "Max Pezzali: "Nei '90 eravamo ingenui, sfigati e un po' borderline, ma idealisti"". Rolling Stone (in Italian). 2021.
  5. ↑ "Max Pezzali compie 55 anni, eccolo esordiente nel 1988". TgCom24 (in Italian). 14 November 2022.
  6. 1 2 "Pezzali: "Sognavo l'Harley 883. La sera andavo in via Niccolini"". Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  7. ↑ Sclaunich, Greta (11 October 2024). "883, cosa c'è dietro al loro successo: la cantina, Cecchetto, il Panino Piccante del Turista, Repetto a Disneyland, l'antidivo Pezzali e "l'immensa provincia italiana"". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  8. 1 2 883 at Allmusic.com
  9. ↑ Max Pezzali in 20 anni 100 premi!
  10. 1 2 "Il Pezzali innamorato: addio 883, ora vedo "il mondo insieme a te"". La Stampa (in Italian). 27 May 2004.
  11. 1 2 Marchesano, Nino (7 December 2004). "La tela musicale di Max l'Uomo Ragno è tornato". la Repubblica (in Italian).
  12. ↑ "Max Pezzali - Tutto Max - la recensione". Rockol. 20 August 2005. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
  13. 1 2 Coratella, Marta (24 May 2007). "Max Pezzali: 'Sempre alla ricerca della canzone'". Rockol (in Italian).
  14. ↑ "Pezzali: l'Italia paese di vecchi". La Stampa (in Italian). 25 May 2007.
  15. ↑ "Pezzali in testa alla hit parade". TgCom24 (in Italian). 4 June 2007.
  16. 1 2 Agliardi, Massimo (20 May 2008). "Max Pezzali: nuovo live..dvd..e tour estivo!". Teatro.it (in Italian).
  17. ↑ "Pezzali: "Papà un po' bambinone"". TgCom24 (in Italian). 21 May 2008.
  18. ↑ Giordano, Paolo (27 May 2008). "Pezzali, l'idolo della porta accanto". Il Giornale (in Italian).
  19. ↑ "X Factor 3: le canzoni della finale". Soundsblog (in Italian). 2 December 2009.
  20. 1 2 Saletta, Rachela (9 February 2011). "Max Pezzali racconta "Il suo secondo tempo" e il ritorno con "Terraferma"". MelodicaMente (in Italian).
  21. ↑ "Il "secondo tempo" di Max". Tgcom24 (in Italian). 8 February 2011.
  22. ↑ Ferrari, Paolo (12 May 2011). "Pezzali: "A Torino i primi provini degli 883, e ora il secondo tempo"". La Stampa (in Italian).
  23. 1 2 "883, riedizione di "Hanno ucciso l'Uomo Ragno" per i 20 dal debutto". Melodicamente (in Italian). Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  24. 1 2 "Max Pezzali, a fine maggio nuovo album". Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  25. ↑ "Gli 883 sono tornati, Max Pezzali festeggia vent'anni di carriera". VareseNews (in Italian). 28 May 2013.
  26. 1 2 "Max Pezzali, fuori oggi il nuovo singolo 'E' venerdì' (l'ascolto di Rockol); a giugno l'album 'Astronave Max'". Rockol (in Italian). 24 April 2015.
  27. ↑ "Max Pezzali nuovo singolo Le canzoni alla radio". Rockol (in Italian). 2 June 2017.
  28. ↑ "Max Pezzali a 105 Mi Casa: "Il feat con Nile Rodgers? Si sono allineati tutti i pianeti!"". Radio 105 (in Italian). 20 June 2017.
  29. 1 2 "Max Pezzali, ecco l'album Le canzoni alla radio: 7 inediti, 1 remix, 30 hit". Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  30. ↑ "Nek, Max Pezzali e Francesco Renga insieme in tour: "Noi tre, Duri da Battere"". Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  31. 1 2 "Max Pezzali, Nek e Francesco Renga: in arrivo l'album. Stasera al Festival con "Strada facendo"". Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  32. ↑ "Max Pezzali, Nek e Renga: "Ora siamo diventati una vera band"". Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  33. 1 2 "Max Pezzali, esce l'album "Qualcosa di nuovo"". Rockol (in Italian). 12 October 2020.
  34. 1 2 "Max Pezzali, arriva il 13 dicembre Max Forever volume 1 - L'album". Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (in Italian). 26 November 2024.
  35. 1 2 "Max Pezzali annuncia "Max Forever Vol.2 - L'album", dal 30 ottobre". Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (in Italian). 22 September 2026.
  36. ↑ "Max Pezzali si separa: matrimonio finito con Martina Marinucci". Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  37. ↑ "Max Pezzali, papà felice: "Hilo mi ha cambiato la vita"". Archived from the original on 6 February 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  38. ↑ Max Pezzali volta pagina con Debora
  39. ↑ "Max Pezzali e il suo nuovo amore: "Lʼha attratta il mio senso dellʼumorismo"". Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  40. ↑ "Max Pezzali: se mi baci, ti "aggancio"". Archived from the original on 25 March 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  41. ↑ "Moto Hit 2# – 883 "Un giorno così"". Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  42. ↑ MAX PEZZALI: "LA MARVEL NON MORIRÀ MAI"
  43. ↑ "Max Pezzali e Zerocalcare al Circolo dei Lettori di Torino". Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  44. ↑ "Max Pezzali: non hanno ucciso l'Uomo Ragno! E neanche Iron Man..." Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  45. ↑ "Max Pezzali: "L'eterna giovinezza di noi pop star"". Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  46. ↑ "I cowboy non-vincono mai". Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  47. ↑ "Max Pezzali: "Io gravemente malato? Ma quando mai..."". Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  48. ↑ "Pezzali e il sogno ricorrente: "Suonare con Springsteen"". Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  49. ↑ "Max Pezzali at dinner with Inter". Corriere della Sera.
  50. 1 2 3 "Discography Max Pezzali (Albums)". italiancharts.com. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  51. 1 2 3 "Discographie Max Pezzali". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  52. ↑ "Le cifre di vendita 2007" (PDF). Musica e dischi.
  53. ↑ "Astronave Max - Max Pezzali". Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  54. ↑ "Qualcosa di nuovo - Max Pezzali". Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  55. ↑ "'Tutto Max', è il titolo della nuova raccolta di Max Pezzali". Rockol (in Italian). 8 June 2005. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
  56. ↑ "Italian certifications – Max Pezzali & 883 – Tutto Max" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
  57. ↑ "Max 20 – Max Pezzali". Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  58. ↑ "Le canzoni alla radio – Max Pezzali". Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  59. ↑ "Max Nek Renga - Il disco". Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
  60. ↑ Arriva "Iron Man 3 ", Max Pezzali è la voce di Villain"
  61. ↑ "MTV EMA: svelate le nomination, in testa Justin Timberlake e Macklemore" (in Italian). Rockol.it. 17 September 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
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