Antonella Vizzini is no stranger to the world of music. The 46-year old Torontonian started singing at the bright young age of three. By the time she was 16, she was singing professionally.
Over the decades she has performed with a variety of artists in the Greater Toronto Area and the Niagara Region. Her versatility has allowed her to perform at numerous private and public functions. She has even performed the National Anthem for the Toronto FC and the Toronto Rock at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre. She often sings in Italian and Spanish. Her range covers a variety of different genres like pop, jazz and classical.
When her son – now 18 years old – was diagnosed as autistic at the age of two, Vizzini decided to quit her full time job to take care of her son. Music therapy was a big part of their daily routine.
“I’m mom first, and then I try to fit in my music,” Vizzini explains.
“Music is my ‘me’ time. And live music is my creative outlet. When COVID hit and we had no more live shows, it was a personal hit,” she admits.
With the possibility of a long COVID-19 lockdown on the horizon, Vizzini decided it was finally time to head into the studio to do what she always wanted to do – record an album.
The first step of her creative process was to listen to various versions of her favourite Italian-language songs to choose which direction she would take.
“It was an easy decision to go back to my roots and sing what I love. These songs are so beautiful to me. I’ve been singing them all my professional life,” Vizzini explains.
Over the winter months of 2020, Vizzini and her team took their time putting the album together, always mindful of COVID-19 safety rules.
My Italian Romance was released in May. The album features covers of seven popular Italian songs, including “L’appuntamento,” “Tu si na cosa grande” and “Parole Parole Parole.”
Last month, Vizzini premiered the music video for her version of Lucio Battisti’s “E penso a te.”
The single is Vizzini’s favorite song on the album.
“I love this song because of how it came together. There’s that thing that happens, its magical. My vocals that day were spot on. The musicians all did their thing. And it came together beautifully,” she adds.
Vizzini admits that she is now addicted to the recording studio and is already contemplating a second album featuring originals.
In the meantime, she is looking forward to returning to the live stage.
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