Tiziano Ferro

This young Italian from the outskirts of Rome went to college for engineering and communications but he was clearly just biding his time until a record deal showed up. After two years of grooming by industry executives and EMI, Ferro released 2001's Rosso Relativo in Italy to huge success. Two years later the album was repackaged (and re-recorded in Spanish) and released to the lucrative Latin American market as Rojo Relativo. "Alucinado" was a huge hit, and 111 Ciento Once was released in 2004, spawing the hit "Tardes Negras."