by Anthony Parente

Italian Signorina Giada Valenti Buy This CD

Producer Sonny Grosso and musical director Phil Ramone selected you for a role in the upcoming Broadway musical based on the life of Mario Lanza. Did you ever imagine performing in a Broadway musical? Do you see yourself performing in future musicals?
No. I would have never imagined that. It happened to me, and honestly in the beginning I was even not sure that I would like it. You know you have to do the same thing every night for many months! But now that we have started rehearsals, I'm so happy to be a part of this project. It is a great project! I'm working with a group of really great actors and singers, and having Phil Ramone as musical director is something incredible. He is such a humble guy and truly a genius man. It is a great opportunity for a unique experience and me. To be chosen by Sonny Gross is such an honor. Sonny is truly one of the sweetest people I've ever met. He knows so much about the industry and his wise advice is so important and helpful to me. I am blessed to know him and to have him as my co-manager. You ask me if I see my self in other musicals? Well, let me do this one and then I'll let you know! But I think I will. And now that I'm acting more and more, in the future I think I would like to have a role in a movie or a TV Series. I love to act. It was my second passion after singing. I would love to have a role in a comedy. I love to laugh and make people laugh!!

Is there any singer you try to model yourself after?
No, not to model after, but there are certainly a few that I really admire a lot. I love Madonna for her genius way of reinventing herself each and every time. I love Celine Dion for her incredible voice and the sweetness that she shows to her audiences in her interviews. I adore Frank Sinatra: the voice of voices, and Barbra Streisand, the female artist of the century. Well, I even like artists such as Jennifer Lopez; a beautiful woman that is not the best in anything, but she's such a trooper that she became great in everything. To make it I think an artist needs talent but also a good character and a will to succeed no matter what!!! As an artist they often say that I'm a female Michael Buble. Well I love him as a great singer and like me, he enjoys entertaining his audience, with nice conversations in between the songs and some fun here and there. If I go to a concert I want to be entertained. If I only what to listen to someone singing then I play a CD at home!!

Are there any projects that you are currently working on?
I'm already working on my new CD. This one will be ready in the spring 2006.This one will be a full length CD, with at least 12 songs. I'm in the process of selecting the songs right now. It will be a collection of Italian American and Neapolitan songs. Songs by Dean Martin, Perry Como, Al Martino, Jerry Vale, Vic Damone and Rosemary Clooney. I will present them of course in my own way, with a touch of Latin and Classic Jazz. Hopefully I will record them with a big band and string orchestra. It has always been my dream to bring back to life all those songs that where so close to my grandparents. Those melodies are timeless and appeal to people young and old. And of course I'm also working on my own new shows. It will be a virtual tour to Italy with the help of those beautiful songs and I will invite my audience into my life, sharing with me some of my best memories.

If you could do a duet with any singer in the world who would it be?
Choosing one is almost impossible! I would love to sing with Tony Bennett. He is a living legend. Or Rod Steward…another living legend.

What words of advice do you have for aspiring singers and songwriters?
From my own experience I can only tell them to believe in themselves. Even if you are different, like me, don't try to follow the trend. Be yourself. I would also tell them to find a great manager, a great agent and some great people that believe in you. Don't ever change them! This business is tough, and there are many out there who will tell you that you are great even when you are not. You need to create a team around you that you can trust. And don't change them for some big shot name manager. I will repeat myself here: create a team around you and stick with them. You don't need name managers, you need a manager that loves what you do and that you can trust. Be honest with people. Don't ever forget that you are an artist because you are blessed with a gift given to you by God. And if you become a successful artist it is not because of you, but because your audience loves you. It may sound strange, but I've met many artists who became arrogant and selfish once they became famous. Keep learning and improving. My first singing teacher once told me, when I didn't want to learn something because I thought I was already good at it: “if you think you've arrived, you're history!!!” And last but not least; sing because you love it! The money will come. Don't try to become an artist because of the fame and the money. You will be so disappointed and you will fail. There are more bad moments and no money than glitter and glamour and luxurious things. To achieve those things you have to work very hard. If you are not moved by true passion for music you will fail and quit before you can achieve it. But if you have the passion, do as Winston Churchill said once to people who were asking him the secret of his success: Never never never never never never give up!!!!

You can listen to some of Giada's songs from her CD "Italian Signorina" and find out where she will be preforming by visiting her Official Web Site.

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