by Anthony Parente

Romina, thank you for taking the time to be interviewed for the Web site Italiansrus.com. Romina's career started at a very young age when she was a member of the Mickey Mouse club and toured throughout Europe. It took an unfortunate turn when she was attacked and had her vocal chords severed at the age of 16. Perseverance, determination and her love for music gave her the strength to recover and continue to do what she loves most.

Where you were born and raised?
First of all I would like to take a moment to thank you Anthony for your PRECIOUS TIME and energies. I also would love to thank all of my fans who have been so wonderful to me during the last 8 years here in US.I love my people and I am so happy to know that the ITALIAN AMERICANS in this Country are so close with each other. This moves me to tears. I was born in Sicily. But my father was Roman and my mom is Sicilian. I spent a lot of time in both places and even though the whole world goes to Rome when it comes to an Italian vacation I also would love to invite my fans and everyone else to go to visit the beautiful SICILIA...I call it the HAWAII of Italy with its beautiful green emerald water, it's smells and colors and all the magnificent history to discover through our churches, museums and more.

What was life like growing up in an Italian family?
Unfortunately even though it sounds a little strange I grew up only with my mom that still today is the most important person to me. I love her so deeply and the reason why I am here in America and I had this great success and the reason why I am still alive is because of her. She has taught me so much about life. I didn't have a normal life like every kid in the world as by the age of four years old I was already touring and I was a mousketteer for the Mickey Mouse club for Disney. I wanted to play with barbies but I was almost forced to make it in the show biz, because of my mom's dreams. Today though I thank her so much as I would die without music. However growing up in Sicily was fantastic. I would wake up every morning (when not on tour) and go swimming in the beautiful Mediterranean sea and then catch fish with my own hands...what a great memory!

Who encouraged you the most to pursue music?
Again as I have said before my mother has always been the vibration of my life. My father left me when I was only three years old and I felt even though I was only a child a great deal of emptiness. Music was always there for me. I was so fascinated by it that my mom took me to an audition for Disney and then the rest is history.

At age 5 you were touring with the Mickey Mouse Club all over Europe. What was that experience like? What did you learn from this?
I loved it! I had the opportunity to travel all over and got to know places I have only heard about from the school books. France, Spain, Germany and then Australia! and the most important thing that I am really thankful about is that I had the chance to learn 6 languages fluently by the age of 13 years old, because I was forced to talk in another tongue, considering all the children of the Mickey Mouse club were all from other Countries. I have learned how to dance, sing and host shows too and I WAS STILL A CHILD!

When did you first realize that this is what you wanted to do?
When I was five years old my mom decided to buy me a white grand piano for my birthday. I never up to that point ever imagined I would have learned how to play the piano but I started hitting those notes naturally, like the most natural thing in the world. Like I belonged to that instrument and I was a cord...a note too! I knew also that my father was gone for good and music was the only thing that would make me smile and feel loved...and free that's when I knew it was going to be the most important factor in my life.

Where did you study music?
I started studying piano and violin lessons when I was seven years old. But I was classically trained by Elizabeth Sabine major voice teacher in Italy from UK and then I had the opportunity to study at LA SCALA theatre in Milan with a few vocal coaches who thought me everything I could possibly learn about opera. This gave me the foundation for the type of music that I do today called POP OPERA a blend between the two genres