Vasco Rossi, also known simply as Vasco or with the nickname Blasco, is an Italian singer-songwriter.
Self-defined "provocateur", he is considered one of the best singer-songwriters and one of the most representative artists of Italian music. Since the beginning of his career in 1977, he has released 34 albums, including 18 studio albums, 11 live albums and 7 official collections, as well as two EPs and an audiovisual work; he has composed a total of 192 songs, as well as numerous lyrics and music for other performers. He has sold over 40 million records and is since the early eighties one of the most successful Italian artists. It is also the first Italian artist by number of albums sold in the decade from 2010 to 2019. In particular, his albums Vivere o niente and Sono innocente have earned the first place in the charts of the best-selling albums in Italy respectively of 2011 and 2014. It also holds the records of having been first in the charts of the best-selling albums in Italy in five different decades, since the album Siamo qui reached the top of the charts in 2021 and being the artist with more albums certified by FIMI.
In the eighties, his lifestyle was characterized by alcohol, drugs, women and constant hectic tours, which brought him closer to the stereotype of a rock star who became an icon.
In his career he has performed in more than 800 concerts gathering a total of over 13 million fans and holds the world record for paying spectators at a solo concert (225 173 at Modena Park 2017), as well as many other national records.
He is credited for creating an original rock model: his songs also deal with social and political issues and are characterized by a singular expressive style, which has also influenced the spoken language.
His work has earned him numerous awards, including the National Prize of «Il Paroliere» for the song Ogni volta in 1982, the Targa Tenco for the best album 1998 with Canzoni per me, the Premio Lunezia, as a Rock Poet (awarded by Fernanda Pivano), for the literary value of the text of the song Quanti anni hai in 1999, the silver ribbon to the best original song for A sense and the honorary degree in Communication Sciences at IULM in Milan in 2005, the Fernanda Pivano Prize in 2006, the Golden Neptune and the Tenco Prize for career in 2020, the Lupa capitolina in 2022, the Pergamena della città di Milano and the XV Premio del Vittoriale in 2024.