Paolo Nutini biography
Scottish/Italian singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini has one of the most impressive CVs in music, despite being in his early 20s. Having opened for The Rolling Stones and even Led Zeppelin, his ability to write charming and honest foot-tapping tunes has seen his first two albums do well on both sides of the Atlantic, and he remains one of the brightest young stars in British music today.
Growing up
Despite his Italian name, Paolo Giovanni Nutini's family have lived in Paisley in Scotland for at least four generations, and his parents still run the same fish and chip shop that Paolo's great-granddad opened.
His parents always expected that Paolo (who was born on the 9 January 1987) hwould follow them into running the fish and chip shop one day, but he took singing lessons as he was growing up and it was his granddad who first got him into music in a big way - introducing him to local folk songs, and then a variety of different kinds of styles.
One of his teachers at school, the St. Andrews Academy, picked up Paolo's fantastic songwriting abilities and pushed him to think about music as a serious career choice. It eventually led to the young man quitting school to work as a roadie for the band Speedway, and working at the Park Lane Studio in Glasgow. It was around this time that Paolo also started performing live himself and he spent 3 years learning the music business.
Big break
The turning point in Paolo's early career is now famous - at the beginning of 2003, a radio station in was running a homecoming concert for David Sneddon in Paisley. However, the Fame Academy winner was delayed and Paolo won an unplanned competition to play in his place until he arrived. One of the members of the audience was so impressed that he offered to become Paolo's manager, and he is still one of his managers today.
Gig upon gig followed, and after a journalist spotted him at one show, Paolo was asked to perform on BBC Radio Scotland. Not long afterwards, when Paolo was 17, the young singer-songwriter moved down South to London, and could often be seen performing at the Bedford pub in Balham. Slots supporting the likes of Amy Winehouse and KT Tunstall were offered to Paolo, and it was clear that his star was on the rise, incredibly fast.
These Streets
Just after he turned 18, Paolo made his first demo and he was signed to Atlantic Records. In May 2006, Nutini's first single These Streets was released as a free download, and he followed it up in July with his first proper single 'Last Request,' which made it into the top five.
A few weeks later, the album These Streets hit shops and Paolo was immediately hailed as one of the biggest young hopes in British music. His humble charm and scruffy good looks earned him legions of fans, but the music press were quick to recognise his considerable talents as a songwriter genuinely in touch with his emotions (many of which were drawn from experiences with his girlfriend and an encounter with an older lady), and able to tell engaging, simple stories through song. Various festival appearances and a heavy period of gigging followed including support slots for The Rolling Stones, before the singles 'Jenny Don't Be Hasty' and 'Rewind' came out before the end of 2006. On New Year's Eve, Paolo performed in the Great Hall at Edinburgh Castle.
Live performances
Nutini managed to keep up the momentum throughout 2007, having catapulted into the national consciousness very rapidly - he was in the lucky position of having fans from the worlds of both rock and pop music. Paolo received criticism from some Celtic football fans after he came on stage in April allegedly drunk to celebrate the team's title win, though he has always denied this rumour. With the summer came a set on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, a performance at Wembley Stadium as part of Live Earth, and a slot at T in the Park. But surely the highlight of 2007 was the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert at London's O2 Arena, which was to honour the life of the man who had first signed Paolo. It also featured the first full live concert performance from Led Zeppelin in 27 years.
Sunny Side Up
After the honest emotional reflections on youth on which his first album was based, record number two was always going to be a challenge for Paolo Nutini, but at he put together another fantastically successful collection of songs. The self-produced Sunny Side Up was released on June 1 2009.
Moving on from the more simple structures and subjects of the first record, Paolo managed to incorporate a variety of musical styles, from US pop and funk or soul, blues, reggae and even country to create a truly unique record that left many reviewers somewhat lukewarm. However, the chart numbers spoke for themselves; the album debuted at number one in the UK, and in February 2010 it was awarded the Best International Album prize at the Meteor Awards. It has spawned the singles 'Candy,' 'Coming Up Easy,' 'Pencil Full of Lead' and '10/10.'
After a world tour with the album, Paolo went on a major world tour in 2010, including a stop at the V Festival in August – and his touring continued into 2011, including performances at the Benicassim, Latitude and Glastonbury festivals.