Artist from Pisa, born in ’96, he is a singer-songwriter, writer and actor. After high school, he enrolled at the “Oltrarno” Acting Academy in Florence, directed by Pierfrancesco Favino and later graduated in Contemporary History at the University of Pisa. Music arrives in middle school, but it was during the three years in Florence that Toscano picked up the guitar and began writing his songs with a different awareness. In 2018 he made his cinema debut as the protagonist in Paolo Virzì’s film “Notti Magiche”, presented at the Rome film festival and this successful experience was followed by participation in the first two seasons of the Rai1 tv drama “Studio Battaglia” and a role in “Romantiche”, a film by Pilar Fogliati with the screenplay by Giovanni Veronesi. He alternates between music and his other artistic passions; he shoots documentaries and writes screenplays.
His debut novel, “Il guinzaglio”, published by Fandango, was released on May, 6th 2021. It explores many themes such as insecurities, melancholy, thoughts and great loves and which was selected for “Guarda che storia”, within the Torino Film Industry programme. He also directed the short film “Seconde case”, with which he won the Special Mention at the Benevento Film and Television Festival 2024. As a traveller, in constant search of sounds and stories, he writes about his generation, constantly seeking new influences.
He loves Italian songwriting whose influences can be felt (Battisti, Tenco, Dalla, De Gregori, Fossati) and the international one (Nick Mulvey, Andy Shouf and Devendra Banhart). Last but not least, we can also find references to the South American sounds of the 70s (Toquinho and Vinicius de Moraes, Jobim and Regina). In the summer of 2022, his first singles “Stasera” and “Amore Mio” were released, and then he opened the concerts of Carmen Consoli, Max Gazzé and Daniele Silvestri. In March 2023 his first work “Arrogantissimo” was released, preceded by the single “Giornataccia”, which kicks off his journey in music, living in contrasts: images and words, nature and city, meetings and farewells, poetry and madness. In the summer of 2023 Giovanni Toscano brings his debut album live throughout Italy with his first real tour and releases the song “Spaghetti Gipsy”, returning live in the summer of 2024.
In January 2025 he lauched the project “Un posto migliore – the vodcast”, the first vodcast in Italy that previews the songs from an upcoming album. Giovanni together with a group of friends, as in a sort of modern Decameron, discusses various issues related to everyday life, writing and today’s society, up to listening to the songs contained in his album which comes out on March 21st. “Un posto migliore” is also his new album, preceded by the singles “Piccolo Tornado” and “Grazie”, previewed live at Milan Music Week 2024. Scratched voice, played music, intimate lyrics, Giovanni Toscano’s songs cast their gaze on a melancholy generation that wants to remain free.
