Jack Savoretti (born October 10th, 1983) is an Italian-British singer. Born in Genoa, Italy and raised in London, he toured Europe to end up living in Lugano, on the border between Italy and Switzerland.
In his teen years he began to write poetry until, at age of 16, his mother gave him a guitar and suggested him to put music to his poems. It was at this point that, in his own words, when he realized that a lot more people will listen to you when you’re singing when simply reciting a poem. Thereafter, he continued to write all the time. “It became almost a way of conversation, it was my way of interacting with the world,” he said.
In 2005, at 22, he did two duets with the British artist Shelly Poole, titled “Anyday Now” and “Hope”, both included in the Poole’s album “Hard time for the Dreamer” and in October 2006 presented its first single “Without”. The video for the song was shot in Mallorca, under the direction of Oscar nominee Bobby Garabedian. The single reached number 90 in the UK Singles Chart, and also entered the B-List of BBC Radio 2.
“Between the Minds”, his first album
His second single, “Dreamers” was not as successful as the first, but it was enough to draw the attention of singer Corinne Bailey Rae, who invited Jack Savoretti to join her European tour.
The release of his first album, “Between the Minds” had the support of BBC Radio 2, which declared it “Album of the Week” and debuted at number 5 on the UK indie charts. The following year, Jack embarked on his first mini-solo UK tour, allowing him to reissue the album including “unplugged” versions of some of his songs, plus three new songs and a live version of “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash.
Several songs from this album were included in some episodes of successful television series such as “One Tree Hill”, “The Closer” and “Sons of Anarchy”. His contact with the world of television has not ended there, and his songs have been played in recent years in series as “Grey’s Anatomy”, “The Mysteries of Laura”, “The Vampire Diaries”, “Greek” or “Sons of Anarchy”.
Shortly after the album’s release, Jack begins a European tour with the American singer-songwriter Gavin De Graw. Coinciding with this tour, “Between the Minds” is released on iTunes in Europe.
Harder than Easy and difficult moment in music
The second album, “Harder than Easy” saw the light in the United States in September 2009 with “Him & Her” theme launched through gigwise.com (download platform) to promote his new work.
This disc is also supported by the film and television. The song “One Day” written specifically for the film “Post Grad,” released in late 2009. A “One Day” music video featuring “Post Grad” footage was released.
In 2011, the artist decided to abandon the world of music. As he himself admits, “I had had enough living life as an independent artist.” He was tired of disputes and to be the eternal promise. He had argued with his record company by differences in the way of doing things, got 26 years old, he had just married and also he was expecting a baby. “I decided it was time to get a good job.”
About to leave … and then came “Before the Storm”
However, what happened was just the opposite. From the moment he said “forget it!”, he couldn’t stop writing. “I wrote them in anger, but the songs were more like a cry for the help,” he says. And so it was born “Before the Storm” the most personal record he had done so far. “I realized that I had learned how to write and how to express exactly what I had in my head,” he said.
The album was hailed by critics and was the major turning point in his career.
Written in the Scars, consolidation
“Before the Storm” re-ignited Savoretti’s passion for songwriting, taught him how to put himself in his songs and, crucially, led him to the musicians who helped him helm “Written in Scars” — his fourth album and his first to be released by a major label, BMG Chrysalis, with whom he signed in 2014. Many of the songs on the album were co-written with Samuel Dixon and Matt Benbrook. The track “Wasted” featured Lissie and a deluxe version contained three acoustic tracks.
The singles “Tie Me Down”, “Home” and “The Other Side of Love” were playlisted and championed by BBC Radio 2, where Savoretti appeared as a guest on the shows of Dermot O’Leary, Chris Evans and Richard Madeley. Savoretti also appeared on BBC One’s The One Show on 20 February 2015 to perform his single “Home”.
The official video for “Home” was filmed during a football match at the stadium of Genoa, Jack’s hometown.
The last single from this album is “Back Where I Belong”.
Written in Scars was released on 9 February 2015 on BMG Chrysalis. The album peaked in the official UK Albums Chart at number 13 on 15 February 2015. BBC Radio 2 made “Written in Scars” their Album of the Week on 1 February 2015.
With “Written in the Scars”, the artist has just reached platinum status in the UK.
His influences
The main engine of this album is rhythm. Everything turns around it, around percussions and bass. “The sound is the key and it came before the songs or themes that it speaks about. This totally changed the way I had written until then, leaving the structure to be much more flexible, almost circular”, says Jack.
The artist has acknowledged the musical influences of the of his family’s past. His mother listened to The Eagles, Crosby Still & Nash and Motown. His father listened mostly Italian music of the ’60s and’ 70s. He had always acknowledged that influences but for the first time, all of them have been spotted in his new songs. His past emerges in this rich album in warm textures and a disturbing atmosphere. The Spanish guitar is present in some songs, and also melancholy piano and other folk sounds. At the same time, the percussion gives all the topics in a fast pace and rough, passionate voice gives them the strength that characterizes the entire disk.
More information on his official website.