With his thousand voices, the imitator triumphed on the Canale 5 show: “Now I want to take my mom on a cruise”
Solange Savagnone
December 3, 2022 at 08:11
In the final of “You are worth it”won with 39% of votes. Marco Mingardi54 years old from Nettuno (Rome), with his incredible imitations of famous singers has defeated the competition.
Mark, tell the truth. Did she expect him to win? There were some amazing talents competing this year.
“Absolutely no. I expected to make a good impression and to convey what is in my heart. I think I succeeded, maybe that’s why I won”.
The incredible thing is that you entered the final after a repechage.
“Someone gave me some help from up there. I think of all the people who are no longer here, like my father Alessandro who I lost in an accident when I was 9 and who left me with a huge void. But I always feel the presence of him next to me ».
In the final, Maria De Filippi appreciated her change from her first performances. You found her less haughty and more in control of the stage. What happened to her?
“I looked at myself many times and she was right. It wasn’t me, I was too busy. Before performing I waited a long time and the tension was very high, so when it was my turn I wanted to rock everything. But I exaggerated. And I also disliked myself. I’m not like that and I apologize to everyone. The critiques of the judges helped me. I want to keep improving and learning. Now what I have always dreamed of is happening: people understand what I want to communicate when I sing».
Did you sign up for the castings?
«No, it was a friend of my mom who followed me on my YouTube channel. One day, I hadn’t seen her for 18 years, she called me saying that she saw a beautiful light in me when I sang and that according to her I should sign up for a talent show. So she thought about it…».
Weren’t you interested in TV?
«Since 2020 I have experienced a difficult period during which I questioned myself. In full lockdown I was delivering pizzas. Then I did a few evenings and until this summer I worked as a waiter in Anzio (Rome), in my friend Bruno’s restaurant, whom I thank for the opportunity he gave me. Thank goodness today I can go shopping, I live with my mother Stefania, I am separated and have two children, Alessandra (19) and Alessandro (11), who I named after my father”.
But now he has won 100,000 euros in gold tokens. What will he do with it?
«First of all I want to take mum on a cruise: it was her dream and that of her second husband, who acted as my father and passed away three years ago. In addition, I have to think about my children and make them feel good. I would also like to help some disabled children here in my area who need a particular machine. And then I want to buy the car that my dad had, a Citroën DS from the 70s. I’ll also invest in my work and I’m going to eat pizza with relatives and friends, obviously in Bruno’s restaurant and his partner Mariagrazia».
Let’s go back to his talent. Was he born there or did he grow it?
“I inherited it from mom. As a child she sang me the songs of Gabriella Ferri and passed on to me the love of music. She too has always had a beautiful voice, but she was shy, while I have a lot of chutzpah. Performing in front of people has always energized me. I sang in tourist villages and I even won an episode of Fiorello’s “Karaoke” in 1991».
How did this gift of his manifest itself for the first time?
“On the road with the baseball team, about 15 years old. I did impersonations using the driver’s radio, I called his colleagues and pretended to be a famous actor or singer, or I played the sax, being also a noise player. I started by imitating Adriano Celentano, like everyone else, and now I’ve come to imitate 32 singers».
How did you hone your technique?
«I have been studying the characters to imitate for more than 22 years, from mimicry to timbre. I sing in their original key and get there with the technique, using the diaphragm. It’s hard work that takes years. I’m self-taught, but it helps me to have taken singing lessons».
Have you ever thought about singing with your own voice?
“I’m thinking about it. I’d like to record a single. I love melodic music. Maybe one day I could go to Sanremo!».
She has no shortage of dreams…
«You must always have a goal in life, whether it is just to get up in the morning or go shopping».
Now what’s his?
«Having a coffee with Maria De Filippi. I haven’t had a chance to thank her and hug her yet.”
