Biography

Matteo Setti was born in Reggio Emilia, Italy on the 17th of August, 1972. He spent his adolescence listening to records belonging to his father (a singer and musician in the 60’s) and especially legendary Italian singer-songwriters and performers such as Francesco Guccini, Fabrizio De Andrè, Gino Paoli, Mia Martini and Mina. His immense admiration for Freddy Mercury kindled his passion for singing.
1996: Matteo forms Trio Aranda, a band composed of musicians playing a variety of instruments, which re-interpreted international hits from the 70’s.
1997: Matteo fronts Radiogaga, a Queen tribute band which performs the band’s  historic “Live at Wembley ‘86” concert in its entirely.
1999: Matt Land (Matteo’s stage name for the Japanese dance music market) joins Dave Rodgers’ Japanese label, recording no less than 38 singles by 2007, six of which for the Walt Disney Records label.  His pop-soul vibe wins over the Japanese public (more than 300,000 copies sold of his first two singles).  Matt Land’s live debut on stage in Tokyo is during a show in which legendary band Dead Or Alive also perform.
2001: Matteo’s theatrical debut comes with the American musical Rent by Jonathan Larson, produced in Italy by Luciano Pavarotti and his wife Nicoletta Mantovani. Matteo is originally cast in a supporting role as Paul, but stars as Roger during the following season, during which the tour takes the cast to Italy’s most important theaters.

Together with Skin, lead singer of Skunk Anansie, Matteo performs in the video for "Seasons of Love" by the legendary Stevie Wonder.
2002: Matteo is among the soloists on the album "The Book Of Dreams" by Mangala Vallis, a progressive rock band from his hometown of Reggio Emilia. The international press appreciate the entire project and compare Matteo’s voice to that of Peter Gabriel.  At the Teatro Sistina in Roma and the Teatro Smeraldo in Milan, Matteo appears on stage with Italian band I Nomadi for the debut of their album "Liberi di Volare".
The 14th of March proves to be an important date for Matteo.  It marks the Italian debut of "Notre Dame de Paris" (music by Riccardo Cocciante, original lyrics by Luc Plamondon, Italian lyrics by Pasquale Panella, produced by David Zard) the theatrical musical-opera in which Matteo plays the poet Gringoire.  The show tours every corner of Italy for two consecutive years, seen and applauded by more than 2,500,000 spectators, concluding in Verona’s breathtaking Arena, a veritable shrine to music of all types.  The official DVD of the show is recorded at the Arena.  The soundtrack is released in two editions: the music performed in a studio, and the Matteo’s breathtaking live singles "Moon" and "The Age of the Cathedrals”.
2005: Matteo’s first maxi-single is released.  Called "Angelo e Diavolo", it is presented at Reggio Emilia’s prestigious Teatro Municipale Valli.

2006: Matteo participates in the recording of the album "Tributo ad Alex Baroni" (a tribute to the late Italian singer, who had died in an accident in 2002) in which he performs Baroni‘s "La Voce Della Luna".
2007: Matteo’s introduction to director Marco Caronna leads to the production of La Bottega delle Parole Usate (The Used Words Shop). The piece tells the story of a radio disc jockey who decides that the night in question will be the last in which he will be heard on the air.  Matteo’s voice and the cast of supporting musicians bring the d.j’s final record choices alive onstage.
2008: "Anime Sciarre" is the title of a recording promoted and sold during the new tour of "Notre Dame de Paris". It contains eleven songs, six of which are previously unreleased, ranging from classical to world music.
2009: Matteo appears in a musical fable "La Variante di Luneburg" (“The Luneburg Variant“), based on the novel of the same name by Paolo Maurensig and produced by Artisti Associati.

2010: "Ama la maschera" (“Love the Mask”) is the name given to the project which aims to bring together the various aspects of Matteo’s artistic endeavors, under which a great number of seminars are organized throughout Italy for both amateur and professional singers.
July 12th : Matteo debuts in the role of Giacomo Casanova in the musical comedy "Casanova, Amori ed Inganni a Venezia" (“Casanova, Love and Intrigue in Venice“), written by Daniele Martini and produced by Pierre Cardin, which is eventually staged in Paris at the Espace Cardin where it is enthusiastically received by the public.  In the months to follow performances are planned in Greece, Russia and the United States.
2011: Matteo’s artistic curiosity compels him to explore diverse musical terrain through a variety of wide ranging yet important collaborations: he becomes a composer and songwriter in addition to a performing artist of pieces dedicated to the animated cartoon “Spike Team” created and produced by Andrea Lucchetta, the world champion volleyball player, and broadcast on Italy’s RaiDue television network.
May 1st: Matteo performs the song "Non abbiate paura" (Don‘t Be Afraid) (by Giorgio Mantovan and Francesco Fiumanò, published by Raimoon and Nazionale Cantanti, arranged and directed by maestro Adriano Pennino), inspired by Pope John Paul II, which debuts during the ceremony celebrating Pope John Paul’s beatification. The music video is directed by the esteemed director Gjon Kolndrekaj.
As of the Fall Semester of this year he is part of the teaching staff of the “Sanremo Academy”, under the artistic direction of Ermanno Croce, teaching singing and musical interpretation. For years Matteo, together with neonatologist Claudio De Felice and his daughter Laura (degree in Communication Sciences at the University of Siena with honors with a score of 110 and special mention and recommendation for publication) has explored the boundary between art and science to assist individuals with Rett Syndrome (a rare genetic form of autism which almost exclusively affects females).  See the Social Initiatives page for additional information.

Several scientific articles published about Rett Syndrome by Dr. Claudio De Felice’s team in prestigious international peer-reviewed journals such as  "Free Radicals in Biology and Medicine" (2009), "Chest" (2010), "Clinical biochemistry" (2011), "Clinica Chimica Acta" (2011) have been dedicated to Matteo.

Matteo's new important soloist music project will be released at the end of this year. Live premiere performance for its first single "La mia libertà" ("My freedom") released from Monday, 5th December 2011.