Biography
Damiano was born in Rome, Italy, to flight attendant parents. Due to the nature of his parents' work, he and his brother travelled worldwide from an early age and were introduced to various cultures. Until he was 17, he showed some talent playing basketball as a point guard at the local club Eurobasket Roma. He recalls that the basketball experience gave him fundamental discipline to succeed in his life.
Damiano started singing when he was only six years old. He met Victoria De Angelis, Thomas Raggi and Ethan Torchio, his future band members from Måneskin, during high school days. He studied at the liceo linguistico Eugenio Montale in Rome, but he did not complete high school and instead devoted himself to his music career, for which he also had the support of his parents. When introduced for the position of a vocalist for their local band, he was initially rejected because his style was considered "too pop", but his insistence to be in the band eventually got him accepted. Damiano soon changed his demeanor and style, especially his stage persona, because he learned how to freely express himself, as well as gaining confidence in his sexuality. The band was formed in 2016 and initially played as buskers in the streets of the city of Rome, but in 2017 they soon rose to prominence when they finished second in the eleventh season of the Italian talent show X Factor. The band had a breakthrough debut with the studio album Il ballo della vita and tour in 2018 and 2019. In 2021, their second studio album Teatro d'ira: Vol. I was released.
After their win at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 he was falsely accused of drug use during the final. Damiano and his bandmates have been anti-drug advocates since the beginning. Damiano himself stated in his Vogue Italia interview, "we are not falling into the stereotype of the alcoholic and drugged rock star". He believes that creativity comes from a "healthy, trained and lucid" mind and it is contradicting trying to truly express "our own self by binding ourselves to something that instead makes us dependent, slaves", also referring to the 27 Club.
