Italian Super-Diva Mina Still Going Strong at 84
Known as the queen of Italian pop, Mina has sold over 150 million records worldwide and remains a music legend who’s been captivating fans since the ’60s. Her new album, Gassa d’Amante, drops on November 22, and its title — named after an essential sailing knot — represents the solid and yet easily untangled nature of love. Just like the knot, the album explores the twists and turns of love in all of its beauty and complexity. At 84, Mina is still going strong, and she’s as iconic as ever.
Mina, born Mina Anna Mazzini, is one of the most adored pop stars in Italy. She is a cult figure who can be compared to Liza Minelli and Bette Midler; a musical diva who is as great a superstar to the Italians as Lady Gaga or Taylor Swift today. Like a 21st century Greta Garbo, she lives in exile in Lugano, Switzerland, where she moved in 1966. She has not performed in a concert since 1978, even though she continues to record albums.
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Luca Josi, a journalist-turned-entrepreneur who worked as director of brand strategy and multimedia entertainment of Telecom Italia, worked with the singer on an innovative communications campaign for five years. “Mina,” he says, “is the beacon in the night that every brand dreams of being illuminated by. I was lucky enough to work on her music for five years — those years flew by, and they’ll always be timeless.”
“She sings the singable,” adds Gino Castaldo, music critic for La Repubblica, told The Hollywood Reporter Roma.
Between 1959 and 1969, Mina starred in 13 “musicarelli” films — those popular Italian musicals where pop stars would break into song mid-movie. One of her co-stars was none other than jazz legend Chet Baker in Urlatori alla sbarra.
Giuseppe Tornatore, the director behind Cinema Paradiso, reminisced about Mina’s musicarelli films with real passion, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter Roma: “The audience would sing along with the characters on screen. I had unforgettable moments watching the crowd sing in sync with the singers.” But Mina herself wasn’t a fan of those campy films. She once said, “If I had to ditch any of them, I’d throw them all away.”
Although she has never looked back at those days in cinema, Mina’s voice continues to echo through some of the biggest films in history. Her songs have graced the soundtracks of 109 movies worldwide, from classic Italian comedies like La voglia matta and Sapore di mare, to works by acclaimed directors like Michelangelo Antonioni (L’eclisse), Bernardo Bertolucci (Strategia del ragno), and Gabriele Salvatores (Io non ho paura). But it’s not just Italian cinema — Mina’s voice has even made its way into Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas (“Il cielo in una stanza” from her 1960 album of the same name).
Turkish-Italian director Ferzan Ozpetek, one of Italy’s most celebrated filmmakers, has used Mina’s songs in several of his films (La finestra di fronte, La dea fortuna). He’s got a special creative bond with her: “Mina is essential to my work,” Ozpetek tells THR Roma. “Whether it’s a script or a novel, she’s the first person I turn to. She always offers a fresh perspective and sees things others miss. For me, she represents a revolution in feelings, art and much more. I’ve loved her since I was young — her original style, her rebellious spirit, and of course, her unique voice. I owe her a lot and will always be grateful.”
Even legendary director Lina Wertmüller, who wrote the lyrics for Mina’s 1966 hit “Mi sei scoppiato dentro al cuore” among others, reportedly said she always had a deep admiration for Mina: “As a director, I often thought about her. She’s one of a kind.”
Federico Fellini was absolutely smitten with Mina’s talent, once saying: “Mina has the face of the moon. Her eyes are sweet yet cruel. Her mouth calls comets down from the sky with a single whistle.” He even thought about casting her as Gradisca, the embodiment of female desire in Amarcord, dreaming of having her on his set.
In 1958, at just 18 years of age, Mina got up on stage at the Bussola club in Forte dei Marmi, microphone in hand, just for fun. Within moments, she was signed by a manager, and that was the start of her unstoppable rise. Less than three years later, Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci wrote: “Who is this girl who, in less than two years, has become a kind of myth to Italians young and old, rich and poor, fools and intellectuals, communists and Catholics? In one week, she’s on the cover of six major magazines, and if you say you’ve never seen her sing, they treat you like an ignoramus, a traitor, or a fool!”
It was around this time that Paul McCartney wrote to her, calling her version of “Michelle” the best non-English cover he had ever heard, while Alfred Hitchcock once told reporters: “I’d love to have Mina sing in one of my films.”
Mina’s success is due not just to her unparalleled voice but to her striking presence. With her athletic swimmer’s body (she was a competitive swimmer in her youth), her luminous face, her eyes drawn with sharp ink lines, and her rebellious spirit — complete with a laugh that’s instantly recognizable — she became a pop icon before the term even existed. Andy Warhol summed her up in the ’70s: “She was a born actress, a symbol of technological civilization, a lunar ghost, aggressive and a bit pop.”
Over the years, Mina has reinvented herself countless times: a bodybuilder, a bald alien, a bearded diva, a Renaissance Madonna and an 18th-century lady. Whether she was drawing on influences from Botero, Picasso, Walt Disney or Mapplethorpe, Mina was always ahead of the curve, always transforming herself.
Among all the media she conquered, she had a special love for radio. From 1960 to the ’90s, she hosted her own shows and introduced Italians to all kinds of music, from Brazilian to jazz to American pop like James Taylor and Blood, Sweat & Tears.
But what truly made her a multi-media phenomenon was her extraordinary presence on television. Between 1959 and 1974, Mina revolutionized Italian variety shows, borrowing from American trends with minimalist, spacious studio sets that highlighted the performers’ bodies. Mina also became a brilliant host, effortlessly connecting with all kinds of guests, from movie legends like Vittorio De Sica and Marcello Mastroianni to everyday stars. She wasn’t just a performer — she was a TV icon.
Mina’s personal life also shook up Italian culture. Her public relationship with the married actor Corrado Pani, and the birth of their son Massimiliano — out of wedlock in a country that was still without divorce laws — marked a before and after in the way Italians viewed love and unions. Massimiliano, now working alongside his mother in Lugano, is part of the creative team behind Mina’s latest album, Gassa d’Amante.
At 84, Mina’s voice is still nothing short of extraordinary. Her range spans four octaves — normal singers usually have two — and 40 semitones, allowing her to effortlessly glide from the deep warmth of bass to crystal-clear highs. Jazz legend Sarah Vaughan once said, “If I didn’t already have my voice, I’d want Mina’s.”
No one else has captured the gritty, passionate ups and downs of love like Mina. After over 70 albums, her voice still delivers the same raw, emotional intensity. In the opening track of Gassa d’Amante, she delivers a poignant, brave confession: “If I can’t love this much and be loved, what use would I be?”
Mina remains a mesmerizing enigma for music lovers. Despite not giving a single interview since 1978, avoiding live performances for decades, and living a life far from the limelight, every new album she releases shoots up the Spotify charts, competing with today’s top Italian artists.
Gassa d’Amante is a timeless album. Mina doesn’t chase trends or try to outdo the digital world’s frantic pace. Instead, she explores the new within herself. Her son Massimiliano, producing and arranging the album, ensures that the music doesn’t follow fleeting market trends or copy the grandeur of the past.
The sound of Gassa d’Amante ranges from soft-rock to more traditional styles, at times experimenting with modern vibes. But the direction is clear: every arrangement feels like a cradle for Mina’s voice, with the instrumentation and electronics never overshadowing her unique vocal presence.
The album’s standout track is “L’amore vero” (Real Love), where the Italian Philharmonic Orchestra, under the arrangement of Gabriele Comeglio, brings out the romantic essence of Mina’s voice, balanced perfectly between intensity and restraint, creating a sense of truth without veering into the melodramatic.
The most radio-friendly track, “Buttalo via” (Throw It Away), written by Francesco Gabbani, is a hit that brings Mina firmly into the 21st century. Its deeply intimate lyrics seem to draw something even more powerful from her, with a beautiful guitar solo from Luca Meneghello bringing the song to a stunning close.
Gassa d’Amante is a treasure trove of vocal gems. Every song reveals new layers, showcasing not just a singer, but a true artist and assiduous researcher, constantly pushing the boundaries and discovering new ways to express the timeless journey of love. At the age of 84, that’s quite the feat.
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