In January 2012, Zilli was chosen as one of the participants in the Big Artists section of the 62nd Sanremo Music Festival, performing "Per Sempre". On the final show, she was chosen by juries as the Italian entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Her entry was later revealed to be L'Amore è Femmina (Out Of Love). As Italy is one of the "Big Five", which provide the most financial funding into the contest, she was automatically allocated in the final and performed 10th. She finished in 9th place scoring 101 points.
She grew up in Gossolengo, nine kilometers southwest of Piacenza. After moving to Ireland, she started performing live and, at the age of thirteen, she started studying opera singing at the conservatory. In 1997 she founded her first band, The Jerks. After completing high school at the Liceo Scientifico Respighi in Piacenza, she spent two years in the United States, living in Chicago and New York.
Between 2000 and 2001 she co-presented Red Ronnie's TV show Roxy Bar, broadcast in Italy by TMC2. In 2001 she also debuted as a VJ for MTV Italy. In the meanwile, she obtained a recording contract with her new band, Chiara e gli Scuri, founded in 2000. In 2001 the band released the single "Tutti al mare". They also started working on an album, but it was never released, due to some disagreements with the recording label.
In 2009, she chose the stage name Nina Zilli, combining her mother's surname with Nina Simone's first name. Zilli released her debut single, "50mila", on 28 July 2009. The song, featuring vocals by Giuliano Palma, was later included in the soundtrack of Ferzan Özpetek's film Loose Cannons.
Nina Zilli's self-titled debut Extended Play was released by Universal Music on 11 September 2011. The EP peaked at number 54 on the Italian Albums Chart, and it also spawned the singles "L'inferno", released in September 2009, and "L'amore verrà", an Italian-language cover of The Supremes "You Can't Hurry Love".
On 12 January 2010, it was announced that Nina Zilli was one of the winners of the contest Sanremo New Generation, allowing her to participate in the newcomers section of the 60th Sanremo Music Festival. Zilli's entry, "L'uomo che amava le donne", was performed for the first time on 18 February 2010, and it was admitted to the final, later won by Tony Maiello's "Il linguaggio della resa". During the competition, Zilli received the Critics' Award "Mia Martini" and the Press, Radio & TV Award. The single was certified gold by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry and it was included in Zilli's debut album, Sempre lontano, released on 19 February 2010. A special edition of the album was released on 30 November 2010, together with the single "Bacio d'a(d)dio". On 18 February 2011, the album was certified platinum in Italy, for domestic sales exceeding 60,000 copies.
In February 2011, she received two nominations at the 2011 TRL Awards in the categories Best Look and Italians Do It Better. Zilli was also the presenter of the night, broadcast by MTV Italy on 20 April 2011. In March 2011, Sempre lontano was also released in Spain.
In January 2012, Zilli was chosen as one of the participants in the Big Artists section of the 62nd Sanremo Music Festival, performing the song "Per sempre". During the competition, Zilli also performed a cover of Mina's "Grande grande grande", in a duet with Birtish singer Skye Edwards. On the final of the show, she was chosen by a specific jury as the Italian entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. Though Per Sempre was the first choice, RAI later stated that Zilli would perform a new bilingual version of her song L'Amore È Femmina now titled L'Amore È Femmina (Out Of Love).
Zilli's second studio album, L'amore è femmina, was released on 15 February 2012.
L'Amore E' Femmina
Nina Zilli Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oggi la città
Ha un martello nella testa
Che fa boom boom boom
Pioggia isterica
Sai che novità
La gente che mi giudica
Non so se tornerai
Non so se ci sei
Non mi chiami mai
No no no no
Dimmi se piangi mai?
Dimmi dove vai
Quando ti vorrei
L'amore è femmina
Se non riceve non si da
La prendo comoda
Calcolo le possibilità
Quello che vuoi
Se non ce l'hai
Siamo tutti insoddisfatti,
Come mai?
Femmina
Se non riceve
Non si da
La la la
Sento il panico
Cerco ossigeno
La paranoia sale
E tu butti giù
Non pretendere
Che sia semplice
Ho un martello
Dentro al cuore
Che fa boom boom boom
Non so se tornerai
Non so se ci sei
Non mi chiami mai
No no no no
Dimmi se piangerai?
Dimmi dove vai?
Quando ti vorrei
L'amore è femmina
Se non riceve non si da
La prendo comoda
Calcolo le possibilità
Quello che vuoi
Se non ce l'hai
Siamo tutti insoddisfatti,
E soli ormai
Femmina
Se non riceve non si da
La la la
Ma che caldo fa
Confesserò che
No mi perdo niente
Davvero
Ho immaginato noi due
Solo col pensiero
L'amore è femmina
Non riceve non si da
La prendo comoda
Calcolo le possibilità
Quello che vuoi
Se non ce l'hai
Siamo tutti insoddisfatti,
Come mai
Femmina
Se non riceve non si da
La la la
The song "L'Amore E' Femmina" by Italian singer Nina Zilli expresses the struggle and frustration of being in a one-sided love. The opening lines describe the overwhelming heat of the city while the singer has a pounding headache that signifies the constant worry and stress her unrequited love causes her. The rain that pours down is described as "isterica" or hysterical, which emphasizes the emotional turmoil the singer is experiencing. The singer also highlights her annoyance at people who judge her and her situation while her love interest seems to be absent and unresponsive.
Throughout the song, the singer questions the state of their relationship and if her love interest will ever return her affections. She wonders if they cry or where they go when she wants them. The chorus repeats that "love is female" and will only give if it is received, indicating that love is a reciprocal act and cannot be one-sided. The singer states that she is willing to take her time and calculate the possibilities of their relationship, but she questions why people are unsatisfied when they don't have what they want.
The singer's anxiety is heightened by the fact that her love interest seems to be avoiding her calls, which amplifies her sense of panic and paranoia. She acknowledges that it's not easy to deal with the pain of unrequited love and compares it to having a hammer inside her heart that thuds with every beat. The song ends with the singer admitting in a confession that she often daydreams about being together with her love interest, even though she knows that their relationship isn't ideal.
Line by Line Meaning
Ma che caldo fa
It's very hot outside today
Oggi la città
The city's busy today
Ha un martello nella testa
I've got a headache
Che fa boom boom boom
It's pounding
Pioggia isterica
An unexpected rainstorm
Sai che novità
What a surprise
La gente che mi giudica
People judge me
E tu boom boom boom
And you're pounding like a hammer
Non so se tornerai
I don't know if you'll come back
Non so se ci sei
I don't know if you're here
Non mi chiami mai
You never call me
No no no no
No, no, no, no
Dimmi se piangi mai?
Do you ever cry?
Dimmi dove vai
Tell me where you go
Quando ti vorrei
When I would like you
L'amore è femmina
Love is feminine
Se non riceve non si da
If it doesn't receive, it doesn't give
La prendo comoda
I take it easy
Calcolo le possibilità
I calculate the possibilities
Quello che vuoi
What you want
Se non ce l'hai
If you don't have it
Siamo tutti insoddisfatti,
We are all dissatisfied,
Come mai?
Why is that?
Femmina
Feminine
Se non riceve
If it doesn't receive
Non si da
It doesn't give
Sento il panico
I feel panic
Cerco ossigeno
I look for breath
La paranoia sale
Paranoia sets in
E tu butti giù
And you tear me apart
Non pretendere
Don't expect
Che sia semplice
It to be simple
Ho un martello
I have a hammer
Dentro al cuore
In my heart
Che fa boom boom boom
That's pounding
Non so se tornerai
I don't know if you'll come back
Non so se ci sei
I don't know if you're here
Non mi chiami mai
You never call me
No no no no
No, no, no, no
Dimmi se piangerai?
Will you cry?
Dimmi dove vai?
Tell me where you're going?
Quando ti vorrei
When I would like you
L'amore è femmina
Love is feminine
Se non riceve non si da
If it doesn't receive, it doesn't give
La prendo comoda
I take it easy
Calcolo le possibilità
I calculate the possibilities
Quello che vuoi
What you want
Se non ce l'hai
If you don't have it
Siamo tutti insoddisfatti,
We are all dissatisfied,
E soli ormai
And now we're alone
Femmina
Feminine
Se non riceve non si da
If it doesn't receive, it doesn't give
La la la
La la la
Ma che caldo fa
It's very hot outside today
Confesserò che
I confess that
No mi perdo niente
I don't lose anything
Davvero
Really
Ho immaginato noi due
I've imagined the two of us
Solo col pensiero
Only in my thoughts
L'amore è femmina
Love is feminine
Non riceve non si da
If it doesn't receive, it doesn't give
La prendo comoda
I take it easy
Calcolo le possibilità
I calculate the possibilities
Quello che vuoi
What you want
Se non ce l'hai
If you don't have it
Siamo tutti insoddisfatti,
We are all dissatisfied,
Come mai
Why is that?
Femmina
Feminine
Se non riceve non si da
If it doesn't receive, it doesn't give
La la la
La la la
Writer(s): Charlie Mason, Kristoffer Karl Arne Sjoekvist, Christian Bjarne Rabb, Frida Molander, Chiara Maria Fraschetta
Contributed by Samuel B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Red Soul
When Class takes place in Eurovision, You know is Italy.
Davide Maistrello
cue to Emma Marrone
emi
@Davide Maistrello levando 2014 e forse anche 2016 il resto è sempre stato il TOP
elia
@emi esatto ahahaha
emi
@ToyHub Ma stai bene? Cosa c'entra quello che hai detto? Proprio non capisco
Ron Weasley
17th in televoting. Europe can’t decide what art is. This is a masterpiece.
L' ANNALISA
And she's wonderful, pure class
Michele Ferrucci
Honestly this was garbage compared to Raphael Gualazzi, Diodato, Mahmood and Maneskin
Dave L' Ammazzavampiri
She sang in English, she had o sing in italian, and like her so did Gualazzi and Francesca.
Noi italiani dobbiamo cantare solo in italiano, this always been our charateristic to the ESC!
Ron Weasley
@Dave L' Ammazzavampiri bro don't care anything. you had a massive win this year, enjoy ;)