Jovanotti at Stern Grove Festival, July 25

For over twenty years, Italian superstar Lorenzo Cherubini has been a fixture on the European music charts. Known by the moniker “Jovanotti,” an Anglicized translation of “young man,” the artist’s ever-evolving sound has made him one of the most popular Italian artists.

Jovanotti launched his career as a radio DJ and released his debut album in 1988. Taking cues from hip-hop and rap, his work melds spoken word with lyrical choruses and a definitively European aesthetic, reminiscent of the beat poets. Quickly becoming a pop sensation, Jovanotti was the first Italian to work for MTV, hosting “Earth to MTV,” a program that was one of the first to embrace a “world beat” in the early 1990’s.

As his career became global, so did the content of his music. Turning his attention to issues of poverty and oppression, Jovanotti’s anthems took on political and social undertones, leading to work with Amnesty International and Make Poverty History. 1994 saw the breakout of his sixth full-length album and the hit single “Serenata Rap,” with the video earning the most played title on MTV Europe. For Jovanotti’s seventh album, Lorenzo 1997: L’albero, he traveled to South Africa to record with local musicians, bringing a new flair to his Euro-pop house beats.

The album was his first to reach the top spot on Italian charts, a feat he has achieved with the three subsequent records. As Jovanotti’s sound evolved from produced Euro-house hip- hop to more melodic anthems and ballads, artists spanning the globe reached out to work with him. Recently, the troubadour’s list of collaborations has included Bono, Michael Franti, Sergio Mendes, and Ben Harper, on the lyrically soothing “Fango.” Jovanotti’s latest album, Safari, became the top-selling album of 2008 in Italy.

Recorded in Los Angeles, Tuscany, Rio de Janeiro, Hannover, and Milan, the album introduced the Italian icon to a more global audience. Jovanotti followed up with an acoustic tour of New York, dubbed “Soleluna NY Lab.” The live recordings were released as a digital download last December under the title Oyeah.

Jovanotti is currently touring the United States, and Stern Grove Festival is pleased to welcome the Italian star to San Francisco. Stern Grove is locat- ed at 19th Ave. and Sloat in San Francisco. July 25, 2:00 pm, free admission. http://www.sterngrove.org/jul y25_10.html

For Jovanotti’s website visit www.soleluna.com