Born in Florence on 18 September 1964, Marco Masini inherited his passion for music from his mother's family, demonstrating an early talent for playing and composing by ear. In 1986, through Roberto Rosati, he met Beppe Dati and then Giancarlo Bigazzi, with whom he began working on soundtracks. He was the lead vocalist of ''Si può dare di più'' (by the trio Morandi, Ruggeri and Tozzi) and a live performer on Tozzi's and Raf's tours.
In 1990 came the turning point: Bigazzi produced Marco at Sanremo with ''Disperato'', which he won in the ''Giovani'' section. His debut album followed on Ricordi. The following year he returned to Sanremo, finishing 3rd with ''Perché lo fai'' — the best-selling single in Italy and France in 1991 — and the album ''Malinconoia'' went on to sell over 1.5 million copies in Europe, winning that year's Festivalbar. In 1993, as a response to those who branded him a pessimist, Marco released the defiant ''Vaffanculo'', ahead of the album ''T'innamorerai'' (over one million copies sold). In January 1995 came ''Il cielo della Vergine'', featuring the boldly lyrical ''Bella stronza'' and ''Principessa'', which topped the charts for over six months.
After his first ''Best'' compilation (''L'amore sia con te'', 1996), Marco artistically parted ways with Bigazzi and released the rock-influenced ''Scimmie'' (1998). He returned to Sanremo in 2000 with ''Raccontami di te'', followed by ''Uscita di sicurezza'' (2001). Amid great personal and professional difficulties, he announced his withdrawal from the stage in April 2001. His comeback came in 2003 with ''Il mio cammino'', and the real redemption in 2004: at Sanremo, ''L'uomo volante'' triumphed in the televoting and won the prize for best lyrics and the Radio and TV Press Room award. The expanded album ''Masini'' carried him back into people's hearts and the Top 10 charts. Further Sanremo participations followed in 2005 (''Nel mondo dei sogni''), and in 2006 a joint project with Umberto Tozzi produced the celebrated album ''Tozzi Masini''.
In 2009 he presented ''L'Italia'' at Sanremo, a love letter to his country. In 2010, the box set ''Un palco lungo... 20 anni'' celebrated two decades of songwriting. After ''Niente d'importante'' (2011) and the piano-and-voice tour ''La mia storia'' (2013), Marco returned to Sanremo in 2015 with ''Che giorno è'' and again in 2017 with ''Spostato di un secondo'', one of the 50 best-selling albums of that year. In 2018 he took on the role of judge and coach on RAI 1's ''Sanremo Young'' and ''Ora o mai più''. His 30th anniversary was celebrated with the album ''MASINI +1'' (2020) and a sold-out European tour that culminated at the Arena di Verona in September 2021 with a constellation of guest artists. In 2022 he published his autobiography ''L'altalena - La mia storia'' (Mondadori), and a live recording of his Teatro della Pergola concert was released as a special box set. The ''T'innamorerai di noi'' tour (2022–2023) closed with two memorable outdoor evenings in Rome and Florence.
On 4 October 2024, to mark his 60th birthday, Marco released ''10 Amori'', his twelfth studio album — twelve brand-new tracks issued initially in CD and vinyl only, in keeping with the artist's wish that listeners experience it as a complete, uninterrupted work. It debuted at number 9 on the FIMI chart.
At the 2025 Sanremo Festival, Marco did not compete as a solo artist but appeared on the covers evening alongside rapper Fedez, who chose ''Bella stronza'' as his tribute — with every word of the original intact. The performance was electric and gave rise to an unexpected but genuine friendship between two artists from very different musical worlds.
That bond bore fruit at the 76th Sanremo Festival in 2026, where Fedez and Marco Masini took to the Ariston stage together with ''Male necessario'', a song that frames pain as an inevitable passage to happiness. The duo won the prestigious Sergio Bardotti Prize for best lyrics and captivated audiences well beyond their respective fan bases. On 6 March 2026, Marco released his thirteenth studio album, ''Perfetto Imperfetto'', produced by Gianluca Tozzi and Milo Fantini. Its twelve tracks blend intimate lyricism with contemporary sounds — from orchestral pop to modern duets — and the title itself is a personal manifesto: an acceptance of imperfection as an essential part of one's identity, making it one of Masini's most mature and self-aware works. Both ''Male necessario'' (with Fedez) and a new version of ''Bella stronza'' (featuring Fedez and FT Kings) are included exclusively in the physical editions. To mark this new chapter, Marco announced the ''MARCO MASINI – LIVE 2026'' tour: five arena events in November — Milan's Unipol Forum (3 Nov), Florence's Nelson Mandela Forum (4 Nov), Padova's Kioene Arena (7 Nov), Rome's Palazzo dello Sport (13 Nov) and Naples' Pala Partenope (14 Nov) — alongside a series of outdoor summer concerts across Italy from late June onward.
