The Kolors
OriginNaples, Italy
GenrePop rock · funk rock
Years active2009–present
LabelBaraonda Edizioni Musicali · Island · Warner
Current members
  • Antonio Stash Fiordispino
  • Alex Fiordispino
  • Dario Iaculli
Past members
  • Alessandro Tammaro
  • Daniele Mona

The Kolors is an Italian pop rock[1][2] band founded in 2009 by lead vocalist Antonio Stash Fiordispino,[3] drummer Alex Fiordispino, and Daniele Mona who plays synthesizers. They are best known for their 2023 hit "Italodisco", which peaked at number one in Italy and charted in several European charts.[4]

The group won season 14 of the Italian talent show Amici di Maria De Filippi, coached by Elisa, and has released three studio albums: I Want (2014), Out (2015) and You (2017), singing both in Italian and English. Since their debut, the band has sold over 650,000 copies in Italy and won many accolades, including three Wind Music Awards, one MTV Italian Music Awards, and one Kid's Choice Award. They have been selected to compete at Sanremo Music Festival three times with "Frida (mai, mai, mai)" (2018), "Un ragazzo una ragazza" (2024), and "Tu con chi fai l'amore" (2025).

History

The band rose to prominence in 2010 when they became the resident band of Le Scimmie, a famous club in Milan. Since that they opened concerts for Gossip, Hurts and Paolo Nutini.[5] In 2014 the producer Vichi Lombardo and the singers and producers Elio and Rocco Tanica noticed the group, making their first album I Want and single "I Don't Give a Funk".[6]

In 2015, The Kolors participated in season 14 of the TV program Amici di Maria De Filippi, on Elisa's team. In the finale on 5 June 2015 the band won the talent show and the Premio della Critica given by the journalists.[7] While competing on the show, they released the English language single "Everytime", which reached the sixth position of the Italian singles chart and was certified platinum.[8] On May 19, 2015, the band released its second studio album Out, which peaked at number one on FIMI's albums chart and went on to sell over 200,000 copies.[9] Later that year, The Kolors performed at the 2015 MTV Italian Music Awards and released their second single from the album "Why Don't You Love Me?".[10][11]

On April 15, 2017, the band announced that it would be releasing a new song, "What Happened Last Night", featuring Gucci Mane and Daddy's Groove. The track served as the lead single for their third studio album, You, which was released on May 19, 2017.[12][13] The album debuted at number four in the Italian charts, supported by the singles "Crazy" and "Don't Understand".[14]

In February 2018 the band competed at the Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Frida (mai, mai, mai)", their first strictly italian language record. Frida became their second single to reach the top ten of the Italian charts.[15] After signing with Universal Music Italia in May 2018, they released "Come le onde" with rapper J-Ax.[16][17] In September 2018 the band's frontman, Stash, was chosen to be a singing coach and judge for season 18 of Amici di Maria De Filippi.[18]

In May 2019 they released the collaboration with the Italian singer Elodie "Pensare male", which peaked at number 24 on the Italian Singles Chart and was certified platinum.[19] Pensare would become the most listened-to italian language song on the radio in 2019.[20] In September 2019, it was confirmed that Stash would return as a singing coach and judge for season 19 of Amici.[21] In May 2020 the band was cast for the spin-off Amici Speciali released a new single, "Non è vero".[22] In 2021 the band published the FIMI platinum single "Cabriolet Panorama", which anticipated their compilation album Singles.

In April 2023 the band departed from Island Records and signed with Warner Music Italy.[23] Their first single with the label, "Italodisco",[24] peaked at number one on the Italian Singles Chart and charted in several other European charts, becoming a top-ten song in Switzerland and Poland. The Kolors competed in the Sanremo Music Festival 2024 with the song "Un ragazzo una ragazza".[25][26] In December 2024, they were announced among the participants in the 2025 festival with "Tu con chi fai l'amore",[27] finally placing 13th.[28]

Controversies

In 2016 at the MTV Italian Music Awards, the band was criticized for their behavior during the performance, during which Stash spat at the camera. Moreover, at the end of the song they got off the stage without listening to the presenter Francesco Mandelli who was about to give them the MTV History Award.[29] Afterwards the singer apologized to the presenter and the award ceremony.[30]

In 2018, after a guest performance on Amici, the host and producer of the format, Maria De Filippi, revealed a background of the band's entry into the talent show in 2016 by declaring: "When Stash and his band were chosen to be the challengers, the editorial staff told me they didn't exist: there were no documents proving who he was". The front-man replied, "I had falsified the documents: I said I was a year younger in the office because I thought I was too old to be in the school. That's the way it is in Naples: you always find the solution to the problem!"[31]

In the summer of 2018 Stash received facial injury when he was involved in a fight to defend a girl who had been beaten in public by her partner.[32] The singer says, "When you see an injustice, when you see that someone needs your kindness and someone else deserves your violence, act. Help, help yourselves."[33]

Members

Current members

  • Antonio Alex Stash Fiordispino[34] – vocals, guitars, piano, synthesizer, drums (2009–present)
  • Alessandro "Alex" Fiordispino – drums, percussion (2009–present)
  • Dario Iaculli – bass (2018–present)

Former members

  • Alessandro Tammaro – bass (2009–2012)
  • Daniele Mona – synthesizer, bass, percussion (2011–2022)

Discography

Studio albums

TitleDetailsPeak chart positionsCertifications
ITA
[35]
I Want54
Out
  • Released: 19 May 2015
  • Label: Baraonda Edizioni Musicali
  • Format: CD, digital download
1
  • ITA: 4× Platinum[36]
You
  • Released: 19 May 2017
  • Label: Baraonda Edizioni Musicali
  • Format: CD, digital download
4

Compilation albums

TitleDetailsPeak chart positions
ITA Vinyl
[37]
Singles11

Singles

As lead artist

TitleYearPeak chart positionsCertificationsAlbum
ITA
[38]		AUT
[39]		BLR
[40]		LIT
[41]		POL
[42]		SWI
[43]
"Everytime"20156—colspan="2" rowspan="7"——Out
"Me Minus You"62———
"Why Don't You Love Me?"67———
"OK"64———Out – Deluxe Edition
"What Happened Last Night?"
(featuring Gucci Mane and Daddy's Groove)		201776———You
"Crazy"————
"Don't Understand"————
"Frida (mai, mai, mai)"201810—rowspan="9"———rowspan="2"
"Come le onde"
(featuring J-Ax)		45————
"Pensare male"
(with Elodie)		201924————Singles
"Los Angeles"
(featuring Gué Pequeno)		96————
"Non è vero"2020—————
"Mal di gola"2021—————
"Cabriolet Panorama"45————
"Leoni al sole"—————rowspan="7"
"Blackout"2022—————
"Italodisco"2023181644
"Un ragazzo una ragazza"20247—58——37
"Karma"17—————
"Tu con chi fai l'amore"20256—————
"Pronto come va"30—————
"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart.
"*" denotes the chart did not exist at that time.
TitleYearAlbum or EP
"Nella pancia della balena"
(Samuel Heron featuring The Kolors)		2020rowspan="2"
"Solero"
(Lorenzo Fragola featuring The Kolors)		2021

Awards and nominations

AwardYearCategoryNominee(s)Result
Golden Headphones Radio Award2016Best Radio ArtistThe Kolors[47]
Kids' Choice Awards2016Favorite Italian Music Artist[48]
2024[49]
Lunezia Award2016Italian International Breakthrough
MTV Europe Music Awards2023Best Italian Act[50]
MTV Italian Music Awards2016Best Italian Band[51][52]
Best Live Performance
MTV History Award
Music Awards2015Goldend Disc AwardOut
2016Platinum Single Award"Everytime"
Multi Platinum Disc AwardOut
2023Multi Platinum Single Award"Italodisco"
TIM Summer Hits Award
Earone Radio AwardThe Kolors

References

  1. ^ "Chi sono i The Kolors, in gara a Sanremo". Il Post. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  2. ^ Francesco Primerano (2018). "Instagram collection. La società di oggi tra 1000 Selfie, didascalie, Love Story e Pop Rock Revolution (Speciale Sanremo 2018), Volume 2". Youcanprint. p. 23.
  3. ^ "Stash e i The Kolors, dopo il successo di Italodisco, tornano a Sanremo nel 2024" (in it-IT). ELLE. 2024-01-09. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  4. ^ "The Kolors: "Italodisco" è un successo ovunque e inizia la scalata europea" (in it-IT). All Music Italia. 14 July 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  5. ^ "I The Kolors apriranno l'unica data italiana dei Gossip!". 2016-05-16. Archived 2016-05-16 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  6. ^ "'The Kolors', "Elio e Le Storie Tese dicono che siamo belli come loro"" (in Italian). Rolling Stone Italia. 2018-02-09. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  7. ^ Luca Dondoni (June 6, 2015). "Stash & The Kolors trionfano ad Amici 14". La Stampa (ed.). Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  8. ^ "Classifica canzoni 9 maggio 2015, Everytime dei The Kolors prima su iTunes". AllSongs. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  9. ^ "Richiedi targhetta" (in it-IT). www.fimi.it. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  10. ^ Gagliardi, Claudia (2015-09-18). "La fidanzata di Stash nel video Why Don't You Love Me dei The Kolors: ecco il mini-film". Optimagazine: ultime news, video e notizie italiane e dal mondo. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  11. ^ "Mtv Awards 2015, The Kolors: "Grazie Elisa, abbiamo fatto tesoro dei tuoi consigli"" (in Italian). Music Fanpage. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  12. ^ "Il ritorno dei The Kolors: ecco il nuovo singolo di Stash e soci – Velvet Music – VelvetMusic" (in Italian). velvetmusic.it. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  13. ^ "√ Kolors, il nuovo album si intitola 'You' e esce il 19 maggio" (in Italian). Rockol. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  14. ^ "Classifica settimanale WK 21 (dal 2017-05-19 al 2017-05-25)". Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  15. ^ "√ Sanremo 2018, i Kolors al Festival con 'Frida (Mai, mai, mai)': 'Sarà un'esperienza che ci farà crescere' – LA VIDEOINTERVISTA" (in Italian). Rockol. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  16. ^ "I The Kolors hanno firmato con Universal Music Italia" (in it-IT). Billboard Italia. 2018-05-15. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  17. ^ "The Kolors: "Come le onde" è il nuovo singolo estivo con J-Ax" (in it-IT). TV Sorrisi e Canzoni. 2018-07-06. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  18. ^ "Stash – Amici | Witty TV" (in it-IT). www.wittytv.it. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  19. ^ "italiancharts.com – Italian charts portal". italiancharts.com. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  20. ^ "Le 10 canzoni più trasmesse in radio nel 2019" (in it-IT). TV Sorrisi e Canzoni. 2019-12-17. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  21. ^ "Tutto su "Amici 19". La classe, i professori e il regolamento" (in it-IT). TV Sorrisi e Canzoni. 2020-01-26. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  22. ^ "Stash and The Kolors con il nuovo brano Non è vero – Amici Speciali Clip" (in it-IT). Witty Tv. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  23. ^ "I The Kolors pronti a portare "Italodisco" in Europa. Stash: "Mi avevano proposta la carriera solista ma..."" (in Italian). All Music Italia. August 19, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  24. ^ "The Kolors, il boom di Italodisco. Stash: "E' come se una sola canzone avesse avuto l'effetto di vent'anni di carriera"" (in Italian). la Repubblica. July 30, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  25. ^ "Italy 2024: 'Sanremo' lineup revealed". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 2023-12-03. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  26. ^ "Sanremo 2024: i cantanti e le canzoni, gli ospiti e i conduttori. Tutto sul Festival" [Sanremo 2024: the singers and the songs, the guests and the hosts. Everything about the Festival] (in Italian). TV Sorrisi e Canzoni. 2023-12-20. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  27. ^ Laffranchi, Andrea (2024-12-01). "Sanremo 2025, i cantanti in gara: la lista dei big del Festival, da Giorgia ed Elodie a Fedez e Achille Lauro" [Sanremo 2025, the competing singers: the list of the Festival's "Bigs", from Giorgia and Elodie to Fedez and Achille Lauro] (in Italian). Corriere della Sera. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
  28. ^ "Sanremo 2025: vince Olly! Classifica finale e premi assegnati" [Sanremo 2025: Olly wins! Final ranking and prizes awarded] (in Italian). Radio 105. 2025-02-16. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
  29. ^ "Mtv Awards, Stash sputa alla telecamera e se ne va: lite con Mandelli" [Stash spits at the camera and storms out at the MTV Awards, arguing with Mandelli.] (in Italian). Repubblica Tv – la Repubblica.it. 2016-06-20. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  30. ^ "Perché tutti parlano dei The Kolors agli Mtv Awards – Grazia.it" [Why Everyone's Talking About The Kolors at the MTV Awards – Grazia.it] (in it-IT). Grazia. 2016-06-20. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  31. ^ "Maria De Filippi svela retroscena sui The Kolors. Stash: "Ho falsificato i documenti, a Napoli si fa così"" [Maria De Filippi reveals behind-the-scenes details about The Kolors. Stash: "I falsified the documents, that's how it's done in Naples."] (in it-IT). Il Fatto Quotidiano. 2018-03-03. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  32. ^ "Stash dei The Kolors sfigurato: difende una ragazza e gli spaccano la faccia | Libero Quotidiano.it" [The Kolors' Stash is disfigured after defending a girl and getting his face smashed.] (in Italian). Libero Quotidiano. Archived 2020-02-01 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  33. ^ "Gli spaccano la faccia: l'assurda notte di terrore, chi è la star italiana ridotta così (e perché) / Guarda" [They smashed his face: the absurd night of terror, who is the Italian star reduced to this state (and why) / Watch]. www.liberoquotidiano.it. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  34. ^ Sanna, Andrea (2024-03-17). "No, Stash non è un nome d’arte! Il frontman dei The Kolors si chiama davvero così" (in it-IT). Novella 2000. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  35. ^ "Italian Charts – The Kolors – Albums". Italiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  36. ^ "Pagina artista – The Kolors". Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  37. ^ "Italian Charts – The Kolors – Vinyl -WK 25". Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  38. ^ Peak positions for The Kolors' singles on the Italian FIMI Singles Chart: * "Italian Charts – The Kolors – Songs". Italiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 May 2019. * "History" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry Search for The Kolors then press on the section titled Classifiche.
  39. ^ "Austrian Charts – The Kolors – Discography". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  40. ^ "Listen to all The Kolors songs, tracks, music for free | Tophit – Highway To Airplay" (Click the song you're interested in and select "Belarus" option above the graph.). TopHit. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  41. ^ Peak chart positions for singles in Lithuania: * "Italodisco": "2023 35-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. Retrieved 1 September 2023. * "Un ragazzo una ragazza": "Top Radio Hits Lithuania Weekly Chart: Apr 4, 2024". TopHit. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  42. ^ Peak chart positions for singles in Poland: * "Italodisco": "OLiS – oficjalna lista airplay" (Select week 19.08.2023–25.08.2023.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved 28 August 2023. * "Un ragazzo una ragazza": "OLiS – oficjalna lista airplay" (Select week 20.04.2024–26.04.2024.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved 29 April 2024. * "Karma": "OLiS – oficjalna lista airplay" (Select week 22.06.2024–28.06.2024.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  43. ^ "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade – The Kolors – Song". Swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  44. ^ Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  45. ^ Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  46. ^ Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  47. ^ "Cuffie d’oro, a Trieste torna l’Oscar delle radio" (in Italian). Il Piccolo. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  48. ^ "Kid's Choice Awards, The Kolors vincono nella categoria italiana" (in Italian). Tgcom24. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  49. ^ "Guarda le nomination ai Kids' Choice Awards 2024 e scopri come votare i tuoi preferiti" (in Italian). MTV Italia. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  50. ^ "I Maneskin vincono ancora, è loro il Best Rock agli Mtv Ema 2023: tutti i vincitori" (in Italian). Fanpage.it. 6 November 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  51. ^ "Kolors, Stash e lo sputo in telecamera: il playback, i voti truccati, la lite con Mandelli. E se fosse solo un trovata pubblicitaria?" (in Italian). Rockol. 20 June 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  52. ^ "MTV Awards 2016: tutti i vincitori della quarta edizione" (in Italian). Il Giornale. 20 June 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2024.