Elisa Toffoli
Elisa Toffoli (born 19 December 1977), performing under the mononym Elisa, is an Italian singer-songwriter. She draws inspiration from many genres such as pop, alternative rock, electronica and trip hop. In Europe she is perhaps most recognised for the single "Come Speak to Me", while American audiences may recognise the song "Dancing" as featured in both the 2006 and 2007 seasons of "So You Think You Can Dance". On 18 December 2012, her collaboration with Ennio Morricone, "Ancora qui", was featured on Quentin Tarantino's film, "Django Unchained" and its soundtrack album, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media.
Growing up in Monfalcone, near the border of Slovenia, and 20km away from Austria, she had the opportunity to listen to different languages and experience different cultures, which was key for Elisa's future inspirations, helping her develop an aptitude to sing in different languages. Her early influences include artists like PJ Harvey, Tori Amos, Björk, Aretha Franklin and Ella Fitzgerald. Elisa began writing her own songs at the age of 11, and later in her teen years, played in several local bands. At 16 years of age, she left Italy for Berkeley, California, U.S.A., where she worked on her debut album with producer Corrado Rustici (known for his work with Whitney Houston, Elton John, Zucchero, Andrea Bocelli and Aretha Franklin).
Thus far, she has released nine studio albums, five compilations, two live albums, eight video album and 51 singles, selling over 5,5 million copies in Italy, certified by M&D and FIMI with a diamond disc, a multiplatinum disc, 25 platinum and four gold certifications. She earned six awards at the Sanremo Music Festival in 2001, one Targa Tenco, two Lunezia Awards, 13 Italian, Wind & Music Awards, one award at the Festivalbar, one Nastro d'argento, and several other awards, including an MTV Europe Music Award.
Collaboration with Muse
Elisa collaborated with Muse (more specifically, Matt Bellamy), on a version of the song Ghosts (How Can I Move On), off of the album Will of the People, featuring her singing in Italian. The version with her wasn't included in the album itself, but was released as a single, together with the original version of the song, on November 25th, 2022.[1]