Not only an anagram of his middle name but a Malay word for "rhythm," Irama is the nickname of songwriter Filippo Maria Fanti, who draws on a background in freestyle rap competitions for his stylized Italian pop. Born in Tuscany and based near Milan, he was raised on the popular Italian folk and pop songwriters of his parents' record collection and wrote his first song at age seven. Irama discovered hip-hop later in childhood and started taking part in freestyle competitions with friends. In 2016 he was admitted to Sanremo Music Festival in the newcomer spots and was a finalist with his song Cosa resterà. The tune was included on his debut album, Irama, which arrived on Warner Music in early 2016. It spent five weeks on Italy's album chart. He found mainstream success in 2018 after appearing on and winning the 17th edition of the talent show Amici di Maria De Filippi and releasing his 3XPlatinum-selling EP Plume.He remained a mainstay on the Italian charts into the next decade with hit singles like 2019’s Arrogante, 2020's Mediterranea, 2021's La genesi del tuo colore and Melodia proibita and his Platinum album Giovani (2018) and 2x Platinum EP Crepe (2020). His new album is Il giorno in cui ho smesso di pensare which includes the hit single Ovunque Sarai.