Paolo Andrea Di Pietro

Paolo Andrea Di Pietro
Di Pietro in September 2021
Born (1986-11-08) November 8, 1986 (age 38)
Milan, Italy
Other namesPaolo
Paolo Di Pietro
Education
Occupation(s)Tarento, Actor, Singer, Lyricist
Websitehttps://www.instagram.com/paolojapan/

Paolo Andrea Di Pietro (born November 8, 1986), better known mononymously in Japan as Paolo (Japanese: パオロ), is an Italian singer and actor living and working in Japan (Gaikokujin tarento).[1] He has appeared in a variety of Japanese commercials, TV shows and films. He also lent his singing voice to anime and video game soundtracks of internationally known franchises such as Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Genshin Impact and My Hero Academia.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

Early life

He was born on November 8, 1986, in Milan. He started studying guitar at the age of 10 and singing at the age of 16. In 2006, he began studying opera at the Milan Conservatory. He also went to the University of Milan and majored in English and Japanese language and culture. He graduated from the same university and moved to Japan in 2014.[1]

Career

As an opera singer

Under the guidance of the tenor Angelo Lo Forese and the bass Bonaldo Giaiotti he won his very first vocal competition in 2012 and had his operatic debut in the same year as the title role in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. In 2013 he performed the role of Daland from Wagner's The Flying Dutchman in over 20 famous Italian theaters such as Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti and Teatro Comunale di Bologna. In 2015 he had his operatic debut in Japan as Colline in Puccini's La bohème for the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs.[8] In 2019 he performed for the first time in the United States, at Carnegie Hall in New York City.[9]

As a TV personality, actor and recording artist

In 2018 he passed the audition for the Japanese TV Commercial for a product called AirPay by Recruit, acting beside Joe Odagiri. The comedic commercial, his first on screen job, soon went viral in Japan and became a still ongoing series.[1] In 2019 he appeared in episodes 31 and 32 of the TV Program KAT-TUN no Sekai Ichi Tame ni Naru Tabi Plus on the Paravi streaming service[10] and once the program moved to TBS Television, he became a regular guest until the program ended in 2021.[11] In 2020 he performed the singing role of the "Ketchup Demon" next to Naomi Watanabe and Yūki Iwai from Haraichi in the live comedy program Owarai no Hi - Oto Neta Fes, the character went viral on Japanese Twitter, reaching rank 1 in Twitter trends.[12] Currently, he is active as an actor, voice actor, narrator, musician and lyricist in various media such as TV commercials, TV shows, movies, anime and video games.[6][13][14][15]

Filmography

Films

Year Title Role Notes
2017 Memoirs of a Murderer Opera Singer Performance of Non più andrai
2023 We're Millennials. Got a Problem? International Achille

TV dramas

Year Title Role Notes
2019 Two Homelands (Futatsu no Sokoku) Ronnie TV special
2019 Totsuzen Desu ga Pinchi desu Bruno Rossi Season 3, episodes 12 & 13
2019 Time Limit Investigator (Jikou Keisatsu) FBI Colleague Season 3, episode 6
2020 Yell Singer Episode 1
2020 Peep Time (Dareka ga Miteiru) R. Bruce (Baseball Player) Episode 5
2021 She Was Pretty (Kanojo wa Kirei Datta) James Taylor Episode 5
2022 Sensuikan Cappellini-gō no Bōken Angelo TV special, main cast[16][17][5]
2022 Maison Häagen-Dazs: 8 Happy Stories Bear Voice, regular main cast[18]
2022 Game Of Spy The Man with the Eyepatch Episode 1[19]
2022 AIBOU: Tokyo Detective Duo TV Panelist Season 21, episode 1[20]
2022 Businessman Thomas Harold Episode 3[21]
2024 Nevertheless: The Shapes of Love Nick Episode 3

TV anime

Year Title Role Notes
2017 BBK/BRNK: The Gentle Giants of the Galaxy Insert song "Liberetto" and others
2018 Overlord season 2 Various insert songs
2018 Overlord season 3 Various insert songs
2020-2022 Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai Insert songs "Vearn, The Dark King", “Vearn, the True Dark King”, “Sovereign Supreme”, “Absolute Strength - The Way of Combat”
2021 Otoppe Ending song "Bonso Waltz"[22]
2022 Thermae Romae Novae Opening song "Tōgyūshi no Uta: Onsen Manner no Aria",[23] lyricist for opening and all insert songs, Latin language supervisor[24]
2022 Overlord season 4 Various insert songs
2022 Cardfight!! Vanguard will+Dress Episode 11 insert song "Into the Cemetery"
2023 Dead Mount Death Play Various insert songs

Anime movies

Year Title Role Notes
2020 Saga of Tanya the Evil: The Movie Various insert songs
2021 Knights of Sidonia: Love Woven in the Stars Various insert songs
2024 My Hero Academia: You're Next Insert song "Gollini -Admire-" and others
2024 Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom Various insert songs

Video games

Year Title Role Notes
2019 Honor of Kings Insert song "Brethren of Blades"
2019 A Certain Magical Index: Imaginary Fest Italian Assassin
2021 Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade[3] Insert songs "The Happy Turtle Jingle ft. Old Snapper"[4] and "Extravagant Turtle Flyer Fanfare"
2022 Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster[25] Draco French and Italian vocals
2023 Genshin Impact Promotional song “Polumnia Omnia (Performance Version)”
2024 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Insert song “With Pain and Spite Made Black”, Latin translation
2024 ORE’N Various insert songs
2024 eFootball Motion capture

Music videos

Year Title Artist Role Notes
2018 DVD "Himitsu" Polkadot Stingray Foreigner who loves Samurai Direct to video short film
2019 Night Groovin' QoN Main actor
2019 DVD/STAGE VIDEO "LIVE TOUR 2019 ~XV~" TVXQ Danny's Father, Bass Player Short film used in live tour
2019 Ai Dake Ga Subete / What Do You Want? (Mitazono Version) Hey! Say! JUMP Guitarist
2021 Helpless Romantic Ken Yokoyama Main actor
2023 Polumnia Omnia (Performance Version) HoYoverse / HOYO-MiX Main singer Genshin Impact Sumeru Vol. 2 OST Album Promotional MV
2023 Genshin Concert 2023 - Melodies of an Endless Journey - Scenic Vistas HoYoverse / HOYO-MiX Singer of Polumnia Omnia Online Concert
2023 Genshin Concert Tour - Melodies of an Endless Journey HoYoverse / HOYO-MiX Singer of Rhapsodia Roscida and Polumnia Omnia Live concert, filmed in Osaka

References

  1. ^ a b c "日本の強みは「シンクレティズム」にあり――異色のオペラ歌手 パオロが見た日本" (in Japanese). Recruit (company). Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  2. ^ "VGMdb Paolo Andrea Di Pietro". Video Game Music and Anime Soundtrack Database.
  3. ^ a b "鈴木週報 レコーディング日報" (in Japanese). Square Enix. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE SONICWIRE SPECIAL INTERVIEW". Sonicwire (in Japanese). Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "イタリア人に恋愛相談したら回答が痛快すぎた！ドラマ『潜水艦カッペリーニ号の冒険』出演者３人に僕らの悩みを聞いてみた" (in Japanese). Men's Non-no, Shueisha. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Final Fantasy VI's Paolo Andrea Di Pietro Interview". RPGamer. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  7. ^ "The Classically Trained Opera Singer Behind Your Favorite Video Game Scores". Tokyo Weekender. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  8. ^ "Italia, amore mio! Guest performers". Italian Chamber of Commerce in Japan. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  9. ^ "The Ibla Foundation Presents International Competition Winners At Carnegie Hall". Broadway World. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  10. ^ "KAT-TUNの世界一タメになる旅!+ #32 スイートルームでルームサービスの旅in東京～後編" (in Japanese). Japan: Paravi. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  11. ^ "パオロのTV出演情報" (in Japanese). Japan: Oricon. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  12. ^ "「お笑いの日」突如現れた"ケチャップの魔人"はあの人だった" (in Japanese). Japan: modelpress. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  13. ^ "REMIX - Paolo Andrea Di Pietro パオロ" (in Japanese). Japan: REMIX (Talent Agency). Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  14. ^ "パオロ(Paolo)のプロフィール" (in Japanese). Japan: JunesModels (Talent Agency). Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  15. ^ "Paolo Andrea Di Pietroのプロフィール" (in Japanese). Japan: BAY SIDE (Actors & Modeling Agency). Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  16. ^ "愛希れいか：元宝塚トップ娘役が民放ドラマ初出演 「潜水艦カッペリーニ号の冒険」で二宮和也の思い人に". Mantan Web (in Japanese). November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  17. ^ "愛希れいかが新春ドラマで二宮和也の思い人に、イタリア人キャストも発表". Natalie (in Japanese). November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  18. ^ "平手友梨奈主演、日常の「ちょっとした幸せ」をテーマにハーゲンダッツが仕掛け満載のWEBドラマを公開". AdverTimes (in Japanese). Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  19. ^ "Paolo (パオロ）AMAZON PRIME VIDEO ドラマ「GAME OF SPY」". FACE Agency (in Japanese). Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  20. ^ 相棒21 初回拡大スペシャル 第1話 「ペルソナ・ノン・グラータ～殺人招待状」あらすじ（ネタバレあり）、感想、キャストなど vsd1104のブログ
  21. ^ "『きかんしゃトーマス』が実写ドラマに　アニメリニューアル記念し「サラリーマントーマス」公開". AdverTimes (in Japanese). Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  22. ^ "パオロ、「ボンソワルツ」を配信開始". Tunecore (in Japanese).
  23. ^ "Thermae Romae Novae Anime Posts Title Sequence With Opening Song". Anime News Network. March 15, 2022.
  24. ^ 川﨑龍 Ryo Kawasaki [@pmdjpmdj3] (April 8, 2022). "And, he is the "Toréador", Paolo Andrea Di Pietro!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. ^ "FINAL FANTASY VI PIXEL REMASTER ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK". Square Enix.