Finley is an Italian rock band formed in Legnano, Lombardy, Italy in 2002.
Pedro (vocals), Ka (guitars), Dani (drums) and Ivan (bass) have released five studio albums. They write, compose and sing their own lyrics and music which sound powerful with a strong, melodic impact.
Finley has sold over 1,300,000 records in Italy and they have won many awards, including two "Best Italian Act" at MTV Europe Music Awards: the first one in 2006 (Copenhagen) and the second one in 2008 (Liverpool) becoming, along with Subsonica, the most award-winning Italian band. The band took its name from NBA star Michael Finley.
Career
Formation and early years (2002–2004) Finley was formed in 2002 in Legnano under the name "Junkies": the band consists of school friends with a passion for the same kind of music. Pedro, Ka, Dani and Ste decided to start a band, immediately focusing on writing their own songs. Their first rehearsal venue was the little cellar of a rock club they attended on week-ends.
They recorded their first EP titled "Simply a demo" in 2002 and started playing in some smaller Legnano clubs and at high school parties. In 2003 the members change the band's name from "Junkies" to "Finley", inspired from the NBA player Michael Finley who was, at that time, the basketball star of the Dallas Mavericks. That year they self produce their first video for "Make up your own mind", directed by their friend, Marco Lamanna.
Claudio Cecchetto and Tutto è possibile (2005–2006) Thanks to their first single "Everything is possible" the band caught the attention of Italy's most famous producer Claudio Cecchetto, founder of Radio Deejay (one of the most important radio stations in Italy) and producer of some of the most known Italian artists in recent years: Jovanotti, 883 and many others. Finley started working with him and played as the opening act for Max Pezzali shows in Milan and Rome, before audiences of 20.000 people.
In 2005 Claudio Cecchetto produced Finley's first single "Tutto è possibile", the Italian language version of "Everything is possible". The debut of the single occurred in November 2005 on Mtv Italy. A few days after that, the band unexpectedly showed up under Mtv Trl studios during the live recording of the program, showing at the cameras a poster that displays the writing "Thank you!". As time goes by Finley became the representative band for Mtv and, in addition to this, the four guys worked for a certain period as hosts for Mtv Trl and other Mtv programs.
The band signs a contract with EMI/Capitol Italy and publishes its first studio album "Tutto è possibile", recorded and mixed by their friend and artistic producer Daniele Persoglio, and released on 31 March 2006. The album has a fresh and new sound in Italian soundscape and gets much attention: at this point a long tour started and, day by day, an increasing number of people showed up at the concerts and filled the clubs where the band performs.
In summer Finley release the second single "Diventerai Una Star" thanks to which the album slowly rises up the Italian charts and became a platinum record with over 80,000 copies sold. The success leads the band on some big stages: Coca-Cola live@Mtv, where the band opens Pink's show, and Heineken Jammin Festival where Finley share the stage with Depeche Mode and Morrisey.
During a rehearsal session in one of the biggest studios in Milan the guys meet Mondo Marcio, a new Italian rapper who has recently published his first record. Finley recorded a rock version of his hit titled "Dentro Alla scatola": this featuring brings the single at the top of all TVs and radios charts. To crown it all, Mtv gives the band a nomination as Best Italian Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2006, along with artists such as Lacuna Coil, Tiziano Ferro, and Jovanotti.
On 27 November 2006 Finley won the award. A few days after that, the band released a ri-edition of its first record in a cd-DVD version, which became a double platinum record selling over 160,000 copies. The tour is sold out and two more singles are released on winter: "Sole di settembre" and "Fumo e cenere". Finley tours Italy non-stop all year round, performing over 100 shows during 2006. The last concert of this tour takes place in a club called "Alcatraz" in Milan, where tickets sold out in just a few hours.