Controversy over "Felicità" Italo pop star Romina Power describes her 1980s hit as "banal"
Romina Power and Al Bano once conquered an audience of millions with hits such as "Sharazan" and "Felicità". Now the singer is causing a fierce debate in Italy with critical comments about her musical legacy.
15.01.2026, 13:23
16.01.2026, 09:53
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- Romina Power conquered an audience of millions in Europe in 1982 with her hit "Felicità" as a duo with Al Bano.
- Now the 74-year-old singer is causing a fierce controversy in Italy with critical comments about her former hit.
- "The music I made with Al Bano in the 1980s was not my genre and not what I listen to myself," says Power in a podcast.
With songs such as "Sharazan" and "Felicità", the former married couple Al Bano and Romina Power conquered an audience of millions in Europe in the mid-1980s.
Now the 74-year-old singer is causing a stir in the Italian media with critical comments about her former musical career.
She felt that the song "Felicità" was "banal" back in 1982, the year it was released, and did not originally want to sing it, Power said on presenter Alessandro Cattelana's "Supernova" podcast.
"Felicità" is one of the best-known songs by the duo Al Bano and Romina Power and took second place at the 1982 San Remo Festival and later even reached number one in the Italian hit parade.
Heated reactions
"The music I made with Al Bano in the 1980s was not my genre and not what I listen to myself," says Romina Power in the "Supernova" podcast
These statements immediately sparked a controversy in the Italian media.
The lyricist of "Felicità", Popi Minellono, sharply criticized the singer. She had wronged her audience and a song that had brought her great popularity, he said on the Italian television program "La Volta Buona". "Felicità" had contributed significantly to Powers' artistic success.
Loredana Lecciso, Al Bano's current partner, described Powers' distancing from the song as incomprehensible. It was like distancing oneself from a global anthem.
Power: "Only those who seek controversy can see malice everywhere"
Romina Power later responded to the criticism via social networks. The term "banal" is not offensive, she wrote on Instagram. It refers to something everyday or neutral.
She also criticized the fact that a single word had been extracted from a longer conversation and used to stir up controversy. This was neither correct nor professional.
At the same time, she emphasized her affection for "Felicità": she still enjoys singing the song because she sees the joy in the audience, which also rubs off on her. "Only those who seek controversy and controversy can see malice everywhere," she explained.
Al Bano and Romina Power are a well-known Italian singing duo who enjoyed great musical success, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s.
The couple married in 1970 and separated in 1999. After the divorce, Al Bano continued his singing career alone. The couple have occasionally performed together again since 2013.
