A-Love
A-Love | |
|---|---|
| Born | Antonella Formosa March 21, 1983 Rome, Italy |
| Occupation(s) | MC, rapper |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Known for | Debut album Ace of Hearts; ARIA Award nomination for Best Urban Release (2008) |
A-Love is a Melbourne-based Australian MC, recognized for her debut album, Ace of Hearts, which earned a nomination for 'Best Urban Release' at the ARIA Music Awards of 2008.
Biography
Antonella Formosa was born on 21 March 1983 in Rome, Italy. Her father, Ric Formosa, is a composer and was the original lead guitarist for the Australian group Little River Band, while her mother, Vicki Formosa, performed as an R&B vocalist. Growing up surrounded by music, she completed her education at Hawthorn Secondary College in 1999. During her teenage years, she participated in an all-female band and developed an interest in hip hop, cultivating a strong enthusiasm for lyricism and MCing.
In 2000, Formosa worked alongside Draino from Puah Hedz and later teamed up with Muphin on the track "Some People," which appeared on the album Despite the Odds. She gained recognition through appearances on radio shows such as Triple J's 'The Hip Hop Show', PBS's 'The Formula', RRR's 'Wordburner', and La Trobe University's station. At the same time, she pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology at La Trobe University while co-hosting a hip hop radio program.
Her solo career advanced in May 2002 with the release of "Petty" on Culture of Kings Volume 2, which received moderate airplay on Triple J. That same year, she won the Nescafe Big Break competition, securing $20,000 to establish Duality Records, an independent label and distribution company. Managing both her label responsibilities and music career presented significant challenges.
Formosa launched Ace of Hearts on 24 November 2007 through Crookneck Records. The album was predominantly produced by BVA (Mnemonic Ascent), with additional input from Suffa (Hilltop Hoods) and Jase. Featured guest artists included Yungun (UK), Raph (Mnemonic Ascent), Spikey Tee (UK), and indigenous MC Jim Blah. Shortly after its release, Triple J selected it as 'Album of the Week', and it subsequently received an ARIA nomination for Best Urban Release in 2008.
Additionally, she earned two nominations at the 2008 Jägermeister AIR Awards: 'Best New Independent Artist' and 'Best Independent Hip Hop Artist'. Throughout her career, Formosa has shared stages with artists including Mystik Journeymen (US), Anticon, Hilltop Hoods, Pegz, MC Layla, Kowhai, Bliss n Eso, Scarz on 45, MC Que, TZU, Bias B, and DJ Brand (Canada).
AIR Awards
The Australian Independent Record Awards (AIR Awards) are held annually to celebrate achievements within Australia's independent music industry. |- | rowspan="2" | 2008 | A-Love | Best New Independent Artist | |- | Ace of Hearts | Best Independent Hip Hop Album | |-
Albums
- Ace of Hearts – Crookneck Records/Shogun Distribution (November 2007)
Contributions
- Get The Picture? – Draino ("Out of Place") – Puah Head Constructions (2000)
- Despite the Odds – ("Some People") – Puah Head Constructions (2000)
- Culture of Kings – Volume 2 ("Petty") – Obese Records (2002)
- Obesecity – ("Rapunzal") – Obese Records (2002)
- Straight from the Art... – ("Movin'") – Warner Music (2003)
- Straight from the Art 2 – ("Captains of...") – Warner Music (2004)
- The Enthusiast – Evil Ed ("Captains of...") – Janomi (2004)
- Beat the Hedz Vol 1 – Jase ("Sincerely Yours") – Obese Records (2006)
- Diggi Down Unda – Mystro ("The Beaches") – Grindin Records (2006)
- Good Vibrations 2008 – ("So Easy") – Universal Music (2008)