Giusy Ferreri is a pop singer from Italy who rose to fame with a second-place showing on the reality show X Factor. Born on April 17, 1979, in Palermo, Italy, she originally made her recording debut as Gaetana in 2005 with the largely unsuccessful single "Il Party." A few years later she auditioned for the first season of X Factor, a televised talent show that had originated in the United Kingdom, where it propelled <a href="spotify:artist:5lKZWd6HiSCLfnDGrq9RAm">Leona Lewis</a> to fame in 2006. Not only was Ferreri selected to appear on the show, she proceeded to compete strongly throughout the 12-week season, ultimately finishing runner-up behind the winner, <a href="spotify:artist:3xvGEnjMO04wq2U1QSXoRW">Aram Quartet</a>. In the wake of her strong finish on the show, she signed a recording contract with Sony BMG and released the six-song EP Non Ti Scordar Mai di Me. Both the title track (written by Italian pop star <a href="spotify:artist:11TplWqOPQBTmg2eiSLt1m">Tiziano Ferro</a>) and the EP itself were chart-topping smash hits. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi