ANTONIO'S BIO - “My biggest musical influence will always be George Michael. He inspired me to create music that would touch the hearts and souls of the world”.

Antonio is a Canadian pop, R&B singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. He was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, and is of Italian descent.

Antonio started writing and recording songs at the early age of thirteen, when his first lyrical inspiration, came from a poem he had written for a girl he met in Italy. His cousin an inspiring musician, encouraged him to transpose the poem into a song, and record it on his 4-track studio. Impressed by Antonio’s vast vocal range, his cousin pitched the idea for him to further pursue his musical talents.

Growing up in the mid 80’s, Antonio was enamoured with sounds of dance pop-culture and R&B tracks. He was heavily influenced by the British pop icon George Michael, with his infectious dance hits and sultry ballads. Antonio quickly aspired to make his own mark in the music industry as a pop artist. He applied to the well renowned Jazz Music Program at Humber College in Toronto.

During his audition he performed “Faith” and “All of Me” to showcase his versatility as an artist. Even without any prior musical theory, the Professor conducting the audition was impressed by his raw talent. She accepted Antonio into the program under the condition he must complete one year of music preparatory theory to broaden his musicality. It was here where Antonio refined his song writing skills, enhanced his sound, and self-taught himself to play piano. With his charismatic personality, and epic vocals, Antonio began to market his talents, by singing at local karaoke bars. It was by mere chance one night, while covering a George Michael track, he caught the attention of a record producer in the audience. That was the moment Antonio’s professional music career began.

In 1996 he was signed to Captain Records, where he collaborated with record producer Marc Pompeo and Richard Klosa to release his first single, a dance remake of his favorite song “Father Figure” by George Michael. The song quickly exploded onto radio dance waves and gained immense popularity with audiences both in Canada and the U.S. Antonio performed the song both on air and in large concert venues of 5000 plus, touring from Toronto to Dallas, San Antonio, Chicago, Buffalo, Detroit, Rochester, Montreal, Miami and San Jose California. He also performed in Italy on separate occasions for “La Piu Bella Del Mondo” beauty pageant.
With his uncanny vocal similarities, he was in awe to find out when his musical idol George Michael requested a copy of the single. In 1998 Antonio released his second single “Give Me The Nite”, and then a follow up dance track “Reach For The Sky” in 2002. Antonio stepped away from the music industry to focus his attention on his family and raising his daughter. In 2011 he collaborated with Stereo Martini and released the pop single “A Little Closer”.
Over the years, Antonio has performed with such greats as Grammy award winning Producer/D.J. Hex Hector, Rockell, Max a Million, Stevie B., Sass Jordan, Emjay, shared the stage with Marianna’s Trench and Karl Wolf.
Antonio’s high-energy and passion can be seen during his live performances which is his trademark. Antonio often states, “Being on stage is my euphoric high”

In 2019, Antonio is excited to release his brand-new pop single “Someone Just Like You”. The song has an eclectic blend of dance, 80’s retro, with a disco vibe and captures the essence of finding that one true love that everyone yearns for.

Antonio is making an exciting transition from his original music career to becoming a premier George Michael tribute artist. Long inspired by the British icon—whom he cites as his biggest musical influence since childhood—Antonio has built a devoted following with his heartfelt originals and high-energy live performances.

Now, he’s channeling that passion into the premiere of “MAKE IT BIG” a full-scale George Michael tribute show featuring his soulful vocal resemblance, charisma, and a world-class 9 piece live band performing Wham! and solo classics like “Careless Whisper,” “Faith,” and “Father Figure” This evolution allows him to celebrate his idol while bringing the magic of George Michael’s music to new audiences in a dynamic, immersive experience.

ANTONIO'S WEBSITE - https://antoniodidiano.com/