Jovanotti On World Cafe

Lorenzo Cherubini, better known by his stage name Jovanotti, occupies a curious position on the pop landscape — that of the hugely successful international star who remains largely unknown to U.S. audiences. More than two decades have passed since he first broke out in his native Italy, though, and now he's making moves to do the same in the States.

Jovanotti just put out a career-spanning retrospective album called Italia 1988-2012, his first-ever U.S. release. It's a good starting point to those unfamiliar with his work, which pulls from a vast array of genres. He started out making mostly hip-hop, but later dabbled in more mainstream pop songs, Italian ballads and Latin pop.

In this World Cafe session, Jovanotti plays songs from across his career, and talks with host David Dye about his recent move to New York. Jovanotti relocated to the U.S., he says, to surround himself with the American music that has inspired him throughout his life.