Marco Mengoni is an Italian singer-songwriter who has become one of the most popular current artists in his country. He shot to fame in 2009 after winning the third season of the Italian version of The X-Factor. After placing third in the 2010 San Remo festival, he released his first album which went gold in Italy. The same year, he won the MTV Europe award for Best European Act, becoming the first Italian artist to receive that honor. He released his third studio album, Parole in Circolo, in early 2015, and won the MTV Europe award for Best European Act for the second time.