Italian rock band Modà was founded when singer Francesco Kekko Silvestre met guitarist Matteo Tino Alberti and Enrico Palmosi (who later became their arranger). Soon, Paolo Bovi, an old acquaintance of Silvestre's, came in on keyboard, and the group began playing around Milan, the city from which they all hailed. Lead guitarist Diego Arrigoni, bassist Stefano Forcella, and drummer Manuel Signoretto joined, and before long, thanks to their determination to play as many shows as they could, the band had established a local following. Modà got their break in 2003 when an artistic director from RaiUno, a major Italian television station, was in the audience at one of these shows and offered the band a chance to play on TV. They accepted, and soon after the performance, their first single, "Ti Amo Veramente," came out, followed by their full-length debut of the same name. In 2005, Modà signed with Around the Music Records, shortly after which Bovi left the band. Still, the quintet pushed ahead and released its sophomore album, Quello Che Non Ti Ho Detto, in 2006, with Palmosi taking over the keyboard duties in the studio. Two years later, the band returned with its third album, Sala D'Attesa, featuring drummer Claudio Dirani and guitarist Enrico Zapparoli in place of founding members Signoretto and Alberti. The compilation album Le Origini appeared in 2009.

In 2010, Modà signed to the Ultrasuoni label and began working with producer Brando. The following year brought them breakout success, first with a trio of Top Five singles: "Sono Già Solo," "La Notte," and "Arriverà" (the latter featured Emma). The band's album Viva i Romantici became a massive hit upon release in early 2011, reigning at number one on the Italian chart for five weeks and selling nearly half-a-million copies. Gioia followed two years later and also hit number one, thanks to the singles "Se Si Potesse Non Morire" and "Dove è Sempre Sole," the latter featuring Pau Donés from Jarabe de Palo. ~ Marisa Brown, Rovi