ABOUT
Francesco Paolo Riotta (Palermo, 4 February 1984), known by the pseudonym Sisé Kolombalì, is a Sicilian singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has composed various songs that highlight social, economic, cultural, and political aspects through a cheerful and wistful musical language.
In 2018, he passed the audition organized by Red Ronnie to play with Chris Obhei on stage at the New Year's show in Palermo, and in the same year, two songs composed with his sister Sista Tita ("Famiglia del sud") were included in the soundtrack of some Italian cinema productions: "Va tutto bene" in "La fuitina sbagliata" by I soldi spicci and "Ballarò" in "Effatà Road" by Martino Lo Cascio.
He started to play the guitar when he was 13 years old, thanks to his father, and then his family supported him to take his first steps in different musical events in Palermo.
During his youth, his passion for music and deep interest in Africa led him to live in the intercultural neighborhood of Ballarò and Piazza Santa Chiara in the historical center of Palermo. The foreign communities introduced him to an interesting mix between tradition and interculturality, and in this context, his music absorbed different musical influences: reggae, afro, ska, and Sicilian music.
In 2007, he formed "La Famiglia del sud" with his sister Sista Tita, and they set up the EP (Sisé Kolombalì & Sista Tita 2009) and the album (Meglio Tardi che mai 2016). They have performed in Italy and abroad.
According to the "La Famiglia del sud" project, he began to play as a solo singer in different European cities since 2009. He met many artists, spending long periods abroad for study or work reasons, and discovered unknown musical realities everywhere he went. In this way, he performed in France, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Turkey. Nowadays, Francesco is working on his first solo album and recording in Palermo, Genova, Savigliano (Italy), Paris (France), Lisbon (Portugal), Thessaloniki (Greece), and Marinaleda (Spain), cooperating with different African and European musicians.
In 2018, he passed the audition organized by Red Ronnie to play with Chris Obhei on stage at the New Year's show in Palermo, and in the same year, two songs composed with his sister Sista Tita ("Famiglia del sud") were included in the soundtrack of some Italian cinema productions: "Va tutto bene" in "La fuitina sbagliata" by I soldi spicci and "Ballarò" in "Effatà Road" by Martino Lo Cascio.
He started to play the guitar when he was 13 years old, thanks to his father, and then his family supported him to take his first steps in different musical events in Palermo.
During his youth, his passion for music and deep interest in Africa led him to live in the intercultural neighborhood of Ballarò and Piazza Santa Chiara in the historical center of Palermo. The foreign communities introduced him to an interesting mix between tradition and interculturality, and in this context, his music absorbed different musical influences: reggae, afro, ska, and Sicilian music.
In 2007, he formed "La Famiglia del sud" with his sister Sista Tita, and they set up the EP (Sisé Kolombalì & Sista Tita 2009) and the album (Meglio Tardi che mai 2016). They have performed in Italy and abroad.
According to the "La Famiglia del sud" project, he began to play as a solo singer in different European cities since 2009. He met many artists, spending long periods abroad for study or work reasons, and discovered unknown musical realities everywhere he went. In this way, he performed in France, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Turkey. Nowadays, Francesco is working on his first solo album and recording in Palermo, Genova, Savigliano (Italy), Paris (France), Lisbon (Portugal), Thessaloniki (Greece), and Marinaleda (Spain), cooperating with different African and European musicians.
