Paolo Andrea Di Pietro (born November 8, 1986), also known mononymously in Japan as Paolo (Japanese: パオロ), is an Italian singer and actor living and working in Japan (Gaikokujin tarento).[1] He has appeared in a variety of Japanese commercials, TV shows and films. He also lent his singing voice to anime and video game soundtracks of internationally known franchises such as Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Genshin Impact and My Hero Academia.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
Paolo Andrea Di Pietro | |
|---|---|
 Di Pietro in September 2021 | |
| Born | November 8, 1986 |
| Other names | Paolo Paolo Di Pietro |
| Education | |
| Occupations | Tarento, Actor, Singer, Lyricist |
| Website | https://www.instagram.com/paolojapan/ |
Early life
editHe was born on November 8, 1986, in Milan. He started studying guitar at the age of 10 and singing at the age of 16. In 2006, he began studying opera at the Milan Conservatory. He also attended the University of Milan majoring in English and Japanese studies, including language and culture. He graduated from the same university and moved to Japan in 2014.[1]
Career
editAs an opera singer
editUnder the guidance of the tenor Angelo Lo Forese and the bass Bonaldo Giaiotti he won his first vocal competition in 2012 and had his operatic debut in the same year as the title role in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro.[9] In 2013 he performed the role of Daland from Wagner's The Flying Dutchman in over 20 famous Italian theaters, such as Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti and Teatro Comunale di Bologna. In 2015 he had his operatic debut in Japan as Colline in Puccini's La bohème for the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs.[10] In 2019 he performed for the first time in the United States, at Carnegie Hall in New York City.[11]
As a TV personality, actor and recording artist
editIn 2018 he passed the audition for the Japanese TV Commercial for a product called AirPay by Recruit, acting beside Joe Odagiri. The comedic commercial, his first on screen job, soon went viral in Japan and became a still ongoing series.[1] In 2019 he appeared in episodes 31 and 32 of the TV Program KAT-TUN no Sekai Ichi Tame ni Naru Tabi Plus on the Paravi streaming service and once the program moved to TBS Television, he became a regular guest until the program ended in 2021.[12] In 2020 he performed the singing role of the "Ketchup Demon" next to Naomi Watanabe and Yūki Iwai from Haraichi in the live comedy program Owarai no Hi - Oto Neta Fes, the character went viral on Japanese Twitter, reaching rank 1 in Twitter trends.[13] Currently, he is active as an actor, voice actor, narrator, musician and lyricist in various media such as TV commercials, TV shows, movies, anime and video games.[6][14][15]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Memoirs of a Murderer | Opera Singer | Performance of Non più andrai |
| 2023 | We're Millennials. Got a Problem?: The Movie | Achille | |
| 2025 | Stigmatized Properties: Possession | Soundtrack vocals | |
| Rental Family[16] | Handsome Actor |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Two Homelands | Ronnie | TV special |
| NEWS MORNING SATELLITE - Totsuzen Desu ga Pinchi desu | Bruno Rossi | Season 3, episodes 12 & 13 | |
| Time Limit Investigator (Jikō Keisatsu) | FBI Colleague | Season 3, episode 6 | |
| 2020 | Yell | Singer | Episode 1 |
| Peep Time | R. Bruce (Baseball Player) | Episode 5 | |
| 2021 | She Was Pretty (Kanojo wa Kirei Datta) | James Taylor | Episode 5 |
| 2022 | Sensuikan Cappellini-gō no Bōken | Angelo | TV special, main cast[17][18][5] |
| Maison Häagen-Dazs: 8 Happy Stories | Bear | Voice, regular main cast[19] | |
| Game Of Spy | The Man with the Eyepatch | Episode 1[20] | |
| AIBOU: Tokyo Detective Duo | TV Panelist | Season 21, episode 1 | |
| Businessman Thomas | Harold | Episode 3[21] | |
| 2024 | Nevertheless: The Shapes of Love | Nick | Episode 3 |
| 2025 | Zaibatsu Fukushū | Masayuki Ise's Business Partner | Episode 7 |
| Tokyo Holiday | Richard | Regular main cast | |
| Queen of Mars | Shopkeeper | Recurring cast |
Anime
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | BBK/BRNK: The Gentle Giants of the Galaxy | Insert song "Liberetto", lyrics and soundtrack vocals | |
| 2018 | Overlord II | Soundtrack vocals | |
| Overlord III | Soundtrack vocals | ||
| 2020-2022 | Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai | Insert songs "Vearn, The Dark King", “Vearn, the True Dark King”, “Sovereign Supreme”, “Absolute Strength - The Way of Combat” | |
| 2021 | Otoppe | Ending song "Bonso Waltz"[22] | |
| 2022 | Thermae Romae Novae | Opening song "Tōgyūshi no Uta: Onsen Manner no Aria",[23] lyrics for opening and all insert songs, Latin language supervision[24] | |
| Overlord IV | Soundtrack vocals | ||
| Cardfight!! Vanguard will+Dress | Episode 11 insert song "Into the Cemetery" | ||
| 2023 | Dead Mount Death Play | Soundtrack vocals | |
| 2025 | Kamitsubaki City Under Construction | Soundtrack vocals | |
| 2026 | Daemons of the Shadow Realm | Soundtrack vocals | |
| The Drops of God | Episode 1 special opening song "La Vita in Rosso" | ||
| Dragon Striker | Soundtrack vocals |
Anime movies
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Saga of Tanya the Evil: The Movie | Soundtrack vocals | |
| 2021 | Knights of Sidonia: Love Woven in the Stars | Soundtrack vocals | |
| 2024 | My Hero Academia: You're Next | Insert song "Gollini -Admire-", soundtrack vocals | |
| Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom | Soundtrack vocals | ||
| 2025 | Tōi-san wa Seishun Shitai! "Baka to SmaPho to Romance to" | Soundtrack vocals |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Honor of Kings | Insert song "Brethren of Blades" (duet with Remi Tanaka) | |
| A Certain Magical Index: Imaginary Fest | Italian Assassin | ||
| 2021 | Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade[3] | Insert songs "The Happy Turtle Jingle ft. Old Snapper"[4] and "Extravagant Turtle Flyer Fanfare", soundtrack vocals | |
| 2022 | Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster[25] | Draco | French and Italian vocals |
| 2023 | Genshin Impact | Promotional song “Polumnia Omnia (Performance Version)” | |
| 2024 | Final Fantasy VII Rebirth | Insert song “With Pain and Spite Made Black”, Latin translation | |
| ORE’N | Insert song "Demon God Smirnoff's Theme" and others, soundtrack vocals | ||
| eFootball | Motion capture | ||
| 2025 | Blue Protocol: Star Resonance | Insert song "Denvel Final Boss Fight - Last Phase" | |
| Pacific Drive: Whispers in the Woods | Main theme "The Harmonic Fellowship"[26] | ||
| The Outer Worlds 2 | Insert song "Resolute" (trio with John Robert Matz and Laura Intravia), soundtrack vocals |
Music videos
edit| Year | Title | Artist | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | DVD "Himitsu" | Polkadot Stingray | Foreigner who loves Samurai | Direct to video short film |
| 2019 | Night Groovin' | QoN | Main actor | |
| DVD/STAGE VIDEO "LIVE TOUR 2019 ~XV~" | TVXQ | Danny's Father, Bass Player | Short film used in live tour | |
| Ai Dake Ga Subete / What Do You Want? (Mitazono Version) | Hey! Say! JUMP | Guitarist | ||
| 2021 | Helpless Romantic | Ken Yokoyama | Main actor | |
| 2023 | Polumnia Omnia (Performance Version) | HoYoverse / HOYO-MiX | Main singer | Genshin Impact Sumeru Vol. 2 OST Album Promotional MV |
| Genshin Concert 2023 - Melodies of an Endless Journey - Scenic Vistas | Singer of Polumnia Omnia | Online Concert | ||
| Genshin Concert Tour - Melodies of an Endless Journey | Singer of Rhapsodia Roscida and Polumnia Omnia | Live concert, filmed in Osaka |
References
edit- 1 2 3 "日本の強みは「シンクレティズム」にあり――異色のオペラ歌手 パオロが見た日本" (in Japanese). Recruit (company). Retrieved October 30, 2025.
- ↑ "VGMdb Paolo Andrea Di Pietro". Video Game Music and Anime Soundtrack Database.
- 1 2 "鈴木週報 レコーディング日報" (in Japanese). Square Enix. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
- 1 2 "FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE SONICWIRE SPECIAL INTERVIEW". Sonicwire (in Japanese). Retrieved November 12, 2021.
- 1 2 "イタリア人に恋愛相談したら回答が痛快すぎた！ドラマ『潜水艦カッペリーニ号の冒険』出演者３人に僕らの悩みを聞いてみた" (in Japanese). Men's Non-no, Shueisha. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- 1 2 "Final Fantasy VI's Paolo Andrea Di Pietro Interview". RPGamer. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
- ↑ "The Classically Trained Opera Singer Behind Your Favorite Video Game Scores". Tokyo Weekender. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ↑ "ゼロからのオペラ入門" (PDF). 日経REVIVE 臨時号4 (in Japanese). Nikkei, Inc. April 20, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
- ↑ "Concorso Internazionale di Canto Lirico Clinica Cappellin - Vincitori edizioni precedenti" (in Italian). Archived from the original on June 16, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ "Italia, amore mio! Guest performers". Italian Chamber of Commerce in Japan. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ↑ "The Ibla Foundation Presents International Competition Winners At Carnegie Hall". Broadway World. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ↑ "パオロのTV出演情報" (in Japanese). Japan: Oricon. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ↑ "「お笑いの日」突如現れた"ケチャップの魔人"はあの人だった" (in Japanese). Japan: modelpress. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ↑ "REMIX - Paolo Andrea Di Pietro パオロ" (in Japanese). Japan: REMIX (Talent Agency). Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ↑ "パオロ(Paolo)のプロフィール" (in Japanese). Japan: JunesModels (Talent Agency). Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ↑ "Rental Family Theatrical Trailer Available Now Disney+". Disney. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ↑ "愛希れいか：元宝塚トップ娘役が民放ドラマ初出演 「潜水艦カッペリーニ号の冒険」で二宮和也の思い人に". Mantan Web (in Japanese). November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
- ↑ "愛希れいかが新春ドラマで二宮和也の思い人に、イタリア人キャストも発表". Eiga Natalie (in Japanese). November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
- ↑ "平手友梨奈主演、日常の「ちょっとした幸せ」をテーマにハーゲンダッツが仕掛け満載のWEBドラマを公開". AdverTimes (in Japanese). Retrieved January 27, 2022.
- ↑ "Paolo (パオロ）AMAZON PRIME VIDEO ドラマ「GAME OF SPY」". FACE Agency. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ↑ "『きかんしゃトーマス』が実写ドラマに アニメリニューアル記念し「サラリーマントーマス」公開". AdverTimes (in Japanese). Retrieved November 25, 2022.
- ↑ "パオロ、「ボンソワルツ」を配信開始". Tunecore (in Japanese).
- ↑ "Thermae Romae Novae Anime Posts Title Sequence With Opening Song". Anime News Network. March 15, 2022.
- ↑ 川﨑龍 Ryo Kawasaki [@pmdjpmdj3] (April 8, 2022). "And, he is the "Toréador", Paolo Andrea Di Pietro!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ↑ "FINAL FANTASY VI PIXEL REMASTER ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK". Square Enix.
- ↑ Will Roget [@WilbertRoget] (November 14, 2025). "My OST to the #PacificDrive Whispers in the Woods DLC is now out on Steam! Check out this preview of the main theme, "The Harmonic Fellowship", featuring vocals by @paoloadp !" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
External links
edit- Paolo Andrea Di Pietro at IMDb
- Paolo Andrea Di Pietro at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Discography at VGMdb