Gianna Nannini

She was a pioneer of female singer-songwriter music in Italy, and also of "author rock" from a female perspective. At that time (late 70s-early 80s), there was no other woman doing it (in Italy, of course); the others all came later: she had courage and was rewarded for it. After that, she may have rested a bit on her laurels, but her desire to experiment never faded (Aria, Perle).