Between “Disco Insects” and Aerobics,1980s Showgirl Heather Parisi Made Two Concept Albums.

How an American ballerina brought disco into the hearts of Italian adults and kids alike.

If the 1970s were the decade of Raffaella Carrà, who stood out among her peers for the way she could sing, dance, and host an entire tv show, by the time time the 1970s rolled into the 1980s, Italian tv was eager to replicate Carrà’s unique formula—even though Carrà would still hold her fort. One of the main contenders was the Los-Angeles-born Heather Parisi.

The American-born Heather Parisi ended up becoming one of the most prominent faces of Italy’s variety-show panorama, which meant that, of course, she also released a number of disco-infused albums. 

Her first is the 1979 single Disco Bambina an ode to discothèques as a place of unbridled self expression. The upbeat rhythm, coupled with Parisi’s high-pitched, crystalline voice perfectly showcased the way the more soul-inflected, 1970s disco music was giving way to the synth-heavy and futuristic 1980s disco music.