Born in Fermo, Le Marche, Italy, on November 11, 1970, Tania Montelpare, who would later go on to perform as Lighea, the name of a mythological siren, knew she wanted to sing at an early age. In 1993 she met a local producer who suggested that she participate in the Festival di Castrocaro, also called the Festival of New Voices, held in nearby Emilia-Romagna. She won with her song "Siamo Noi Quelli Sbagliati," and finished among the Top Ten in the "New Artists" section of the San Remo Festival that year. In 1994, her debut, Non Siamo Eroi, was released, followed the next year by Lighea and Impara a Dire No in 1996. During the next decade, Lighea performed in various musicals and recorded with other artists, including Gaetano Curreri, but she returned to her solo career with Tania, which came out in 2006.