Dario Faini, born in 1976 and known professionally as Dardust or DRD, is an acclaimed Italian songwriter, producer, and pianist. He is recognized for creating hits for major Italian artists, including Marco Mengoni, Emma, Annalisa, and Elodie, among others. Dardust gained international attention as the co-writer and co-producer of “Soldi” by Mahmood, a song that won the 2019 Sanremo Music Festival and achieved success across Europe after finishing second at Eurovision. As a solo artist, Dardust has released a trilogy of instrumental albums and produced popular singles like “Calipso” and “Defuera.” He has also made notable appearances at the Eurovision Song Contest, both as a performer and composer. His recent works include co-authoring “La noia,” the Sanremo 2024 winning song performed by Angelina Mango, and “Fighter,” Luxembourg’s entry at Eurovision 2024.