FORBES: From Italian Publisher To Chart-Topping Duo: How Gianluca Zanna and Claudette Lyons Are Redefining Corporate Entertainment
- lu1147
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
by Mae Cornes 30 October 2025
When Gianluca Zanna pressed his ear against a contraband radio in his Italian boarding school at age 11, listening to American rock and pop through the static, he could hardly have imagined that decades later his own music would transform how corporations think about employee wellness. Yet that is exactly what has happened with “You Are My Destiny,” the chart-topping hit he created with the love of his life and musical partner, Claudette Lyons. More than a commercial success, the song represents something deeper: a love story turned into a mission to uplift and inspire workers through what the duo calls “Hypnotic Dance” music.
The Rome-born music producer and entrepreneur has reached the number one position on the NACC charts, but for Zanna and Lyons, the achievement is less about metrics and more about meaning. From his early days as the youngest music publisher at Italy’s Contatto Discografico magazine to his current status as half of a chart-topping duo, Zanna has proven that authentic love and purposeful artistry can reshape an industry.
A Love Story That Became A Movement
The most compelling aspect of Zanna and Lyons’s work lies in its foundation: a genuine love story that began through online connections and blossomed into a creative partnership with a bold vision. “You Are My Destiny” is not just another dance track engineered for commercial appeal. It is the musical embodiment of a real relationship, and that authenticity resonates in every note.
What distinguishes the duo’s work goes beyond melody and rhythm. As a professional hypnotherapist, Zanna incorporates carefully chosen words into his compositions that serve a dual purpose: entertaining listeners while simultaneously uplifting and empowering them. His goal is to give people positive emotions through music, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the corporate spaces where the duo is making its most profound impact.
Together, Zanna and Lyons have pioneered a new model for corporate entertainment. Rather than viewing their music as background noise for retail spaces, the pair sees an opportunity to transform workplace environments. Through MoodMedia’s network serving 500,000 commercial locations across 150 countries, “You Are My Destiny” now reaches workers in boardrooms, retail stores, restaurants, and commercial spaces worldwide. The song does more than fill silence. It creates an atmosphere designed to inspire, energize, and emotionally uplift employees as they navigate their workdays.
Creating A New Reality Through Performance
Performing as Luca and Claudette, the duo has pioneered what the pair calls a “Live Streaming Tour,” delivering immersive performances directly to smartphones and computers from extraordinary locations worldwide: desert landscapes, Sedona mountain peaks, waterfalls, and caves. This format represents a reimagining of what live performance can be, especially for corporate clients seeking fresh ways to engage and motivate employees.
The approach offers corporations something unprecedented: a musical show that entertains while simultaneously uplifting the spirit of workers. Rather than traditional entertainment that merely distracts, Zanna and Lyons create experiences designed to leave audiences feeling empowered and inspired. The hypnotic language woven into the lyrics works subtly to free and empower the mind, creating positive emotional shifts that extend beyond the duration of the song itself.
From Boarding School Dreams To Global Impact
The journey to this moment required decades of preparation. Before creating music that now reaches millions, Zanna navigated a winding path that included working as a bodyguard and Krav Maga military instructor to sustain his musical ambitions. “In the music business, you need those skills more than you might think,” he notes.
His breakthrough came through collaboration with award-winning multiplatinum producer Brian Reeves, whose credits include work with U2, Billy Idol, Donna Summer, and Elton John. This partnership led to the founding of Zanna Records, giving him the platform to create music on his own terms. It also positioned him to eventually meet and partner with Claudette Lyons, turning a personal love story into a professional mission.
The reunion with Claes Cornelius, the legendary A&R executive from Denmark’s Mega Records who discovered Ace of Base, adds another layer to the story. After reconnecting through Facebook in January 2024, nearly thirty years after their first meeting at MIDEM 1995, Cornelius joined the Zanna Records team. “Something clicked immediately,” Zanna recalls of that initial encounter decades ago. Now, the duo is co-writing Cornelius’s autobiography “All That I Wanted” while simultaneously crafting new material.
A Mission Beyond The Charts
From that Italian boarding school where he dreamed of America to the global airwaves now carrying his creations, Zanna has lived the immigrant dream while staying true to his artistic vision. “America gave me the chance to become who I was meant to be. But it took all those detours to give me something worth sharing,” he reflects.
Together with Claudette Lyons, Zanna is creating a new reality in corporate entertainment. The pair writes, produces, and performs music that connects with audiences on multiple levels, offering corporations a musical experience that does more than entertain. It uplifts, inspires, and empowers workers to feel something positive in environments that often prioritize productivity over emotional wellness.
Currently targeting the United States market first, then expanding into Europe, particularly Sweden, Denmark, Italy, and Germany, Zanna and Lyons are building an international presence that reflects the truly global nature of the mission. With growing recognition across multiple continents, the duo is proving that purpose-driven music can be both artistically fulfilling and commercially viable.
The boy who once dreamed of American beats now creates them. But more importantly, he and Claudette Lyons are using those beats to transform workplaces, one hypnotic dance song at a time.