Niko Cutugno, the son of the eminent Italian singer Toto Cutugno, opened up about his tumultuous childhood during a heartfelt episode of the podcast One More Time with host Luca Casadei, available since March 21, 2025. For most of his life, Niko felt like the fruit of betrayal, given that he was born from an extramarital affair, unaware of his father's identity until much later.
Born on December 16, 1989, Niko experienced an upbringing steeped in secrecy. Until the age of seven, he bore only his mother's last name and was left wondering about his heritage. The truth hit him unexpectedly when his great-grandfather revealed to him, "This is your father, he is a famous singer. He is someone everyone knows," while pointing to a magazine cover featuring Toto. The discovery of his lineage was overwhelming, introducing him to a narrative that had been kept under wraps.
Despite having a father who achieved global acclaim—selling over 100 million records—Niko described his relationship with Toto as fraught with complexity. In the podcast, he shared that his father was "extremely controlling, narcissistic, and very possessive." Such traits fostered an environment of psychological terror, where fear loomed large in their household. Niko recounted a moment from his childhood when he was in the car with Toto, and one of his father's songs played on the radio. He remembered sensing an unease, feeling that his father became almost paralyzed with fear, as if he were hiding from the truth about their relationship.
The turning point in Niko's life came when candid photos of him and Toto surfaced in the media. These images sparked a crisis, prompting Toto to confront his wife, Carla Galli, about his son. Despite the shock, Carla urged him to acknowledge Niko, drawing on her own experiences of familial secrets. As Niko recounted, "This disruption in his certainty forced him to confront not only his wife but also his entire world of work."
Once recognition was made, tentative steps were taken to rebuild their relationship. However, the shadow of Toto's controlling nature remained, making it difficult for Niko to feel fully accepted and valued. He mentioned how his father's manipulative behavior often led to a tempestuous environment, underscoring the pervasive tension that defined their interactions.
In August 2023, just months before his father passed away from complications related to prostate cancer, Niko learned of Toto's serious illness. His father’s recurrence of jaundice marked an alarming decline, and Niko was determined to be present in his father’s final moments. After Toto fell into a coma, Niko sat by his bedside, repeating a mantra of love and forgiveness: "I love you, I'm sorry, forgive me, thank you." It was in that solemn hospital room that Niko felt a momentary peace wash over him, despite the chaos surrounding his father's last breath.
Niko described, "When the last breath came, a scream of pain exploded in the room, but within me, a peace I had never experienced was released." This profound moment encapsulated their complex relationship, filled with unexpressed love, regret, and finally, closure.
In the wake of his father’s death, Niko has turned to Toto's diaries, which were bestowed upon him in 2016-2017. These manuscripts span from 1980 to 2019 and are a treasure trove of introspective thoughts, regrets, and aspirations. Niko is now in the process of crafting a book from these writings, aiming to provide the world with an insight into the man behind the public persona. He reflected on the emotional weight these documents carry, stating, "The thought that those pages were once touched by him and never opened again until now is priceless."
This narrative of hidden identities, intricate family dynamics, and the overarching shadow of a famous father is emblematic of both Niko’s struggles and triumphs. As he prepares to share his father's legacy with the world through his upcoming book, he seeks to shed light on aspects of Toto Cutugno’s life that remain unknown, thus aiming to reconcile the past with a hopeful future.