Rina Ketty (1 March 1911 – 23 December 1996), whose real name was Cesarina Picchetto, was an Italian singer. She is best known for singing the legendary song "J'attendrai," which became a huge hit during World War II and was appreciated by Allied soldiers and Axis soldiers alike (equalled only by Lale Andersen's "Lili Marleen" and perhaps by Vera Lynn's "We'll Meet Again").
Often thought to have been born in Turin, Cesarina Picchetto was actually born in Sarzana, a small village in Liguria, on 1 March 1911. In the 1930s, she went to Paris to meet up with her aunts, where she became enthralled by the artist communities of Montmartre.
Ketty began singing in 1934 in the Lapin Agile cabaret with songs by Paul Delmet, Gaston Couté, Théodore Botrel, and Yvette Guilbert. In 1936, she recorded her first songs (on the French Pathé Records label): "La Madone aux fleurs", "Près de Naples la jolie" and "Si tu reviens". None of these songs achieved wide acclaim.
