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It doesn’t take long to understand that Rose Villain is an artist who is truly interested in what she talks about. Above all, she wants to know who is in front of her – be it her make-up artist, a member of her team, her press office or the bartender. She is a passionate artist who takes care of her music down to the smallest detail and is also a girl with empathy and a good dose of irony. That doesn’t hurt, especially when dealing with topics that can turn out to be traps of banality.
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The 35-year-old Rosa Luini from Milan is enjoying a big turning point in her career thanks to her participation in the 2024 Sanremo Festival, her presence in the Netflix talent show Nuova Scena as a judge and the release of her new album, Radio Sakura, which includes the single “Come un Tuono” feat. Guè, currently at No. 1 on Italy’s singles chart.
Rose Villain has never stopped expressing her opinion on the topics of environmental sustainability and gender inequality. Having lived and studied in the United States — where she likes to return whenever she can — has also contributed to her vision of the world.
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The new issue of Billboard Italy is dedicated to the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The 17 goals of the program are all fundamental, but do you think there is one that you are most attached to?
I am very sensitive to the topic of environmental sustainability. This is why years ago I decided to become vegan. I started from a need related to health, also due to my family history. I had read Michael Greger’s book How Not to Die, which explains in a simple and clear way the impact of meat farming on our environment. Then I started watching documentaries that showed in an even more shocking way the cruelty to which we subject animals. I feel like my life has really improved since becoming vegan, because I feel like I’m doing something for others every day. I notice that when we have dinner with friends, we now talk a lot about the environment, because everyone is worried. But at the beginning I was much more aggressive when I spoke out about these issues.
And now?
I understood that you achieve much more when you explain things calmly and delicately. When it comes to gender equality, for example, if we women attack, then men will retreat. Sometimes in the past I got so angry that I even cried. Now I realize that I have a duty to speak my mind. I try first to inform myself well and then pass the message on.
Do people ask you the classic question “why vegan — wasn’t being vegetarian enough?”
It’s totally different, because even the milk or egg industries pollute as much as the meat industry. The only thing that changes is the killing practice. But it is also absurd cruelty to remove the calf from the cows to have their milk, after they have been made pregnant specifically for that. However, I consider myself an imperfect vegan. I try to do my best, but if I’m on tour and if there’s no alternative, I also eat a croissant with butter. However, vegan food will be the diet of the future. That’s for sure.
Would you like to do more for the environmental sustainability of music and concerts?
Billie Eilish is making vinyl from recycled plastic. I would like to follow her example, also because she is a great inspiration: she is very young and vegan. For tours, I try to participate in green festivals, but the problem is travel. For my part, I try to prefer the train to the plane, whenever possible.
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Coldplay also try to reduce their carbon footprint while touring. You will be opening their shows in Rome in July.
Songs like “Fix You” and “Yellow” were part of my youth, like that of many other people. Who hasn’t listened to them after a breakup? Having been chosen by them to open their concerts still seems incredible to me. I also like the fact that for this tour they always chose women as opening acts.
They like to meet the opening acts when they can. What would you ask Chris Martin?
I would ask him for a featuring right away! I’m joking… I would like to ask him what the key is to remain an artist for so long, how he has retained his audience. In other words, the secret of their artistic immortality.
Going back to the initial question, is the issue of environmental sustainability the one that is closest to your heart among the goals of the 2030 Agenda?
You know what the fundamental goal is that I believe summarizes all the others? Attention for others. If we were all less self-centered, it would be a better world. Few things are needed: kindness, attention, and education. At school they should also teach how to treat women, nutrition and above all respect for others.
You have been fighting for years on the topic of gender inequality. Do you see improvements in the music industry?
Yes. We must thank the American rappers, who have cleared a free narrative, even about sex, expressing themselves as they want. This trend is also arriving in Italy. Let’s take for example Elodie, who during the tour danced as if she were on a cube in the disco. She was criticized but probably didn’t care. Annalisa, same thing. I think there is nothing more beautiful than a woman who feels free to behave as she wants. In my opinion we women are now much more united.
Have you witnessed any abuse?
Sure. A form of pressure that I can’t stand is having to dress sexy. It literally drives me crazy. I also saw it in America. I remember the CEOs who hit on me when I was only 20 years old. We need to learn to say a firm no. But many things have improved since #MeToo, fortunately.
As a child, did you dream of becoming more of a pop star or rapper?
Absolutely a pop star! My myth was (and is) Madonna, who is definitely multifaceted. And The Weeknd is the greatest pop star of our time, in my opinion.
Is there a genre you would focus on?
I love rock. But I think I range a lot in my albums, especially in Radio Sakura, where there are bachata, punk, country and electronica. I don’t want to choose a single genre for a concept album. I want to do everything I like.
Nude pictures of you created with artificial intelligence have circulated on the internet. Does progress sometimes scare you?
A.I. is certainly important. It could help solve many problems or discover new cures for diseases that are now incurable. But it must be regulated in a very strict and precise manner. I also fear that they might use my voice to create videos where they make me say horrible things.
If you had children one day, what would you fear for them?
That they live in a country at war and totally inhospitable, with an out-of-control climate. I would like to have children, precisely to tell them: “You must fight to save the planet.” But Gen Z is very aware, I really trust them.
Ignazio Boschetto, Gianluca Ginoble and Piero Barone joke about 3 Body Problem, the Netflix series that everyone is watching and talking about. The comparison between them and the three planets comes naturally, also because Il Volo’s new album, Ad Astra, talks about stars and human fragility. The unsolved astrophysics problem that the series talks about is the difficulty of accurately predicting the way in which the three planets move, as well as the evolution of the system they constitute. Il Volo also shows a notable evolution with this new album, released on March 29.
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After 15 years of career and 13 albums, in Ad Astra, Il Volo for the first time decided to interpret original songs written for them by some of the most important Italian songwriters and producers (except for the cover of “Who Wants To Live Forever” by Queen): Michelangelo, Federica Abbate, Edwyn Roberts, Michael Tenisci, Stefano Marletta, Federico Nardelli, Luca Faraone and Bungaro.
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But it’s just the beginning. On April 20, their new world tour will start from China and then move to Japan. It will then touch the main European capitals in autumn and will arrive in the USA, Canada and Latin America in 2025.
Billboard Italy met them on a rainy morning at the end of March in Milan. They joke with each other from the start, except when they reflect on what their music means to their audience.
What determined this change of approach?
Gianluca: After great projects in recent years, especially the tribute to Ennio Morricone, we thought the time had come to sing original songs. We wanted to try to be ourselves 100%. Being an interpreter is great, but singing your own songs is a completely different thing. The songwriters got to know us personally because they came to our concerts. We tried to make a real concept album, very diverse, with an intro and an outro. The album perfectly reflects who we are. Well, some songs reflect one or the other of us in particular. We want to demonstrate that diversity is our strength.
Which song represents each of you the most?
Ignazio: I’d rather say which songs I would listen to every day: “Succede,” “L’infinito,” “Il Mondo all’Incontrario.” I don’t know which one represents me the most. Gianluca: My favorites are “Capolavoro,” “Frammenti di Universo” and “Ad Astra,” with that Genesis-style progressive suite and its theatrical and cinematographic inspiration.
Piero: I too would say “Ad Astra,” then “Saturno e Venere” featuring Irama. We immediately got on well in the studio with him, despite coming from different worlds, and we saw the way he writes his songs. Irama thinks of the melody first, then the words come. It was very fascinating to watch him at work. I also really love “Opera” for the message it sends: try to live your days without thinking too much about tomorrow. It is in small gestures that we must seek happiness.
What’s the most important message you would like to convey to young people who feel under pressure?
Piero: Always look for enthusiasm in what you do, always persevere by pursuing your passions, without putting money first.
Gianluca: I’d say the meaning of the Latin expression “Per aspera ad astra” [“to the stars, through difficulties”]: you cannot achieve great results if you don’t sacrifice yourself. The main problem for young people, but also for adults, is not knowing themselves enough. That way, you don’t feel a sense of purpose.
What kept you together for so long?
Ignazio: We could say the love for music, but that would be too obvious. It is the awareness that our strength lies in our unity and our diversity. As soloists we would never be the same.
Do you feel respected by other artists?
Piero: Things have changed over time: at the beginning we were just newcomers who had signed a contract in the United States, then we made ourselves known. The best answer was the “Tutti per uno” concert at the Verona Arena, with all the artists who wanted to participate. At the beginning it wasn’t easy for them to want to sing with us, but what could they do? There are already three of us and ours is a completely different genre from that of the other singers. But with “Tutti per uno” everyone was able to express themselves as they wanted and it was much simpler. This year too we already have many confirmations for the four night at the Verona Arena in May.
What is the most significant international tour you have done?
Piero: Definitely Japan, where we’ll be returning in a few weeks. We can’t wait. Our music genre gave us the opportunity to have unique, unrepeatable experiences. Last year they wanted us for the inauguration of the Kiyomizu-dera temple in Kyoto, a world heritage site immersed in a forest. We sang between the columns, dressed in white. The emotion was indescribable. Japan is a destination that we recommend to everyone: it showed us how we should behave, always. Respect for others, even for strangers, is an essential value there.
You said that at one of your concerts you initially thought the audience had fallen asleep.
Ignazio: The Japanese close their eyes to concentrate. At the end, however, everyone gets up and wants to come and say hello on stage – strictly waiting for the right moment, of course. Even the way of clapping is different, it’s quieter.
What have been the biggest sacrifices of these 15 years?
Gianluca: Sacrifices are constant, especially in terms of homesickness, despite we do what we love most. There were moments when we didn’t know what to do, like the year before we won Sanremo. In 2014 we kept changing record companies and didn’t know which path to take. With this new album we want to show who we are even more.
And the best moments?
Gianluca: There are many. The victory of Sanremo 2015, the tour with Barbra Streisand, the “We Are The World for Haiti” concert in 2010. But this last edition of Sanremo was also a way to show how much we have grown as artists.
What’s the most unexpected feature you would like to have in one of your songs?
Piero: Lazza, also because he’s very good at playing piano.
Annalisa arrives at the appointment in high boots and a black tracksuit with the hood pulled over her head. She enters the headquarters of her record company, Warner Music Italy, trying not to be recognized by anyone. She comes out in a D&G sporty tracksuit and heeled boots, with perfectly combed red hair and impeccable makeup. She has a bit of fever but one couldn’t tell.
This is Annalisa. Confident, professional, a perfectionist. In Italy she achieved exceptional results: 36 platinum records, in 2023 she stayed ten consecutive weeks in the top 10 of the singles chart and was the only female solo artist in the annual top 10. At Sanremo 2024 she finished third with her song “Sincerely,” which followed a particularly successful period of her career that began in September 2022 with the single “Bellissima.” This period was characterized by a more electronic sound, accompanied by freer and sexier image and lyrics.
After the Global Force Award she received at Billboard Women in Music 2024, honored by Billboard Italy, it’s time to fully understand Annalisa (born in 1985 in Carcare, Liguria), going back to her beginnings. She has a degree in physics, but did she ever think about a career in that field? “Never. I’ve always wanted to pursue a career in music, ever since I was a little child,” she says. “I grew up in a small town and my parents are two very rigorous people, both teachers. They pushed me to look for a plan B. They always supported me, but with realism.”
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Is physics close to music somehow?
I liked it a lot, although I could have chosen to study something more related to music. But I needed an alternative. There are connections with music, of course, otherwise I wouldn’t have liked it so much: first of all, the fact that it leads you to analyse what’s in front of you. I do it a lot, starting from myself and my sensations. This is how my creative process was born. I always asked myself a lot of questions.
When did you realize you had an innate sense for music?
Since I was two or three years old, because I always sang and was always the first to throw myself into all the school plays. I think it’s also genetic. My mom teaches English but also plays music and sings beautifully. Among her relatives there are many musicians, but no one has ever made it a profession.
You said that all your songs, even the happy ones, are born from doubts and questions. Can you give us an example? It’s definitely not the case of “Sincerely,” because those lyrics aren’t particularly cheerful.
No… [laughs] That’s a song full of shadows but dressed up to seem shiny – a bit like me. An example is “Mon Amour,” because it was born from many questions: why can’t we be as free as we want, in love and in the rest our lives? Why should people judge the others if this freedom doesn’t even concern them? I believe that the goal of music, especially pop, is to instill doubts and convey messages with simplicity and lightness.
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Has that happened to you or is it something you feel like doing for what you see around you?
It’s more about seeing what happens to others, although each of us has felt limited and judged for something at some point.
Has the theme of freedom always been fundamental for you, or has it acquired more importance in the last period, from “Mon Amour” onwards?
I’ve always held it dear, but it emerged more from that song onwards. With the work in the studio in recent years I have learned to bring it out at its fullest.
Is it the cause you feel like fighting for the most?
Yes, I prefer to talk about a broad topic like freedom because everything comes from there – even wars and oppression. From the freedom to experience sexuality as one wants, one arrives at the freedom to live in a country without being oppressed.
It is known that you are never satisfied with the results you obtain. What would you have done differently in this last period?
I always think I could have handled situations better and I could have done more on stage, in general. I think I could have rested an hour more, so I would have been more effective, like for interviews. At the Sanremo Festival, for example, things are always exaggerated. Those are tiring days. Almost a month has passed and I’m still trying to recover, but I already have to focus on my future plans.
Annalisa
Nicholas Foals/Billboard Italy
Do you already have ideas for the tour?
Of course. I will soon start the rehearsals with the dancers. Then I’ll return to the recording studio as soon as possible. I always take note of my ideas because I want to be ready.
Do you want to involve some new producers or songwriters?
No, I have a team I have always worked with, namely Paolo Antonacci and Davide Simonetta. With them I created some magic, it is a rare and precious gift. The main point of the songs is that they have to be true. Sometimes, if there isn’t a relationship as strong as ours, they are not. They can be beautiful but perhaps won’t last over time.
What songs from the past are light and deep at the same time?
Nada’s “Amore Disperato”: light but eternal. Loretta Goggi’s “Maledetta Primavera”: we all sing it when we hear it. All Raffaella Carrà’s songs, which always have a message. This is the history of Italian music.
How much do the places where you live – Milan, Genoa and Carcare – influence you?
Milan is the city of music: it is essential to be there. Even though many people today say it can be dangerous, I like living in a buzzy neighborhood where things happen. Genoa is also a city of lights and shadows, even more than Milan. It has incredible places of tradition and history, but also unsafe alleys. And then there is the sea. For me it is a poetic place, of great inspiration. Most of my musical ideas are born there. I must also mention Savona. It is a seaside city, smaller, but it lacks nothing. It’s not rough like Genoa, it’s simpler. There I had my first musical experiences, I participated in the first music contests with my band. And then there is my hometown, Carcare.
You were the only female solo artist included in the top 10 of the most successful singles in 2023 in Italy. The female presence is always small and is a symptom of a much broader problem within the music industry: that of violence, which is not only physical but it is also psychological, economic, of exclusion and abuse. Has this ever happened to you?
I have never suffered harassment of any kind, fortunately. What I can denounce is the immense effort to gain credibility. There continue to be preconceptions about what is considered suitable for a woman or for a man. However, with a bit of pride I can say that I have seen some things change since I started.
Is there more awareness?
I believe that the effort that I and my generation made is useful to the next one – the effort to make others accept the fact that I write songs myself or that I judge things from a technical point of view. Little by little these prejudices will be overcome.
Are there any younger artists you particularly like?
Madame. I appreciate her credibility and the technical aspects of his work. I hope she passes the baton to those who will come after her.
Annalisa
Nicholas Foals/Billboard Italy
In 2023, the Italian market of recorded music grew by 18.8% YoY, reaching a total of 440 million euros of revenues, according to FIMI (Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana), the organization that represents the Italian recorded music industry. It is the best result ever in the country in the streaming era. Italy is the third biggest market of the European Union, after France and Germany.
It is also one of the most significant growths on a global level, where IFPI reports an increase of 10.2% YoY, reaching 28.6 billion dollars and marking the ninth consecutive year of growth, as per their Global Music Report published today (Mar. 21).
In Italy, like elsewhere in the world, the sector was driven by streaming: it now covers a market share of 65% and its revenues grew by 16.2%, reaching 287 million euros. Premium subscribers reached 6.5 million users (+9% compared to the previous year). The premium segment led the streaming sector, with a growth of 18.4% and 190 million euros in revenues. Overall, the digital segment saw a growth of 15.7%. Only downloads decreased in the segment (-11.8% YoY).
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The physical segment also recorded a growth, positioning Italy as the eighth market worldwide. With revenues of 62 million euros (+14.4% YoY), it covers a market share of 14%. Vinyl sales lead the sector, growing by 24.3%, but even CDs saw an increase (+3.8%).
Performance rights grew significantly (+42.6%, reaching 73 million euros, which positions Italy as the seventh market globally) and synchronization rights saw an increase of 3.5%, reaching 13 million euros.
The flourishing Italian music scene also opened new opportunities on a global level. In 2023, revenues from outside the country grew by 20% (+130% if compared to 2020, the year before Måneskin’s success), for a total royalty income of more than 26 million euros. This was also driven by the digital sector, with revenues growing by 11% to almost 21 million euros.
What exactly was Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign’s “Vultures Listening Experience” at Milan’s Mediolanum Forum on Thursday (Feb. 22) night? Some sort of pagan mass where the audience celebrated his myth? A branch of the Milano Fashion Week where the important thing was just to be there? Or maybe a huge party where the fans themselves became the protagonists? Well, Ye and Ty Dolla $ign’s performance was all that and more.
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Some people expected something particularly crazy to happen, like a Vultures 2 spoiler or a short speech. But during the hour-long show, none of this happened.
Before the eyes of the audience was a completely empty parterre overlooked by only a floating cylindrical LED wall, the only illuminated part of the show. All around there was only smoke and, literally, nothing. An almost dystopian scenario, too minimal to be defined as apocalyptic, in which only silence dominated – that of the music (there was no selection accompanying the beginning of the show) and that of the audience waiting for Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign who, once they arrived, positioned themselves at the center of the scene with their faces completely covered, without even a microphone in hand, moving to the rhythm of their latest album and approaching the crowd.
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With them there was a platoon of top-notch guests, the same ones from Vultures 1. Among these, Quavo, Playboi Carti, Freddie Gibbs, Rich the Kid and Jaden Smith.
Some people might have been taken aback by all this – as it was a gathering to listen to an album exactly as they could have done in their car or bedroom, with the difference of watching Kanye West, Ty Dolla $ign and some of the spearheads of the U.S. rap scene vibe on their own songs without rapping. But true Kanye West fans know this: the only thing you can expect from him is the unexpected, and for many of them the thing that really mattered was just being there, regardless of the content of the show.
The public’s attention was entirely focused on Kanye – on his movements, on his progressive approach to them and then disappearing into the darkness like something elusive, very close and very distant at the same time.
At exactly 10:30 p.m. Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign disappeared (not before having gathered everyone for the encore with “Carnival”), and West’s wife Bianca Censori left the bleachers, like the influencers and the fashion addicts of the Fashion Week.
Yet the show was not over — it entered its heart, in a way. There remained the kids who got excited like never before about Kanye’s older hit songs: “Runaway,” the 2010 single with Pusha-T, “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” and many others.
The audience became the true protagonist for the rest of the listening party – In front of an empty venue, illuminated only by the lights of cell phones. Will this be a new frontier of live performances? Or will it be a unique thing that only Kanye could do in Italy? The show will be replicated tomorrow in Bologna and on Sunday in Paris.
This article originally appeared on Billboard Italy.
It was already understood that the songs of Sanremo 2024 were a success in streaming — in Italy and globally. In the days following its release, the “Sanremo 2024” Spotify playlist was the most listened-to playlist in the world, and seven of the top 10 tracks on the platform’s Debut Global chart came from the song contest.
Now that Billboard has updated its Global 200 and the Global Excl. US charts, the picture is even more complete. In the charts dated Feb. 24, four and seven songs from Sanremo 2024 appear, respectively.
The Global 200 includes Mahmood’s “Tuta Gold” (No. 52), Geolier’s “I p’ me, tu p’ te” (No. 91), Annalisa’s “Sinceramente” (No. 95) and winner Angelina Mango’s “La Noia” (No. 110).
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In the Global Excl. US chart, these same songs appear higher up (at Nos. 19, 33, 36 and 51, respectively), followed by three other songs of Sanremo 2024: Ghali’s “Casa Mia” (No. 87), Irama’s “Tu No” (No. 100) and The Kolors’ “Un ragazzo una ragazza” (No. 179).
Data provided by Luminate allows a more analytical look. The company traced the global streaming trends (audio and video) of Sanremo songs during the festival in the 50 most relevant markets worldwide (Italy and the United States included).
From Feb. 7-10 (the festival started Feb. 6 and crowned a winner Feb. 10), the first three positions were constantly dominated — in various orders — by Geolier, Mahmood and Annalisa. Only on Feb. 11 does winner Angelina Mango make her appearance.
Below are the top three positions day by day.
Feb. 7: “I p’ me, tu p’ te” by Geolier (3.4 million global audio and video streams), “Sinceramente” by Annalisa (3 million), “Tuta Gold” by Mahmood (2.6 million)
Feb. 8: “I p’ me, tu p’ te” by Geolier (3.4 million), “Tuta Gold” by Mahmood (3.2 million), “Sinceramente” by Annalisa (2.9 million)
Feb. 9: “Tuta Gold” by Mahmood (3.7 million), “I p’ me, tu p’ te” by Geolier (3.5 million), “Sinceramente” by Annalisa (3.1 million)
Feb. 10: “I p’ me, tu p’ te” by Geolier (3.85 million), “Tuta Gold” by Mahmood (3.78 million), “Sinceramente” by Annalisa (3.3 million)
Feb. 11: “Tuta Gold” by Mahmood (4.1 million), “I p’ me, tu p’ te” by Geolier (4.07 million), “La Noia” by Angelina Mango (3.9 million). These are also the highest figures on a daily basis
Since Billboard launched the two global charts in 2020, the most successful songs of Sanremo have regularly appeared. It has been a constant phenomenon since the 2021 edition, the first in which the Global 200 and Global Excl. US charts were active.
Last year, Lazza’s “Cenere” (No. 68), winner Marco Mengoni’s “Due Vite” (No. 80) and Mr.Rain’s “Supereroi” (No. 97) entered the Global 200. In the Global Excl. US, these songs appeared at Nos. 29, 32 and 42, followed by Madame’s “Il Bene nel Male” (No. 104) and Tananai’s “Tango” (No. 195).
In 2022, “Brividi” by Mahmood and Blanco (who won that edition) came close to the top 10, in 15th position. It was followed at a distance by Irama’s “Ovunque Sarai” (No. 118) and La Rappresentante di Lista’s “Ciao Ciao” (No. 158). On the Global Excl. US chart, those songs reached Nos. 7, 56, and 112, followed by Sangiovanni’s “Farfalle” (n. 112), Dargen D’Amico’s “Dove Si Balla” (n. 126) and Rkomi’s “Insuperabile” (n. 149).
The rumors arrived on Thursday (Feb. 15) evening, and now everything is confirmed officially. Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign will be in Italy next week to present their joint album Vultures 1 at two listening parties, one in Milan (Feb. 22) and another Bologna (Feb. 24). Explore See latest videos, charts and news See […]
Angelina Mango won Sanremo 2024 on Saturday (Feb. 10) with the song “La Noia” (“The Boredom”). She is the first female artist to triumph at Italy’s historic song contest in the last 10 years; the previous one being Arisa in 2014 with her song “Controvento.” Mango will therefore represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest […]
The third night of the Italian song contest saw the new performances of 15 artists, introduced by the other 15 who performed the night before.
The first night of Italy’s 74th edition of the Sanremo Festival was long, despite ending ahead of time. With Amadeus (host and artistic director of the event for the fifth consecutive year), it is normal to stay up late. It certainly must have been more complicated for the rapper Il Tre, who had to wait […]