Billboard Italy
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Billboard Italy met Lazza one morning in early September at his press office, so he could speak quietly in private. He wore wide sunglasses and often ran his hand through his hair, which has been dyed blonde for some time.
He was visibly tired. The day before, he was at the Venice Film Festival and at night he was clubbing in Milan. “I needed to see with my own eyes. I no longer remembered what my city was like,” he says.
He has been touring Italy for months, except for a few days of vacation in Ibiza, and at the time of the interview he still hadn’t performed at the special final concert in Milan. But he never complained of tiredness, not even for a second. “For me, it’s like being on holiday. When I go on stage, I feel good,” he says.
Among singles and albums, he has amassed 70 platinum records, 37 gold records, and 21 weeks atop the Italian albums chart with Sirio, his third album, released in 2022. He also felt like apologizing to the legendary Italian rocker Vasco Rossi for beating his record (19 weeks in 2011). This year, he finished second at the 2023 Sanremo Festival, something truly unexpected.
Despite his success, Lazza has never forgotten his musical origins, namely the academic study of the piano. He also created a special version of Sirio for piano and voice.
The interview began precisely with his love for classical music.
Lazza, you started your musical journey with the piano and you always say you love classical music. But seeing you in a tank top in front of the piano might irritate some people.
I did it on purpose. I couldn’t wear a shirt. It would have been obvious. I couldn’t decide what to wear and in the end I thought: “You know what? I’m wearing a tank top! So I’m really comfortable.”
Why did you decide to study piano as a child?
I couldn’t explain it. I was fascinated by the idea of being able to become a virtuoso. Also, I was excited by the idea of everyone looking at me. A healthy bit of exhibitionism, let’s say.
Did your parents push you?
No, it was my decision when I was 9 or 10 years old. I wanted to stand out. I didn’t want to end up playing soccer like everyone else.
How much did it help you?
Classical training always helps me. First of all, I developed an incredible memory.
Do you remember everything?
Well, I remember what interests me. Also, classical music helped me a lot because it is able to change my mood. If I listen to Mozart, I calm my anxiety.
For example, does Debussy also help you?
For me, it’s too far ahead as a historical period. I like him, but it’s not my cup of tea, or at least not all of it. There’s not much I like after Romanticism. I like everything by Chopin, however.
Speaking of Chopin, of whom you have a beautiful tattoo on your calf, you said you love him because he is able to describe true suffering.
I’m sure he was a very emotional person. You can feel it. In my opinion, it is with him that the piano as we know it today was born. Before then, it was all about the harpsichord and the fortepiano. With Chopin, you sense an incredible richness of phrasing. My piano teacher, Alex, is Polish. He’s the one who made me love him. I went to his father’s funeral, and on that occasion he played Chopin’s “Nocturne”: It gave me goosebumps, also because it was one of the pieces he made me practice the most. He told me: “At my funeral you will be the one who plays it.” I don’t know if I could do it, it would be too much of an emotional burden.
Is it banal to say that true art comes from suffering?
It is true. It’s the same reason why artists don’t come from downtown Milan. I always thought that if you are born without money, maybe money will solve your problems. But if you are born with it, what will solve your problems? Probably if you have a negative mood you also need to feel the approval of others, whatever your art is. I do what I do because I had the need to communicate.
Do you still think money solves problems?
You know, it simply allows me to do what I like and to make the people around me feel good. It doesn’t interest me in itself. I don’t know what problems it solved.
When you achieve such sensational results, do you ever think about what to expect next?
The results of this album scared me a little. I tend not to have expectations, but after these numbers I sometimes think with a bit of fear: “What will I do next?”. I had an obsession, which was to reach everyone and let them know what I think. I was happy that others liked what I had to say. But I didn’t want to become famous.
Do you have any other obsessions?
I would like to actually collaborate with the international artists I like. And by “actually” I mean without involving the record company that pays 100,000 euros for a single verse.
Could Italian rap break through abroad?
There are artists who respect you, others who see you as an ATM, others who can’t stand you because they think they invented rap. But I happened to go to dinner with some huge rappers — unfortunately I can’t name them — and their managers, and they told me they had never heard anything like what I did. For them, an album, not a single, that stays atop the chart for 21 weeks and gets seven platinum records just doesn’t exist. Only Drake, Post Malone, The Weeknd, Beyoncé, Rihanna achieve those results.
Well, they also have different parameters.
Absolutely, but my figures impressed them.
What about becoming famous abroad?
I think Italian is an obstacle, because I don’t know how many people want to translate my songs. But I’m planning to study English well.
Why did Måneskin make it so big?
Because they rock! There are some of their songs that I really like, for example “The Loneliest.” They are young, nice, they are rock stars, they have everything it takes. I’m so happy for them. Could you imagine that Damiano wrote to me as a fan in 2017? Recently I proposed to him to do some writing sessions together.
In these last two incredible years, did you also face any difficult moments?
More than one, but all for personal reasons. It wasn’t easy because of the stress and too many things to do. I try to carry on with a smile but I’m human, too. Yes, 2022 and 2023 were crazy. Maybe in 2024 I’ll let the others play, too.
When you bear one of the most well-known surnames in Italian music, the expectations of others (record companies, the public, the press) can be an unbearable burden. Yet one of the immediately noticeable qualities of 25-year-old Matteo Bocelli is an innate serenity, a perfect emanation of those polite manners that contributed to making his father Andrea Bocelli an icon of music and style famous in Italy and around the world.
For the Bocellis, music is a family matter. It was his father who launched Matteo’s career five years ago with the duet “Fall on Me,” a single from the album Sì, which debuted atop the Billboard 200. Not bad for his first public appearance.
Now Matteo Bocelli is ready to fly with his own wings. And he wants to do it in his own distinctive way: In the 12 tracks (14 in the deluxe version) of his debut album Matteo (out now via Capitol Records/Universal Music), his father’s operatic vocal style gives way to a clear pop approach that encompasses Ed Sheeran-style ballads (his great idol) as well as uptempo songs.
How did he come to find his own sound? How is he building his career? Billboard Italy met Matteo in Milan shortly before the album’s release.
Your artistic “baptism” was five years ago with the single “Fall on Me” in duet with your father. What did that moment represent for you, and what have the last five years of your life been like?
“Fall on Me” was unquestionably an important start. It was the spark that started everything, and these years were full of emotions and beautiful experiences. The song opened many doors, for example the possibility of signing a contract with Capitol Records in Los Angeles. The team supported me right from the start, allowing me to work on the project in the best way until reaching this first album. “Fall on Me” was a unique experience. Now it’s time to continue on my own two feet and start a new path with a project that I feel is totally mine.
Despite what one might expect from your surname, your project has a clear pop dimension. Over the years, how have you honed the sound you wanted to achieve?
I have always been close to opera and classical music, but the music I sang at home was pop. But that doesn’t mean you know exactly what you want. You need to work on things, to try, to experiment. These years were very useful in finding the sound I’m comfortable with. In recent years we wrote about a hundred songs, then we selected 14 for the [deluxe] album.
Talking about pop music, who are your idols from the past and the present?
I always say Ed Sheeran. He is not only an incredible artist, but also a beautiful person — at least that’s what I perceived the times I met him. Yes, I could say he’s an idol of mine. Plus, I’m a romantic, and he’s the king of ballads! But at the same time, he’s been able to achieve a huge success with more uptempo songs too. That has always been a dream of mine: to have slow and sentimental songs but also be able to make people jump at concerts. However, I have always listened more to the music of the past, especially Lionel Ritchie, Elton John, Queen, as well as the great Italian artists.
The album starts with “For You,” an uptempo track. Why do you think it is the best opener for the project?
In that case, I asked the record company for advice. Capitol Records focused a lot on that song. When I made a demo of it, I immediately understood that it was a song in which I felt really good from a vocal point of view. Also I perceived it as a “top” song for concerts.
“Chasing Stars,” written by Ed Sheeran with his brother Matthew, talks about their relationship with their father. It seems like a song tailor-made for you.
I met Ed when he released “Perfect Symphony,” the duet he did with my father. He then sent me a couple of ideas. “Chasing Stars” was the one that struck me the most. I was struck by the melody, because Ed has an unmistakable touch, and the message, perfect for my story. Even when a song is written by someone else, you have to see yourself in what you sing. When you sing certain words, you have to feel them. Yes, that seemed like a song written especially for me. We have in common the fact that we have a family that loves music and has encouraged their children to learn about it.
The songs are mostly sung in English but some are in Italian. Why did you want to use both languages?
Having signed the contract with Capitol Records in the United States, I also have to make music in English. But the deep reason why I signed with them is that I grew up singing in both Italian and English. So it has always been my desire to sing in English, and I knew that label would give me many opportunities to collaborate with great international songwriters. At the same time, it is important not to forget your origins. I consider Italian lyrics the deepest and most beautiful in the entire history of music. English-speaking songwriters consider us almost saccharine, excessive. But I think that’s the beauty of our language. We are romantic, there is nothing we can do about it!
Your project has a strong international projection. What idea of “Italianness” do you want to convey abroad?
To put it simply, I’m very proud to be Italian. I hope that beyond our national borders, people can appreciate the songs I sing in our language. Italy is so loved around the world; there is no need for Matteo Bocelli to push that.
In 2019 you performed at the Sanremo Festival in a duet with your father. Now your album is out: Is it the right moment to go there again, as a contestant this time?
It’s a question they’ve been asking me ever since… [Laughs] I understand that in Italy, the Sanremo Festival has a fundamental importance, it is the best thing an artist can aspire to. And I don’t deny that it would be a great emotion for me too to go on that stage — not alongside my father as a guest, but on the frontline as a contestant. But in my opinion you must go there when you are truly convinced, with a song that really identifies you.
Last year you collaborated with Sebastián Yatra. Do you also wish to step into the Latin market too?
One of my biggest fanbases is the Mexican one, so it’s important to keep an eye on that market. But you have to get there starting from the assumption that you must do what you like. I will never [do] something just because that’s what the market expects. If a collaboration with another Latin artist were to happen and convince me, then why not?
Silvio Berlusconi, the billionaire Italian entrepreneur and former prime minister who died Monday (June 12) in Milan at age 86, will be remembered as one of Italy’s most controversial leaders. But before his career in politics, record labels he formed in the 1980s and 1990s helped launch the careers of popular Italian artists like Cristina D’Avena, Sabrina Salerno, Ambra Angiolini and Francesco Salvi.
In the 1950s, Berlusconi performed as a young crooner on cruise ships, where he met his friend and lifetime professional partner Fedele Confalonieri, who would later become chairman of Mediaset, Berlusconi’s media giant.
Music played a big role in the origins of his media empire. In the 1980s and 1990s, Berlusconi was an influential executive in the Italian music industry. In 1981, after founding Fininvest, the holding company that owned Mediaset, he launched his first record company, Five Record (renamed RTI Music in 1991).
Inspired by American songwriters, French chansonniers and the melancholic, existentialistic style of singers and songwriters from Genoa, the label initially commercialized the theme songs of the TV series and programs broadcasted by Mediaset, from cartoons to variety shows, from quiz shows to telenovelas. Then it expanded and released albums by Italian artists such as Gino Paoli, Orietta Berti, Patty Pravo and Bruno Lauzi.
Within such a wide artistic spectrum, Berlusconi’s enterprises launched the careers of artists who quickly became immensely popular (and transgenerational) in Italy: D’Avena, Angiolini, Salvi, Sabrina Salerno (her song “Boys” became a hit in Europe), Lorella Cuccarini, Giorgio Faletti and singer/comedian Fiorello.
Five Record had a strong connection with dance music. Take Change, an Italo-disco project produced by Italian musician and arranger Mauro Malavasi, saw their album The Glow of Love (1980) reach No. 29 on the Billboard 200 — a first for an Italian dance production.
The label also released Joe Smooth’s “Promised Land” in Italy and works from Double Dee (house music from Ancona, Italy) and Novecento.
After leaving office in 2011, Belusconi briefly revived his music career, releasing a new album, True Love, with longtime musical collaborator Mariano Apicella. The three-time Italian premier didn’t sing on the album but co-wrote all 11 songs, which were a collection of love songs and jazz arrangements.
Berlusconi’s biggest success in the music industry was D’Avena, the queen of theme songs for cartoons in Italy. In a career spanning 40 years, D’Avena has stayed relevant and sold more than 7 million copies of singles and albums, including compilations such as Fivelandia and Cristina D’Avena con i suoi amici in TV. The single “Kiss Me Licia” alone sold over 200,000 copies, reached No. 7 on the Italian chart and was certified Gold.
D’Avena’s biggest hit was “Canzone dei Puffi,” the theme song of the Italian version of The Smurfs cartoon. Released in 1982, it sold 500,000 copies and became her first Gold record.
“I always hoped this moment wouldn’t come,” D’Avena tells Billboard Italy about Berlusconi’s passing. “To me, he was immortal. But watching his last interviews you could tell that he was sick. … I’m feeling a huge loss. … An important piece of our country is gone.”
Laura Pausini sits in front of a gorgeous terrace. She is already packed and ready to head off to Spain for a few days of promotion. And she has a message for her doubters.
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“There’s only one way to respond to those who tell me that I’m too old to do something, or who express doubts because I’m a woman,” she tells Billboard Italy over Zoom. “Then I’ll do it.”
One of Italy’s most-revered singers, the Grammy-winning Pausini, 48, says she “went through some sort of crisis” over the past two years. “I felt like I was lacking support from those around me, I thought I couldn’t make it,” she says. “But now I’m feeling more confident than ever.”
And she is proving it.
Born in Faenza, a small town between Bologna and Rimini, Pausini started a music career at age 19 that few Italian artists can compete with. Her records have sold more than 70 million copies worldwide, she did nine world tours and landed three songs in the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart (“Las Cosas Que Vives,” “Viveme” and “Como Si No Nos Hubieramos Amado”; all of them are Spanish versions of songs originally in Italian).
Billboard Italy accompanied Pausini to concerts in Madrid and Milan, two of the three gigs (the first at New York’s Apollo Theater) on her 24-hour live marathon on Feb. 27 to celebrate a 30-year career that started with her breakthrough single “La Solitudine” (“Solitude”).
How do you respond to those who thought [the 24-hour marathon] was a bizarre idea? Was it worth it?
I wanted to do it for a long time. At first, I wanted to sing 30 songs, each one in a different city of Italy, from south to north. I would have travelled with a van and reached my fans with very short notice. But I wouldn’t have made it in 24 hours, and that was essential to me. The celebration must last one day. It couldn’t go on for a year, that would mean being stuck in the past. I don’t reject the past, it’s just that we must look forward with courage.
How did you get prepared for it?
The preparation lasted six months. I worked with my phoniatrician (a doctor specializing in vocal cord issues), nutritionist and personal trainer. Not to lose weight, but for the vocal and physical effort I was about to endure. I abstained from all acid foods to avoid reflux. I used to eat at precise hours and train like an athlete to make sure my legs and my diaphragm would be strong enough. When I finish a concert, I never fall asleep easily – I actually slept very little in between those shows. And we had different set lists and different roadies. It’s been hard, but also one of the three most meaningful experiences I’ve ever had, after the victory at Sanremo in 1993 and the concert at the San Siro stadium in Milan. Also, I thought I had owed my fans something.
What do you mean?
So many people have been following me since 1993 and did crazy things to see me in concert. People from Italy spent a lot of money to see me in New York, Miami, London, Las Vegas. I saw them with my own eyes. That’s why I often felt like I was in debt, my songs were not enough to thank them. I had to do something special.
In Madrid you said that in Spain you feel freer than in Italy. How so?
In Italy, people know who my parents are, their job, what schools I attended, the little village I’m from. They have been following my personal growth since my teenage years. But it’s not like that when I’m abroad. They have a different form of respect and maybe see me like a huge star, like it happens when someone comes from far away.
What was the most valuable teaching you learned singing abroad?
Coming from such a small village and going abroad opened my mind in a way that no course of studies would. After high school, I wanted to study architecture at university but stopped there. Sometimes I feel like I fail to express myself in a ‘cultured’ way.
Well, you speak five languages…
But that creates confusion. My life is so fast that sometimes I lose track of time and forget where I am. Sometimes I’m in Italy and think in Spanish or Portuguese, for example. When I won Sanremo in 1993, Eros Ramazzotti was the only Italian singer who was famous in Latin countries.
And then you came. The only woman.
That’s right. There was not much room for women back then. What happened to me was the result of several coincidences. For example, I won the contest Sanremo Famosi in 1991 so, in theory, should have participated among the New Artists of Sanremo 1992, but they didn’t call me. If they did, I wouldn’t have sung “La Solitudine,” which was the key to my success. In 1993 the head of Dutch radio attended the festival. He saw me and decided to make the most important radio stations of the Netherlands play my song. Then Dutch television and other countries followed. Belgium, France, Germany… It all started from an honest song and a good amount of luck.
Don’t you think it would have happened anyway?
Many people told me this, but I don’t believe it. I know so many artists that are great singers but stopped after a few songs.
Singing well is not enough. Is your “Italianness” equally appreciated in Latin countries and in English-speaking countries?
We’re still labeled with many stereotypes and that’s annoying. I notice that I am appreciated in English-speaking countries when I don’t mock their music. They usually want to hear “Pausini’s melody,” as they call it. I also don’t like artists who follow trends that are not theirs. I mean, if I listen to Shakira, I expect her to do her own thing. There’s a reason why we’ve been chosen by the audience, and that’s our authenticity. I couldn’t do R&B, it’s not part of my culture. I only used to sing it when I performed at a piano bar.
Your new single “Un Buon Inizio” [“A Good Start”] was written by Riccardo Zanotti of Pinguini Tattici Nucleari. His style is very recognizable. Didn’t you fear it would overshadow yours?
No, I didn’t. In the last two years, I tried to sing on the backing tracks of famous songs. For example, I tried to sing Mahmood and Blanco’s “Brividi” (“Shivers”) [with which they won Sanremo 2022], but it was not for me. I want to step out of my comfort zone, but at the same time I don’t want to lose the character people expect from me. I always try to work with younger people who can give me a more contemporary perspective. When I worked with Madame for “Scatola” (“Box”), many people wondered what we had in common. But she knows my entire album “Simili” (“Similar”) by heart, even more than me. After all, we artists influence each other. We take inspiration from the past to create something new. I was influenced by Claudio Baglioni, Vasco Rossi, Eros Ramazzotti, even Jethro Tull, and brought them into my own world. Now that I am a certain age and experience level, I must listen to what’s new and try to understand why and how newer artists say certain things. That’s fundamental. Two years ago, I thought I had nothing more to say.
How did you overcome that phase?
I listened to too many songs and got even more confused than before, so I reached out to [former director of Island Records Italy] Jacopo Pesce for advice. I listened to many songs that others sent me, without knowing who wrote them. I always do that. Zanotti’s song immediately caught my attention, but I struggled to identify with the lyrics. I asked him to change them a bit and he was more than willing to do so. We met in Milan and realized that we had many things in common, despite the differences in age and gender. Of course, he hasn’t had all the experiences I have had.
Such as the feeling of having achieved too much?
That’s right. It’s what I felt when I won the Golden Globe in 2021 with “Io Sì (Seen),” but also when I felt like I was missing the support from those around me. Those who used to encourage me had started to behave the opposite way.
How much did you have to fight as a woman in an industry that was – and is – dominated by men? From the outside you look so strong and confident.
That’s how I am on stage because that’s where I belong. But in my private life I’m more insecure, I have my weaknesses. The bigger the success, the more you get both positive and negative consequences from it. People will tell you: ‘Now you are a certain age and you’re even a woman.’ It’s crazy to see how this way of thinking spreads to all countries. But I push back. If you diminish me and tell me to do things in a certain way, I’ll do the opposite. I’ve been facing a lot of discrimination since the beginning of my career.
For example?
When I participated in Sanremo in 1993 I didn’t have an album, nor a contract. All the artists had one, except me. My record label, Warner Music Italy, didn’t expect it and prepared one quickly. I signed it 15 days after the festival. It said that my debut record should sell at least 30,000 copies in order to make a second album. I didn’t question the fact that another new artist, a male, had a minimum of a 100,000. And I would get 4% of the revenues, while his cut was 8%. The day my album was released, it sold 60,000 copies. Within six months, that figure grew to 1.5 million. My perspective changed and my manager demanded a cut of 8%. Anyway, I perfectly remember the diffidence I faced when I started. When I signed my contract, they told me to keep in mind that the last woman who had sold so many copies was Anna Oxa. But those were the 80s. Can I tell you something that bothers me about journalism?
Sure.
Everyone talks about about women and gender equality, but in at least in six or seven countries I’ve seen that a magazine won’t put a woman in her 40s on the cover.
Age becomes a problem. Madonna also said that.
But men over 40 don’t have that problem. And editors in chief are often women. Not everyone is like that, and it’s not like I have to be on the cover at all costs. I’m just saying that words don’t always match actions. As a woman I learned that there’s a need to be concrete. Between 1993 and today so much has changed. But we still have a lot to fight for and must convince ourselves that we’ll make it, even when it seems all odds are against us. Even when we just want to lock ourselves in and stay with our children. In Italy, everyone is ready to say: “What is Pausini even doing nowadays?” In the last two years I couldn’t even react, I only felt like crying. But now I react. It’s important to feel both energy and urgency. That’s why my new logo depicts a woman running forward.
Is there anything you would say or do differently if it happened today?
Just one thing. I’d be more careful when it comes to trusting people. If I could speak to the young Laura, I’d give her a list of names of people to avoid. I mean, those people were also important. I am who I am today also thanks to the experiences I went through. I may look strong but I’m very emotional and I suffered a lot.
What can you say about the spirit of the concerts in Venice and Seville this summer?
I want to look forward without forgetting the past. Over the next weeks I’ll start a radio tour in Italy, even the small local stations, which I haven’t done since my victory at Sanremo. And then I’ll perform in public squares, just like I did in 1993. That’s why I chose two iconic ones such as Piazza San Marco in Venice and Plaza de España in Seville. I’d like all these moments to have a common theme, such as celebrating the past, but at the same time to make the audience see what’s coming next. I want to create a setlist specifically for those two locations. We’re still planning things, but everything is clear in my mind. Now I have to look at the details, which is difficult, but I like it, because when I find something that makes a difference I go crazy. I want to communicate the will not to settle for what you achieved, to always challenge yourself and chart new paths.
Do you think you’re as demanding with those around you as you are with yourself?
I do. Because this job is like a mission to me. It’s commitment, dedication, discipline. Regardless of the results, I like when people working with me believe in the project. The most difficult thing is maybe staying focused on what we do, in terms of availability and work schedules. But I think that it’s the only way to do a good job. Music must not be taken lightly. It can actually change people’s lives. The artistic part has to be pure instinct, but the work that makes it possible must be taken very seriously.
What is your ultimate goal?
To demonstrate that pop music matters. Even the most light-hearted songs can change a few hours in the life of someone we don’t know. Over the last 30 years I often visited hospitals that use music therapy to help the patients. I experienced one of the most touching moments of my life when I sent an Italian guy in a coma a vocal message in which I sang and spoke to him. After a few days, he woke up. That was incredible. We should never underestimate what we write and sing. That’s why I’m not able to sing as a mere performer. Writing lyrics or at least taking part in the process is fundamental to me. I value what people will get from my music. I think that’s my mission and the reason why I’m still here.