Azzurra: Some one you should check out
Interview conducted on March 03, 2020
by Dan Locke
AZZURRA, singer/songwriter combines delicate electronic and dark pop elements with her
intimate voice into a unique and deep sound.
Inspired by essences and pure forms, AZZURRA began writing music in 2015 on her own.
The same year she moved to Berlin and released the single Before Your Lies and her first
EP Where Are We Going, produced by film composer Federico Ferrandina, getting the
attention of many international music blogs.
In 2019, with multi-Grammy Awards winner Sadaharu Yagi and Federico Ferrandina, she
wrote the World Environment Day and SDGs theme song We Are Walking On for the United
Nations.
She will release her debut Album on February 2020.
What was your upbring?
My upbringing was an eclectic mix of liberal and conservative, progressive and traditional. That led me to grow up with some conflicts, I was just too free to understand conformism and rules, that’s something that I still carry with me and that somehow continues to inspire me.
How did you discover music?
I don’t remember a precise moment, simply the music has always been with me. I have always dreamed of being a singer as a child, I remember the insistence, at the age of 5, to take my mini recorder with me everywhere. Music filled all the emptiness of my childhood and I started to entrust myself to it singing.
How do you learn to sing?
Singing has always been a need, I learned to sing by listening to my mother’s wonderful voice, my father’s thousand records and performing as a vocalist and backing vocalist for many years. I’ve never had a singing lesson in my life and I’ve never studied music but it’s really interesting to me that some things just come to you unconsciously. My first performance dates back to the age of 6, when during a party I specifically asked to have the microphone and sing.
What are you musical roots?
I grew up listening to a lot of rock and blues from the 60s and 70s, then I started discovering music on my own, approaching the electronic trip-hop scene (Massive Attack, Moby, Portishead, Lamb) and then more recent artists such as James Blake, Sevdaliza, Banks, Sohn, etc.
When did you begin to write music?
I started to write music at a later stage of my life, 5 years ago and that gave me a bit more confidence in my own personal process. At some point in my life singing was no longer enough for me and I felt the need to express something authentic and personal.
How was it to be selected for the World Environment Day and SDG’s theme song?
It was an incredible experience to be a spokesperson for such a current topic, and yet people still fight to accept it, probably because of fear. Having had the opportunity to collaborate together with my producer Federico and the Grammy winner Sadaharu Yagi was a moment of strong human and professional growth that taught me a lot and that I will always carry with me.
Tell me about your debut CD?
Making this album was probably the most transformative experience of my life. I think it has hypnotized me from the moment I started to write the first song, it reflects a lot of processes of my life. Underlight is really a time capsule of the last 3 years, my move to Berlin, the primordial need to want to assert myself to the world for who I am. This album represents the breaking point beyond which we allow ourselves to fall, the light that comes from the underneath when pain teache us a new way to illuminate reality. It enriched me through the collaborations with many beautiful people such as my producer Federico Ferrandina and Clea Scala, she’s been able to read the emotions in my voice and transcribe them into words in 8 of the album tracks. It was fun to create the artwork with Adriana Napolitano, her delicate vision really resembles my music. All of them helped me a lot in the expression of what I really feel
How has it been working with Federico Ferrandina over the years?
Working with Federico is a continuous growth for me, there is always a lot to learn from him, he is one of the most intelligent, sensitive and professional people I know, He has defined my music through his productions and arrangements enriching it with his personal vision.
Are you planning to do some touring to support your music career?
I will perform on March 9th and 12th in Berlin and I will start an Italian tour in July.
How do you see yourself in five years?
Composing music, living in nature and letting myself get inspired by it.
Anything you like to close with?
I would like to thank my French Label, Another Music Records, they put love, transparency, and professionalism in our work.
You must be logged in to post a comment.