He doesn't like independent or outsider labels, but his cultured and refined music is certainly one of the most original things that will be heard in this 72nd edition of the Sanremo Festival.
Giovanni Truppi, born in Naples 40 years ago, is the songwriter-lyricist par excellence, but also guitarist and pianist. He has ten years of music and five albums behind him (on Friday 4th February the collection “Tutto l'iverso” will be released) but on the stage of the festival he will go up for the first time ever tonight with “Your father, my mother, Lucia”.
“A declaration of love in winter”, he defines it at L'Unione Sarda, and with a high rate of experimentation, with brilliant metric inventiveness and “spoken word”, a part played. Five authors of the piece, besides him Marco Buccelli, Giovanni Pallotti, Gino De Crescenzo “Pacifico” and Niccolò Contessa (I Cani). Stefano Nanni will conduct the orchestra on the stage of the Ariston.
On February 4th, in the evening of the covers, Truppi will bring to the Ariston “In my hour of freedom” by the spiritual “godfather” Fabrizio De Andrè, from the 1973 concept album “Story of an employee”. Next to him Vinicio Capossela.
Tonight the debut on the stage of Sanremo, how do you feel?
“Pretty good, for now. I am very excited but also focused. I still have a lot of work to do until tonight and this distracts me and eases the wait and the tension ”.
What is “Your father, my mother, Lucia” about?
"The other authors and I wanted to face love from a perspective that crosses the threshold of falling in love and is more about planning. Like the promises exchanged by spouses. It is my version of the Sanremo love song, even if in reality we didn't think about the Festival when we worked on it ”.
Is it an autobiographical passage?
“What I live and feel is work material for me and a large part of this song also comes from my personal life: 'Lucia' is my daughter's name, so to speak. But I want to clarify that we are five authors ".
From the first listen reserved for journalists, it does not seem like a song for everyone. Are you worried about this or don't you think about it?
“I don't see it as a problem. Not reaching everyone is a characteristic of my music. The only thing I think about is doing a good performance ”.
You have a huge musical production behind you and yet you "make your debut" in Sanremo. What does that stage represent for you?
"I think it is a totem of Italian music, and loving it very much I feel connected to it not only as a musician but also as an Italian. I have always followed the Festival, from middle school onwards. I remember the appearance of Quintorigo in 1999, I was a boy . It was an incredible discovery ".
He has yet to perform and has already won the Lunezia prize, an event baptized 26 years ago by Fernanda Pivano and Fabrizio De André. According to the critic Dario Salvatori, she demonstrates “that it is possible to be an independent artist even at forty and even at the Sanremo Festival”. Do you recognize yourself in this description?
“I honestly don't know what it means to be independent. I would define myself as such intellectually and artistically but I have been public with a major for some years now ".
There are also those who define her as an "outsider" ...
“It seems to me that Sanremo reflects the tastes of all Italians and, a bit like Parliament, there is a majority and there is a minority. I'm part of the minority, that's all ".
His music recalls that of the great De Andrè songwriter. It is no coincidence that he will bring his own cover on Friday. What connection do you have with the Genoese singer?
“I grew up with Fabrizio De Andrè. He is among the songwriters if not the songwriter that I loved most during the years of my human and artistic training ".
Why did you choose "In my hour of freedom"?
“I feel very represented by the text, it is a condensation of considerations in which I believe. I sing a love song for almost every evening of the Festival and for this reason it seemed important to tell the most political part of me ".
The song recounts the torments of Italy during the years of lead. In your opinion, what are the topical elements?
"It is a passage that deals with the theme of equality, which today is getting smaller and smaller. The verse 'As far as you think you are acquitted / you are forever involved' for me has the power of a slap. Then he talks about the exercise of the I don't know if I would define myself as an anarchist but I believe that the organization of society must absolutely be revisited so that there is more justice ”.