#victoria de angelis users | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

8iunie · 2 years

Text

Why Måneskin’s New Album Felt Like ‘Going Back to Our Beginning’ After Global Success

The Italian rock stars discuss working with Max Martin, following up a smash hit and the most personal moments on new album 'Rush!' (posted on 20.01.2023)

A key to the success of Måneskin is their musical eclecticism. They can cover a ‘60s tune like the Four Seasons’ “Beggin’” or a 2000s hit like The Killers’ “Somebody Told Me,” and bring each into their own style — while at other times, channeling the White Stripes or Red Hot Chili Peppers. And while the Italian quartet possesses standard rock band qualities that have endeared them to old-school audiences and radio programmers, they also flaunt their individual personalities, gender fluidity and knack for showmanship in a way that encourages young listeners and TikTok users to hop aboard the bandwagon, too.

Måneskin’s exuberant cover of “Beggin’” blew up around the world in 2021, four years after the band first performed the cover. Since then, original tunes like “Supermodel” and “Mammamia” have earned millions of streams, the band opened for The Rolling Stones before headlining in the U.S. last fall, and in a few weeks they might take home the best new artist Grammy. Yet Rush!, their third album out this Friday (Jan. 20), carries the weight of expectation as their first full-length since stepping foot on the global stage.

The contributions of Max Martin on multiple tracks suggests a major pop bid, but Rush! spans the punk energy of “Kool Kids,” the balladry of “The Loneliest” and the groove-ready rock of “Gossip,” which features a guitar solo from Tom Morello. The album revels in the diversity of its four perspectives. As bassist Victoria De Angelis notes, “We don’t have actually similar tastes at all. We all have very different tastes and music backgrounds, so we influence each other in the writing process.”

While color-coordinated in chic brown and tan outfits, the four members of Måneskin – De Angelis, singer Damiano David, guitarist Thomas Raggi and drummer Ethan Torchio – sat down with Billboard for a Zoom discussion on their music, ethos and chemistry.

While you’ve had a fairly even split between English and Italian lyrics on your past releases, the majority of Rush! is in English, with only three songs being sung in Italian. Is this a strategy to get you to a larger audience?

Damiano: It’s not a strategy. Basically, when we started being a band and writing songs, we started writing in English, because 90% of our influences are not strictly English, but English-sounding. We had to learn how to write music in Italian because we never thought about it. But then we got big in Italy, and we had to start doing it – and also because it’s our language and we want to do it. But now we finally had the chance to make almost the whole album in English, because it’s like going back to our beginning. It’s what we are most used to doing.

Victoria: We really never forced it. It’s always been quite natural and in the moment. We do what we feel. I think also because we wrote most of the record while we were in the U.S., so we were getting inspired and seeing a lot of shows there, meeting artists and stuff.

“Beggin’” has over a billion views on YouTube now. How has its success influenced what you’ve been trying to do since then? Have you felt pressure to follow that up?

Damiano: No, I think that for us we managed to take only the best part out of it, because that song drove behind all the other songs and all the catalog. Fortunately, it was not just that song. It [the success] happened while we were thinking about this new record, so we just thought that drive could only make us our music more open and reach more people. It just gave us more hype to write the album, because we knew that this time, it was going to be different.

On your first album, Damiano wrote nearly all of the songs. The second album was a group effort. And then on Rush! you brought in outside songwriters and producers, like Sly and Rami Yacoub. What was that process like this time?

Damiano: We just wanted to shuffle the cards this time. We have played together for more than eight years. We just got to a point where we thought that we were able to put the band’s signature on every song. But we were also able to embrace not just one direction, but keep it more random, and follow each one’s different tastes and let each one of us lead in different songs. So writing the songs was easier. But then it was harder to pick [a track list], because with this method we wrote many, many more songs. We wrote like 60 songs, so it was very hard to pick these 17.

Ethan: If it were limitless, we would have done a record with 50 tracks.

You worked with Max Martin on four of these tracks. What was that experience like?

Victoria: This thing he’s known for, pop, is what drew us to him, because we want to try something different and to be stimulated in a different way. We’re used to doing music in our vision, and we know how it is to get in the studio and jam, the four of us. We still do it and we’ve done it on a bunch of songs on the record, but we also wanted to try something new.

We were very curious about this match because we love doing covers – “Beggin’” is a pop song. We play them and make them in a completely new flavor and version. So that was the match that we wanted to try with him, to get a bit of his pop sensibility and advice, but then take it and turn into who we are and make it more dirty and sound like us. I think he really understood what we wanted.

The first time we met him was at our show, where it really shines through what kind of band and energy we have and like. It was very easy in the studio, because he got it, and respected our identity and who we are. It was just like a school – understanding a different way of doing stuff. He has years of experience, so he really gave us some good advice.

Ethan: He’s so caring. … Something I really learned from him are the rules in the music writing process. You can follow them, you can not follow them. It’s a choice. But I learned this for him.

What was the most unusual process this time around?

Victoria: Basically, we would always just go in the studio and jam. I think we learned what was very useful was just to record all the jamming. Tom Morello literally jams for five hours, records everything, and then he listens back to five hours of recording and finds all the small, cool parts he has played. Then he picks the best ones and makes the song out of it. That was a really cool way of doing it.

Ethan: You need patience.

Thomas: Exactly. Because if you stay in that moment, really natural, you can take the best part with the best energy.

Your younger fans love how you embrace gender fluidity, at a time where, in both Italy and America, LGBTQ+ rights and protections are still an issue.

Damiano: Yeah, sure. I think [Italy] is still a few years later than USA because, like everything we import in Italy, it takes a few years to start. But things are starting to change. People are starting to build a situation where it’s possible to think about changing things. And there’s always more and more people, especially of our age or slightly older, 20, 30, that are creating communities and groups and are speaking up about things that have not spoken up for too many years. I think we’re in a good place right now.

In 2021, you did a TV performance in Poland, a country that is more religiously conservative. How did the Polish TV censors respond to the kiss between Damiano and Thomas at the end of that performance?

Damiano: You could see all the people of the same age of us were super hyped, and all the parents were like, “Oh, s—t, what’s going on? Do I like it? Should I like it? Should I not like it?” Half and half, as always.

Victoria: I think that moment has a really big meaning for our audience there, from all the people from the community, because there’s really a lack of representation and they face a lot of issues. Even now in Italy, as you said in America, it’s still a s—t situation, where people struggle for their rights and everything. So it’s never to be taken for granted anywhere, but especially there everyone was literally telling us, “It’s so homophobic here, you can’t even walk with your girlfriend or boyfriend or wear what you want.” That’s why we wanted to make a statement about it. I think it meant a lot for fans, so that was the most important thing.

What’s the most personal song on the new album for you?

Thomas: “Gossip,” because I wrote the main riff one day when we went in the studio in L.A., and I remember that we took that main riff on the Dropbox of the old songs. We said, “Okay, this is a really cool riff and good riff,” but after another session, I remember that we just took the main riff that became “Gossip” with Morello and the other stuff. I was very happy at the time.

Victoria: I’d say “Kool Kids,” because it was one of the first songs we wrote, and it was one of the first riffs I came up with, so I’m very proud of that riff. I love that we had the courage to make such a powerful, strong, punk song in a mainstream record nowadays.

Ethan: Victoria stole the one that I want to say. So I’m gonna say another one, “Read Your Diary,” because I love the harmonic progression that Thomas has done. I also like the drums a lot. How they sound in the song is very cool.

Damiano: “Timezone.” I think it’s not the easiest song, but the easiest to read. There’s no metaphors, it’s very clear what I’m saying. I’m not trying to hide behind double meanings. It’s just a circle of thoughts, without any censorship.

Writer: Bryan Reesman for Billboard Magazine

#måneskin #maneskin #article #interview #RUSH!#january 2023 #my posts 💫#billboard magazine #s

31 notes · View notes

nerdgirlhelpsyou · 6 years

Conversation

Entrevista a Hrod (Webmaster de Fate/Light of Extinction)

A Nerd Girl: Para romper el hielo... ¿Cuanto tiempo llevas en una administración de un foro?

Hrod: Pueeees, he estado formando parte de staff de diversas temáticas. No obstante, ahora mismo me enfoco en LoE, y en LoE llevo casi dos años como administrador.

ANG: ¿Porqué escogiste esta temática, la de Fate?

Hrod: Desde que vi Fate/Zero, la temática me enamoró, no obstante en su momento ni había foros activos. Como soy un desastre para el diseño, me resigné inicialmente hasta que finalmente hubo uno en el que colaboré como usuario. Y estuve en dos o tres pero todos terminaron muriendo por alguna u otra circunstancia, así que conseguí ayuda apropiada y comencé uno propio, más que nada para cerrar mis ciclos con Fate y poder avanzar ya en otros foros como usuario o simplemente separarme de forma definitiva del rol, lo que mi corazón desee al momento.

ANG: ¿Y qué preveías de la comunidad al comenzar?

Hrod: Nada en particular, de hecho me sorprende lo tanto que hemos avanzado juntos en una comunidad tan buena como LoE lo es hoy.

ANG: ¿Cómo comenzaste en el foro a nivel de staff y miembros? ¿Alguna anécdota?

Hrod: La verdad empecé sólo, con mis ganas de rolear e intenciones de, como decía, cerrar ciclos con Fate. Hubo algunos usuarios que llegaron y recomendaron LoE y gracias a ello se expandió la comunidad. El resto del staff ya lo conseguí sobre la marcha viendo a los users activos y carismáticos de la misma.

ANG: ¿Qué opinas de tu staff?

Hrod: Actualmente todos los staff son personas muy queridas por la comunidad y muy propuestas a trabajar. A veces se tiene altibajos pero esas son ya cuestiones de la vida real y simplemente no se puede hacer más. Pero de hecho debo decir que estoy muy contento con el esfuerzo que los chicos ponen, ¡los amo bebés!

ANG: ¿Cómo es estar en la administración de un foro frente a tus horarios personales?

Hrod: Eso depende de cuántas horas quiera dormir -apunta a sus ojeras- (?)

ANG: ¿Has tenido problemas con gente tóxica en tu foro?

Hrod: Como en cualquier otro, desgraciadamente. No obstante todos los casos han sido resueltos con su debida aprobación y medida.

ANG: ¿Cómo los solucionaste?

Hrod: Hablándolos o con baneo. Dependiendo todo del comportamiento del usuario.

ANG: ¿Cuales son tus claves para que un foro funcione correctamente?

Hrod: 3.- Tener consciencia de lo que implica ser el administrador de un foro. Es MUCHAS veces más complicado de lo que parece debido a varios motivos internos y externos. Sólo personas con cabeza fría y un corazón sensible para apoyar a la gente pueden considerarse no sólo administradores, sino también un amigo para los demás.

2.- Ser firme. Habrá veces en las que como administrador verás que las cosas se te pueden salir de las manos un poco, pero si tienes paciencia y te esfuerzas en esperar un mejor mañana, Dios te lo multiplica considerablemente.

1.- Sentido de convivencia. Un foro de rol, de cierto modo u otro, es un escape de la realidad donde puedes hacer lo que gustes siempre que te apegues al margen establecido por la temática. Un foro NO funciona si tus usuarios se sienten agobiados o incómodos por x o y motivo, pero en el momento en el que te esfuerzas en generar un ambiente sano, en darles tramas variadas, en ofrecerles tu amistad y demás etcéteras lo conviertes en lo que yo llamo "un hogar en internet" donde conoces gente maravillosa y es ese mismo sentido de inclusión que les hace quedarse y sonreír al ver nuestro Discord por lo tan fraternales que somos.

Es una sensación hermosa y muy feliz (y pese a que lo dicen reiteradas veces me sigue sorprendiendo) cuando un usuario asume que la comunidad es su familia. Y no digo que me sorprenda porque la comunidad no se esfuerce en incluirse a sí misma, sino que me sorprende porque jamás pensé que lograría algo tan positivo creando un foro de rol. Es por eso que cada foro, sin importar su staff, lleva una poesía idiosincrática que sus usuarios entienden y disfrutan.

No es la temática ni el rol, un sitio para escribir x cosa sobre x fandom lo encuentras en cualquier sitio, pero un lugar que te ofrezca un humilde sitio al que puedes sentir que perteneces... Eso pocos lo logran, y esos administradores y usuarios son héroes que ayudan en cierto modo la vida personal de cada user presente colectivamente.

ANG: ¿Qué consejo darías a alguien que pretende hacer un foro pero no sabe como comenzar?

Hrod: Paciencia, humildad y tener los pies en el suelo.

Paciencia porque puede que pocas cosas salgan bien tan pronto empiezas. Necesitas al menos un mes para planear lo que quieres ofrecer con tu foto y tomarlo con calma.

Humildad porque es lo que te ayuda a no ser el típico caso del administrador enfermo de "poder" (y entre comillas porque ser administrador no es prácticamente nada en el mundo real). Además te ayuda a ser caritativo con los nuevos en todo momento.

Y lo último respecta a tus aspiraciones... A decir verdad cuando creé LoE dije "Pues igual y vive dos meses nomás pero yo habré cumplido mi cometido y habré cerrado el ciclo", nunca esperé que llegase a tanta gente ni que la comunidad amara al foro tanto como lo ama ahora. Por eso hay que mantener los pies en el suelo, a veces lo mejor no te llega desde el inicio y se te va dando conforme vas aprendiendo.

Y si los usuarios aman tu trabajo, créeme que amarás a los usuarios que llegan para quedarse y dar su granito de arena.

ANG: ¿Podrías ser breve y presentarnos sobre qué puntos fuertes tiene y que estás mejorando en tu foro?

Hrod: Puntos fuertes:

Principalmente, y de lo que estoy más orgulloso, es de la comunidad. Todos se han esforzado por hacer un sitio ameno al que todos quieren venir y conversar amablemente sobre diversos temas.

La diversidad de afiliaciones a las que puede pertenecer un personaje, pudiendo ser un héroe o un antagonista que interactúa realmente con los NPCs principales (que de hecho tenemos el meme de que Gualdim, el personaje de mayor nivel en el foro, será el Final Boss de la trama global (?)). Además a todos les gusta rolear casi todo tipo de tramas así que ningún nuevo se perderá la oportunidad de conocer gente y partners maravillosos

#Entrevistas #NerdGirlHelpsyou #Fate/Light of Extinction

3 notes · View notes