Your work for Ambush mixes together bold elegant garments with accessories and jewellery pieces, merging different universes. I can also spot a dreamy and psychedelic side to it, take for instance the ‘Timeless Bracelet’ and the ‘Mushroom Charm’. I believe that, now more than ever, dreams are vital. What does dreaming mean to you?
A dream is a stream of consciousness. It’s personal and internal. What’s important about dream, or day-dreaming, is that it activates visualisations in your mind, especially for people that’re so driven by visuals, more than words
or sounds. It’s also a way, for me, to have my imagination wander on its own, and then sorting it all out. It’s really important to visualise, but doing it intentionally is impossi- ble. It all comes from your subconscious, so you can’t really control that moment or decide when you dream. It all belongs to a personal process of being creative.
Within ‘Ambush Artifact 005’, the ‘Kugi Chocker’ is described as ‘channeling the rebellious attitude of 50s youth, who wore found objects as a symbol of their own identity and as a protest against constraining societal expectations’. It’s said in history that the market discovered teenagers through the 50’s and 60’s, recognizing their needs with a new offer of products that slowly construct a new target audience. Do you think the market still needs to recognise new unexplored targets?
Things in general are not so new anymore. For me as a designer, it isn’t important to look for new things, but to look at things we already know in a different way. To me, it’s all about being able to find new ways to tell the same old story again. I don’t think it’s a designer’s job to find new targets, it’s probably more of a marketing job. As humans we surely have certain archetypes, or heroes if you prefer, that motivate us. This is something you want to belong to and, naturally, I think your products will appeal to those kinds of people anyway. Overall, the most important thing is being yourself and bringing those ideas into life.
I like the fact that you mentioned archetypes as a human thing. I was wondering, as an adolescent, did you have a hero or teenage unreachable crush?
I never had a huge obsession with a specific artist, probably because I wasn’t the type who just sticks to one music genre or kind of friend. I had so many different friends, such as cheerleaders, skaters, nerds and so much more. I kind of doubled on many things. Having said that, for what concerns musicians I was definitely attracted by the most rebellious ones. Rock played a big role, I grew up in Seattle and was a part of a scene. I never had a poster of my favourite artist stitched to my room’s walls.
Giving a new perspective and meaning to already existing objects and projects is something that has a long history, we could mention Marcel Duchamp’s Readymades for instance, as well as the Pastiche technique. Referring to functional objects, aesthetic and traditions, and filtering them with a different eye is something I see a lot in your work. Whenever you’re working on research or ideas, do you feel that references should be subverted or honored?
I’d say both. I don’t think the direction is just one, as it varies every time. I always try to make things happen naturally. The best things have always come when I haven’t forced myself. What interests me and really makes me move forward is photography and the work of certain fashion designers. If I see some photos out of a photographer’s book, I always wonder what inspired the photographer to shoot an image that way. This is what I like to analyse and learn from my references.
What’s the product or project you consider the biggest challenge for Ambush?
I’d say apparel. There’s so many different ways of doing things, also the fact of working on men’s and women’s. People are rightly talking about unisex, but still, by the end of the day women have a certain body type and men too, so I’m learning more about what works better on male bodies. Apparel is new to me: I’m learning something every day, so it’s a challenge, but not a difficult one.
Looking at your path, you’re a woman to admire. As a wish for new creatives looking at your work, would you like to be seen as an aspirational or inspirational persona?
It’d be nice if it were both, but I feel like there’s so many things I haven’t done or accomplished yet. However, if my approach to things and how I made myself a professional - without a classic background, like a fashion school for instance - demonstrates that you can do it, it’s great, but there’s still a long way to go.
Talking about yourself as a woman and not as a designer, can you tell me one thing that you’re really good at and one that’s not really your thing?
I’m definitely good at researching in general. I’m quite nerdy: so, if I get into something, I master it. Something I’m not good at, or better, something I hate to do is cleaning and tidying up. I’m more of a big picture person (Laughs, E.D.).
Music seems to play a big role in your work. Right now, what’s your relationship with music?
There’s not one specific thing or artist, I’m into different kinds of music. Early in the morning, I play 70’s reggae and then I jump into hip hop. After that, I listen to more inspirational music. It’s just what I’m craving for in that moment. Music’s a pleasure I indulge in, and I just go with the mood. To me, that’s the beauty of it all: music can literally put you in a certain mood and, since I like to feel different things during the day, I move from a type to another, in order to help that process. I use Spotify a lot and the beauty of it is that there’s so much to listen to. I love the idea of having an app that can recommend you new things or different music genres. I’m not saying that sticking to just one thing is bad, but I like to be free.
What gives you the greatest satisfaction?
Eating a delicious meal and feeling super full (Laughs, E.D.). I’m quite simple. By the end of the day, I love to treat myself with something really good. There are people who eat because they’re hungry, but I’m that type of human being who says: ‘I eat, because I love the art of food’. The fact that I can pick whatever I fancy to eat it is something all of us should be blessed about.
So, do you like to cook, or do you prefer going some- where to eat?
I’d cook if I had more time. Mostly, it’s just take away and delivery app’s. For instance, in Tokyo UberEats is amazing: I have endless options to choose from. What I like about it is that I don’t have to go to the restaurant to collect my food. I’m having fun with UberEats, it allows me to discover new food and cuisines.
It’s a little bit like the Spotify recommendations, don’t you think?
Indeed (Laughs, E.D.).
A simple question, but now more than ever it’s important and relevant: how are you both doing?
COSIMA: I think we’re fine. We’re trying to do the best we can. We work a lot in our little bubble here in Berlin, where we can focus solely on work. It gets a little bit tiring now and then, and we’re definitely missing socialising. In fact, we miss having spontaneous dinners, going out and enjoying ourselves - you know, the little things that make life complete.
CHRISTA: That’s a difficult question, actually. In a way we’re good, but we have a feeling that everything is wrong at the same time. It’s strange!
You met in school and decided to embrace this challenge. Tell me what friendship means to you!
CHRISTA: I think friendship is one of the best things in life. It’s like love, it connects you, it It lets you share a lot of things. Of course it can also be painful when it’s not working, but you can work together to resolve it and move forward.
COSIMA: Friendship is a journey. It’s a matter of respect, and you can be empowered and learn so much from the other person.
You don’t sketch on paper. It’s fascinating, because through history several designers that destroyed the stereotyped principles of fashion did that, working directly on mannequins. You plan your drawings in 3D and, and that gives me the feeling of a futuristic dystopian version of a mannequin. So, why 3D?
CHRISTA: In truth, because it’s easier to comunicate. Something could look really great on a sketch, but then proportionally speaking it could be different from reality. You can cheat a lot when sketching, but that’s not the case with 3D. More so, for us it’s easier to talk about something that’s already in 3D, because its details are more in line with reality.
COSIMA: Also considering the translation from the drawing to the finished garment, there’s so much more in between and you can easily get lost. 3D is our solution to that. Besides we can even find other things, that we wouldn’t be able to find using a pen. The pen wouldn’t necessarily show us something as it looks. Of course, you can do that and many designers adopt such a strategy, I guess for us it just works more efficiently. Somehow, the archive is bigger with 3D and we can go deeper.
Nowadays, I have a feeling that in creative fields there’s an idea of overconceptualising. It’s a mindset that creatives get stuck in, because they think the result of their work is going to be more interesting. I personally find it quite empty, instead. I read that you don’t tend to question meanings too much. To me this has a strong value, since it leads people to dream. It stands for simplicity and pureness. What does simplicity mean to you?
CHRISTA: I think we’re trying to be honest rather than simple. As you said, we don’t try to find the concept, we’re into the idea of being connected with a feeling that has more to do with honesty.
COSIMA: We never talk about simplicity, but we try to analyze the honesty of being a woman. It’s really intriguing, but it also goes in a very weird and beautiful direction. Looking at it as a woman for instance, you read simplicity and I can see why all of that makes so much sense. You understand a feeling that might resemble the idea of simplicity to you, and that’s exactly what we’re looking for.
So far, which garment, accessory or silhouette represents Ottolinger the most?
CHRISTA: We talk about this quite often actually, because there’s so many different aspects to it. I’d say the handbag is one of the pieces that’s really strongly connected to the Ottolinger woman.
COSIMA: Also, it’s been with us for a long time. So, yes, I’d probably say the handbag too.
I love the fact that looking at your collections I perceive strength, your having a signature and opinion about things. To me, it all stands for irony and braveness. It makes me think of a kid who loves specific things, because he’s attracted to them by instinct. You seem not to be spoiled at all by the system, is it true?
COSIMA: I don’t think we’re spoiled by the system. I’d say that we’re very into how we support women and the idea of a modern strong woman, so we’re really just thinking about that.
CHRISTA: There’s, for sure, things you have to make decisions on, especially if we’re talking about money for example, but we’re not so interested in this. We’re definitely more focused on building something up in the long term that gives exactly the feeling Cosima just described.
Have you ever considered the idea of working on menswear too?
COSIMA: We have a few samples for men, and we also have genderless items of clothing, that can be worn in many different ways. I think this could be a strong aspect of ours, but right now we’re focusing on womenswear. Let’s say we have a lot of unisex garments, and we’re happy to see men wear our collections. The Ottolinger man has still to come (Laughs, E.D.).
Throughout this issue, we’re analyzing the idea of satisfaction. If you’re satisfied, you’re probably going to celebrate that. Right now, what would you like to celebrate?
CHRISTA: Maybe, we’d celebrate the several friendships we have. Especially considering what we’re all going through. Friendships are the connections that flourish in hard times, they keep you sane and give you power, fun and love.
Lisi, you’re half Dutch, half Dominican, while Rushemy, you were born in Curaçao, so both of you share a sentimental attachment to an island. Which at times can feel like a bubble, surrounded by the sea as a protection and also a trap. When you hear the word ‘island’, what’re your initial thoughts and feelings?
RUSHEMY: It makes me think of a community, a community that lives and works in fluent harmony with the sea. People from an island are different, and every island’s inhabitants have their specific way of dressing, acting and speaking. People from the Caribbean also share this kind of mentality towards each other, they care a lot about family. I’m really proud to be from Curaçao, because of our values and how we treat one another. It’s a real tight-knit island feeling.
LISI: Living and getting the essence of an island is like a warm feeling. It’s a family-oriented mindset. The idea of an island is something really fascinating, both delicate and powerful.
Being romantic is such an important thing. The power of the sea is something that could scar or fascinate, depending on how much you know about that power. Looking at ‘Romancing to the Coral Reef’, your Fall-Winter 2021/22 collection, that power, together with a salty feeling on your skin, is taken to the city. What would you say ‘thank you’ to the sea and city for?
RUSHEMY: We can thank the sea for the idea that we’re really vulnerable and should take care of nature. It makes us feel and think that we’re just a little molecule in a crazy world, where there’s more than humans.
LISI: The sea and nature put everything in perspective. As to the city life, it brings a lot of good things for people. I think it’s more related to the economy. It can bring a certain idea of fortune, success and hope as well, because on an island there’s not always opportunities for everyone, so you go to the city for that.
Within your work, I see a lot of balance between being concrete and dreamy. Every creative has their own process to reach an idea and final product. Related to that, are you messy or neat in your creative process?
RUSHEMY: Actually, we’re both. Lisi is neat and I’m really messy. When I’m creating there’s always a mess around me and I love it, because in my head it’s a mess too, something really inspiring to me. It induces my creative process. Generally speaking, the radio is on and there’s stuff everywhere. For instance, I enjoying searching through my mess, because I find other images in the process. Then, as it happens, Lisi usually comes and cleans everything up (Laughs, E.D.)!
LISI: My working environment must be very organised. I need to understand what Rushemy wants with his sketches, what we want to say with the collection and how I can turn these ideas into solutions. Most of the time I work in 3D, and I need to be very organised with my fabrics and tools, in order to make progress.
Let’s move to the Nina Ricci journey you’re living. Heritage and research are things you have to deal with when you’re working for a brand with an identity and ethos. You have to pick your own keywords, in order to write a new chapter of the story with your signature. What’s that one thing you focused on, while going through the Nina Ricci archive?
LISI: We wanted to go back to the source, how everything started. We found out she was an incredible tailor, with a nice balance between romanticism and a lot of straightforwardness. She decided to make haute couture democratic for all women. In fact she made it more affordable, while keeping the same way of working and sewing. In the future, we’d like to maintain the same atmosphere, making people of our age attracted to the brand.
RUSHEMY: It’s really important to do research in a certain way if you want to tell a new story. You can’t create something new without knowing the past. Moreover, by doing so, you can literally find treasures. Going through the archive, we also noticed lots of optimism and irony expressed by the use of colour. Maria Nina Ricci didn’t take herself too seriously, and we’re the same. Fashion is for sure an artistic form, but we’re just making garments, not saving the world.
Going back to Botter and trying to imagine the future of the brand, which kind of echo and heritage would you like to establish?
LISI: With Botter, you can split what we’re doing in certain segments. For us, it’s very important to keep testing materi- als and new ways of telling stories. We always have pieces in our collections that are a bit of a challenge, combining tailored silhouettes and materials that tell a lot about how we live, such as plastic. This is something we’re really interested in and around which I’d like to build a part of our future archive, also as a reflection of the times we’re living.
RUSHEMY: The time we’re living now is completely different from 20 years ago. I think the world is really breaking down, we’re seeing it happening and have to do something about it. As to the archive, it’s important to prove that we’re not just making garments, but working on a bigger scale of storytelling.
What’s the achievement you’d like to celebrate?
RUSHEMY: It may sound a bit cliché, but when I wake up in the morning I have a feeling of satisfaction that we’re building a coral reef farm and giving back to the planet. Working with this community of Curaçao. I love to make garments and tell stories through them, but if I look at what’s happening around me, it doesn’t make any sense to stop there. And now that we’ve started doing this coral nursery, I feel more stimulated and fulfilled.
LISI: It was a dream of ours, something that we’ve wanted to do for a a long time. Since our very first collection, we’ve talked about the environment and its issues. We all live on the same planet, so we should respect it and find a way to make things work. We can’t exploit any element from nature, because then the balance would be off. Satisfaction, for me, is also about telling a story and being able to provoke somebody’s feelings, no matter the type of emotions. The fact that more people and institutions too are recognising the importance of coral reefs also thanks to our underwater nursery: this is for us the highest feeling of satisfaction.
I love the editorial line Andy Warhol chose for his Interview Magazine, to me that’s as good as an interview gets. Within Interview Magazine, two talents would interview each other, giving the reader a chance to spy on a conversation between two pop icons. Something that’s so in line with his idea that each of us will be famous for fifteen minutes in the future. What does the world ‘pop’ mean to you?
In the past I couldn’t deal with that word at all, because I don’t like labels. I also believe that I’m not at a point where I can be defined as a pop artist, although my music and persona have turned into something popular. By speaking with many people, I’ve understood what it means to be exposed to a wider audience. The word ‘pop’, to me, is getting your message across and having many people relate to that message. My wish to reach a wider audience comes from having so many things to express, always considering my work as a way of sharing thoughts with someone who can relate to my lyrics. That’s as pop and mainstream as it gets for me. There are different kinds of mainstream projects or products, and there are different kinds of compromises, the key is to stand in the middle of it.
Not so long ago, I randomly discovered fish doesn’t exist. ‘Fish’ is just a generic label we humans gave to a submersed universe that we’ll never completely know and that probably scares us too, because of its lack of oxygen. We gave them a name to convince ourselves that we know what we’re talking about, as well as having the illusion of control, without even trying to question something that’s different from us. Most people refuse labels, but sometimes we need to define things for what they are, in order to get answers. You said that you don’t like to define things, so I wonder how you deal with pigeonholing.
What’s abstract shouldn’t be defined because of its nature, whereas something scientific has to be defined or categorised, otherwise it’ll be impossible to take away something from it. So, what’s considered artistic shouldn’t be labeled
- although fish and the entire universe are art to me. I don’t feel the need to label artists like David Bowie, for instance: as a thought, it doesn’t come to my mind at all. Probably I don’t think about it, because I consciously know we change every single day. I’m not the same person I was an hour ago, and I’ll be different in an hour, so I don’t feel the necessity of defining what this change is about. Other people have this need, and I don’t judge them for it. I’m the first to admit that I could say the exact opposite in a year time. Who knows, I did it quite a lot in the past. Probably, the key to improving yourself is incoherence.
Your work is highly imaginative, and your latest album ‘Taxi Driver’ really follows this visual path. In the last track, ‘Taxi Driver’ exactly, you tell this story of holding the thread of a sweater while a girl walks away. Those lines remind me of the brilliant 90’s Martini TV commercial with Charlize Theron. Nowadays, I realize that one of the things that’ve built up my imaginary are the golden years of MTV. Not just because of the music videos, but also because of the commercials. I didn’t watch a lot of TV growing up, but the afternoons spent in front of MTV really shaped my visual communication. Looking back, could you trace something that’s visually influenced you?
Talking about proper references, such as books, movies and art, everything came in the last three years. I used to be a guy who spends his time hanging around. I’ve lived and observed a lot. If I think of anything as my highest influence, I’d say people. People had that role in my past. I used to live the streets a lot and I’m talking about a sort of agoraphobic reality, where my friends and I used to be quite local somehow. Streets, people, the fact that I started working at 17 years old really shaped me. I didn’t have a cell phone those days, I just had what surrounded me. That was my academy, unfortunately not movies or books.
Well, I think you had a great schooling through that. There’s always time for books and movies. Sometimes it’s better to get familiar with that in time, since you can understand it better.
Yes, of course. As a kid, I was constantly looking for someone or something to observe. It might be the reason why I developed this urgency to write and describe the images I have in mind.
Recently, I discovered surfing. it’s given me a completely different vision of life. First of all, if you don’t look at where you want to go, you’ll never surf. If you don’t let your body and mind go along with the ocean, you’ll never surf. If you don’t get the ritual and mindset around it, you’ll never surf. You practice Muay Thai, is there something that’s influenced your everyday life?
Muay Thai is everything to me. It’s something way more mental than physical, since a big part of it is predicting the other’s hit. It’s changed my life. I started when I was 17, I got in touch with my mentor, who’s more like a big brother to me and used to train in different gyms around Milan at the time. I fell in love with Muay Thai, but I didn’t have the money to afford a gym membership. He let me train for free and, since then, I’ve never stopped. It’s been the most radical change in my life: I needed something different from the streets, you know. Thanks to Muay Thai, I’ve even overcome my fears. In fact, the mental aspect of this discipline influences my daily life, because if nothing changes in your mindset, nothing will change in your body.
‘We make noise, not clothes’ is an iconic statement by Undercover’s Jun Takashi. This is an example of the relationship between music, aesthetics and the power of spreading a loud message through that. I don’t think music could exist without an image of its sound. Whether it’s a look, a graphic, an album cover or a merchandising line, how do you relate to the visual translation of your music?
I still believe studio recordings and stage performances are the most important things for a singer and musician. However, thanks to my curiosity I tend to collect information about the artists I admire. I start realising that all of this is conveyed in a solo message. I look at fashion and aesthetics from my own point of view. When it comes to the visual aspect, covers and merchandising, I discuss everything with my creative team in order to find the right direction. It’s a process I let happen. I’d say that I don’t look for a space for aesthetics, but aesthetics naturally find their own space in my work.
I haven’t understood yet whether I’m able to be satisfied with something or not. I can be happy about a goal, but a part of me probably avoids the feeling of being satisfied, because I see it as an end point. I don’t want to arrive anywhere: I want to get there, live it and then set off again.
I totally agree with you. Satisfaction is ephemeral: as soon as you set a goal, a new one comes immediately. I’m lucky to look at this word in such a way, because to me it’s the greatest fuel I could ask for. This is the reason why, for instance, I started studying piano at 26 years old. It’s one of the hardest things ever, because I’m a full-grown adult, both gesturally and mentally. I’m struggling with it, but since I refuse complacency, I won’t stop. It could be difficult or crazy, I don’t mind, it’s my way of dealing with satisfaction.
We all faced a complex year. For you, it was probably the moment where your career was blossoming. Have you ever feared the pandemic could’ve stopped you from making it?
Yes, for sure. However, considering what we were work- ing on together with Bomba Dischi’s crew, everything was based during quarantine. Compared to the big artists that were pushed to stop, because of the big numbers involved, I didn’t have anything to loose. I recorded my first EP at home, with my iPhone’s earbuds, transferring on Garage Band the musical bases the producers sent me. Since I didn’t have a microphone at my place, I literally recorded everything on my iPhone. In the end, having my debut in quarantine turned out to be my point of strength. We were forced to stay at home, and probably people payed more attention to the meaning of my work: thanks to the intima- cy of their places, they appreciated and understood better my essence.
This past year has taken a lot from everyone. What’s one thing that you’ve lost and one that you’ve gained?
This year gave a me a job and stability through music. Equally, it also took a huge part of my job: live concerts, meet and greet’s and human contact with my fans. Anyhow, I’m happy to say that this is my job now.
What are your childhood, music related memories?
I used to spend three days per year at Carpineto Romano for the chestnut fair with my parents and a bunch of friends. There was a tiny karaoke outside of a restaurant where my father and I used to sing Domenico Modugno’s ‘Azzurro’ (in English, ‘Light Blue’, E.D.). More recently, when my father would pick me up from my school mates’ parties, we’d play De Gregori, Puccini, Battiato and many other artists’ music. We also used to debate a lot around the work of those singer-songwriters.
How about with writing?
I used to write and read a lot. Unfortunately, I don’t read that much anymore. Still my father got me lots of books and, since he’s a journalist and writer, he’s infused me with this crave and passion for writing. Over the years, I’ve writ- ten songs, poems and thoughts. I used to write in English. For instance, I remember that I wrote a long letter to my father when Pino Daniele died. Pino was his favourite singer, and I was so sorry for that loss and his sorrow.
So, you used to write in English. Why did you switch to Italian then?
I wrote in English up until three years ago. At a certain point, I realised there are so many international artists out there and Italy doesn’t need an Italian singer that sings in English. Italy needs something new, and I put all my commitment into that. So, I started writing in Italian and I’m enjoying it a lot. I’d like to write in English too, I won’t deny it, as well as letting my name be known internationally. I’d also love to be an author, maybe for an international artist
You worked as the author of the trailer soundtrack for the Netflix original series ‘Summertime’. As well as being a part of it with a delicate cameo of you singing ‘L’ultima notte’ (in English, ‘The Last Night’, E.D.). What does summer mean to you?
Summer means lightness to me, as well as the possibility to detach myself a bit from everyday life. I connect summer also to the idea of not thinking about what was going on before and what’s going to happen after summer.
How do you feel knowing that ‘L’ultima notte’ (in English, ‘The Last Night’, E.D.) gave a voice to someone else’s visual story?
It’s very cool! I hadn’t ever written on commission before and it was a weird process, but I truly love the result. When they told me it was going to be the soundtrack for the trailer video of a Netflix original series, as well as a part of it, it having to meet a time limit and to respect specific features, I felt scared. I can talk about summer from my point of view, but here I was supposed to speak for the series and its mood. Usually, I write a song in 20 to 30 minutes: if it takes any longer, it means that I’m not feeling inspired. I got scared with ‘L’ultima notte’, because it took me two days. I thought that I wasn’t able to write songs anymore (Laughs, E.D.).
Love and relationships are complex at every stage in life. Through your songs, you analyse this complicity, going straight to the point in a simple yet effective way. Is it the same attitude you have in life?
I think that I’m straightforward in life too. As I always say, Ariete is just Arianna singing, so I’d never try and pretend to be someone else in my songs. Generally speaking, my personality and feelings can been seen through my facial expressions. I’m literally not able to be unresponsive in front of something that moves me. I’m straightforward especially with the ones I love, I don’t like to beat around the bush. The real key to love is being sincere, being there for someone in good and bad times. Love is being able to tell the truth. It happened once, during my first relationship, where I wasn’t so outspoken. So, I wrote a song, ‘Avrei voluto dirti’ (in English, ‘I Would’ve Liked to Tell You’, E.D.), a summary of all the unspoken things I wish I had said to her, but I didn’t dare to.
You wrote a song entitled ’18 anni’ (in English, ’18 Years’, E.D.). Looking back on my coming of age, nothing really changed. I remember having lots of fantasies, stubbornness, enthusiasm and future projects. How do you deal with those feelings?
To me, everything is a challenge. Rather than dreams, those are ambitions. When I started doing music, I never said to my parents: ‘My dream is to turn into a singer’, I’d say ‘I’ll be a singer!’ instead. They rightly used to comment on that saying just one out of a million makes it, nonetheless I never came up with a plan B. In fact, I’ve always thought I could be that one out of a million.
By the time this interview will be published, you’ll have started, lived and finished your tour. What advice would you give to yourself?
Have fun, above all. Never take for granted that people are there for you, that they paid to see you and, although it could be your last date of that tour, for them it’s the first and only. Always give your best and, if possible, be disposable with people stopping by after the gig. Be careful, since we’re not fully out of this pandemic. By the way, I think that I’ll bring my friends too, since I want them to live this experience together with me.
Is satisfaction something you like to share with people, or is it a feeling you like to keep for yourself?
I’m self critical, ambitious and always looking for more. If I compare myself to who I was a year ago, I have to admit I’ve changed quite a lot. However, being objectively honest, I see satisfaction more as a bar that I place higher and higher. It’s often misunderstood, but I always try to live my career as something that has nothing to do with working. It’s a mindset: if I start taking myself too seriously at 19 years old, in two years time I’ll probably start mouthing off.
What will you celebrate tonight?
My independence, love, health, music, living in the beautiful city of Rome, and my summer tour. I’ll make a special toast to the sold-out show in Rome I did in two days. I’m so proud of that!
