SINGAPORE – In the past few years, Maneskin single-handedly put Italian rock music on the world map.
After winning the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest, the quartet became the first outfit from Italy to score a top 10 hit on the British charts, and were nominated in the Best New Artist category at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
Best known for their 2017 rendition of Beggin’, first popularised by American band Four Seasons in 1967, the bilingual band sing in both their native language and English.
Trying to break into a rock scene dominated by American and British acts was no easy feat, Maneskin tell The Straits Times in a Zoom interview ahead of their first concert here at Singapore Expo Hall 1 on Nov 27.
In the United States, where they recently toured, they felt like outsiders, says singer Damiano David, 24.
“It was very, very hard, because America is a big country that has a lot of music made by them, and it’s very hard to get into the culture if you’re not a native speaker. And, of course, our way of communicating is very different because we’re from another part of the world, so I think that for us, it has been, maybe, harder than it would be for an American band.”
Still, they are happy to be trailblazers for other Italian music acts to succeed on the global stage. “We hope we can open some doors for others,” David adds.
The band – which also include bassist Victoria De Angelis, guitarist Thomas Raggi and drummer Ethan Torchio – formed in 2016 in Rome when they were teenagers. De Angelis, who is half Danish, named the group Maneskin, the Danish word for “moonlight”.
After a busking stint in the streets of Rome, they took part in the 2017 Italian edition of reality television singing competition X Factor, where they emerged runner-up. Their 2018 debut album Il Ballo Della Vita (Italian for The Dance Of Life) went to No. 1 on the Italian charts.
Their Eurovision win in 2021 was a turning point in their career and led to the viral success of Beggin’, which blew up on TikTok and charted worldwide.
In January, Maneskin put out their third and latest album Rush!. It topped the charts in various European countries, such as Austria, Belgium and Italy, as well as US Billboard’s Top Alternative Albums chart.
In early November, they reissued the album with a new edition titled Rush! (Are U Coming?) that includes five additional songs.
“Rush! describes the moment of our lives when we were constantly on the run and on tour. We were always working and always running and very, very stimulated,” David says of the album and the bonus songs. “We wanted to add more feelings to the album because that moment for us is not finished yet.”
Observers credit the band for reviving the interest in rock music and rock aesthetics among younger music fans, in a time when the charts are dominated by pop and hip-hop.
Raggi says: “I think it’s really important for the younger generation to listen to analogue instruments, you know what I mean? Like real guitars, real bass, real drums.”
But De Angelis plays down the acclaim, pointing out that music tends to be cyclical.
“Maybe there’s a moment when it’s like, pop is the most mainstream, and then it’s rap, and then it’s rock, and then maybe rock goes away for 30 years, but then comes back.”
And while Maneskin have won multiple awards, including Best Rock at the 2021 MTV Europe Music Awards and Favourite Rock Song for Beggin’ at the 2022 American Music Awards, De Angelis says connecting with fans at their live concerts is even more impactful.
“It is, of course, such a big achievement,” she says of the accolades. “But at the same time, what makes us happiest is when we see how much people care about us at the live shows. Touring is our biggest accomplishment. When we see there are thousands and thousands of people around the world wanting to spend their time with us and come to our shows, I would say that is more priceless than anything else.”
Maneskin Live in Singapore
Where: Singapore Expo Hall 1, 1 Expo Drive
When: Nov 27, 8pm
Admission: $138 to $158 via Sistic (go to sistic.com.sg or call 6348-5555)
