Måneskin: Rocking the music scene on their own terms
MANILA, Philippines — There’s a reason why Måneskin is being hailed as a driving force behind the revival of rock in a pop-driven global music scene.
The four members — lead vocalist Damiano David, bassist Victoria De Angelis, guitarist Thomas Raggi, and drummer Ethan Torchio — began their musical journey by busking on the streets of Rome, Italy, during their teenage years. Their international breakthrough came after they won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2021 for Italy with the song Zitti e buoni. Now, they stand on stages as a globally recognized rock band with achievements that stem from mainly resisting trends.
Though they first exploded onto the international scene with their viral cover of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons ‘60s hit Beggin’, they earned the respect and appreciation of fans and industry as a whole for original work, such as their critically acclaimed album RUSH!, which went on to reach No. 1 in 15 countries, with over 1.5 billion streams.
Overall, Måneskin has accumulated to date over nine billion streams to their name and 325 — 56 Gold, 252 Platinum and 17 Diamond — global certifications. The group was recently nominated Best New Artist at the 2023 GRAMMY Awards and Best Rock at the MTV VMAs, won Best Alternative Video at the VMAs and Best Rock at the MTV EMAs, Top Rock Song at Billboard Music Awards, Best New Alternative Artist at iHeart Radio Music Awards, various wins at National award shows in Japan, Spain, Poland, Hungary, and Finland, as well as multiple nominations globally including the BRIT Awards, NME Awards, Kerrang Awards and more.
The STAR and other press from Southeast Asia recently spoke over Zoom to the quartet of 20-somethings to talk about the release of RUSH! (ARE YOU COMING?), the brand-new edition of RUSH!, featuring five new songs including Valentine, Honey (Are U Coming?), Trastevere (titled after the neighborhood where they grew up in Rome), Off My Face and The Driver.
Asked by The STAR how RUSH! ARE YOU COMING? adds a new dimension to the original album and how the new songs contribute to the band’s artistic evolution, Damiano said, “We rolled out these new songs during and immediately after the last tour we had. I think it was the longest tour we ever did. So, we were still in this ‘rush’ environment, and the place we were in felt not so different from where we were when we wrote the album.
“We felt like these songs belonged to that project because they were telling, in a certain way, the same story — or maybe it’s the next part of the story that we told in RUSH!. We get a lot of inspiration from touring, interacting with our fans, and having the chance to play our songs live, which is actually what we care about the most.
“So, we felt it was needed and more fair to put these songs together with the rest of the record because we were not finished yet telling this story and this moment of our life,” he said.
Here are more excerpts from the virtual chat with the band who is in the middle of a RUSH! world tour.
On being credited for making rock music popular again:
Damiano: “It’s undeniable that we have our little influence. I think that what we’ve done, it’s helping a little bit not to bring back rock music into the mainstream, but just to bring it into the discussion again.
“There’s a lot of artists now that are introducing live bands and more analog elements in their music. We don’t think it’s thanks to us. We think it’s just the natural developing of music. We’re just very, very lucky to be in the right place at the right moment and to be doing what we’re doing.
“Of course, we’re very happy that we’re getting all these achievements and recognition but we don’t think that we’re actually changing the music market or the music industry. And when we have kids coming up to us saying that they’re starting to play instruments, thanks to us, of course, we feel so fulfilled. It’s one of the best things that our job can give us. That is, to inspire people to do something, especially if it’s something very healthy and useful, like doing music or playing an instrument.”
On bringing back the ‘craziness and wildness’ of rock music:
Victoria: “I think, like, what we really want to bring in some ways is just the excitement and freedom in music. Nowadays, in the music industry, there are so many rules and concerns about what you should do or how you should present yourself. Well, we just started playing as four kids having fun together, and we dreamt of making this dream come true. Now that we have the opportunity, we don’t want to waste it in any way or start worrying too much about what we have to do.
“So what we want to bring is just the freedom to do whatever you like and not have to follow the rules of the market or anything. Just do what you want and be yourself doing it, and believe in yourself. That’s the most special thing we want to pass on to our fans and listeners. In our concerts, we see that people come there to enjoy and they’re fully themselves in the moment. They’re free of any thoughts or limits, and that’s the biggest thing we want to bring.”
On breakthrough moments and challenges while working on the album:
Victoria: “Yeah, it’s like every new chapter, every new album, is such a big step in our career. We really care about making the best possible and, of course, being there for our friends.
“As individuals, we also have different tastes or listen to different music, so not always do we agree on the path to follow or how a song should turn out. But I think that’s also what’s beautiful about being in a band, you know. It’s never just easy; you can never just follow your own vision. You always have to kind of compromise and find a new solution that will please everyone and can represent everyone.
“But I think that’s what makes us unique. That’s what makes us us because it’s the combination of all our tastes and our visions combined. So, that, I think, is the most precious thing in the end.
“So every time when we’re done with a record, of course, there are songs that come out super easily and songs that we struggled so much more, where we have different opinions. But in the end, it’s beautiful to see how the final project comes out and how it represents everyone’s different ideas.”
On the biggest thing they learned while trying to break into the music business:
Damiano: “I think that there are no rules to do it. Every time someone tells you that you’ve got to look in a certain way and do a certain type of music, it’s always wrong. Like following the trends, it’s always wrong because you always end up being late and running after something that’s already been done.
“Actually, we found out that all the best results and achievements in our career came from something that we did without thinking about it too much and really listening to our feelings, to our instincts. Since every artistic language comes from the insight of the artists that make it, I think it’s very, very important to be able and confident enough to trust yourself more than you trust other people’s opinions.”
On TikTok’s impact on their music:
Damiano: “Of course, both of our biggest songs, I Want to Be Your Slave and Beggin’, got very viral on TikTok, and of course, it helped a lot. But once again, as I was saying before, I think people shouldn't focus too much on, like, doing something to get it viral on TikTok or base all their strategy on social media.
“I think the audience still has the ability to understand what's good and what's authentic more than everything, and I think that if you look at, I think, 90 percent of the viral content on social media, it's all very authentic and not very thought.
“So we use it because it's part of our society. It's part of our generation. We have fun with it. It's funny, and you can show other parts of yourself outside of music because, of course, we're living persons and musicians (laughs). So, sometimes it's fun to do a video and make some jokes and whatever.
“But I think it's very relative. It can be very, very helpful, but I think we shouldn't focus on it too much.”
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