When thinking of Italian music, most often, three things come to mind: opera, Måneskin, and “Bella Ciao.” If that is the extent of your Italian music knowledge, you are missing out on a universe of possibilities, songs, and great concerts.
Just like in the U.S., there are plenty of options for different music tastes. Italian music encompasses a wide range of genres, from pop and rock, to punk and indie, to even some classical pieces that some may be surprised to learn are Italian.
The Historical Side
Italy has played a crucial role in the development of music throughout history. It can even be recognized through the terms like “concerto” meaning concert, “piano” meaning softly, and “grande” meaning “going strong.”
Italy left a strong footprint in the opera, with many songs composed by Italians or sung in Italian, like “Tosca” or “The Barber Of Seville.” However, Italian music is not stuck in the 1800s and the music has evolved. Now ranging from pop, to rock, walking through punk and indie, and even some classical pieces that some might not even realize are Italian, like “Volare” or “Bella Ciao.”
Sanremo
The most musical time of the year in Italy is the Sanremo festival. Debuting its 75th anniversary this February, the festival hosts 24 singers and groups for a week of new music, setting the tone for the music industry for that year.
Just like when Taylor Swift releases a new album and it plays endlessly on the radio, in the following weeks after the festival, the Sanremo songs, especially the winner of the festival, will be popular for months after the festival’s end. The winner of the festival gets to represent Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest. The most famous winners of the contest are Måneskin, a Roman rock band who not only won Sanremo, but also went on to win Eurovision. Before them, one of the other well-known winners was Domenico Modugno, singer of “Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu,” also known as “Volare.”
The Ultimate Guide
So, how can people navigate through Italian music? For those looking for a modern band to listen to, two great options arise in the Italian music scene: Måneskin and Pinguini Tattici Nucleari.
Måneskin currently has four albums, with songs in both Italian and English, with themes that range from love to the struggles of being a young adult to eating disorders. The song that made them win the 71st Sanremo Song Contest in 2021 was “Zitti e Buoni“ (“Shut Up and Behave” in English), which is a song about rebelling against expectations to find yourself.
Pinguini Tattici Nucleari is an indie-pop band originating from Bergamo, a city close to Milan. They are a unique band with powerful lyrics that are both fun and ironic, while also diving into deeper themes about modern society.
They have seven albums worth of songs, and while the first ones are more niche productions, the last three albums are geared towards the pop tunes that dominate music currently. One of their latest releases is “Coca Zero,“ a song that talks about how generational change slowly happens and nothing can stop it, using a metaphor about the change from ordering a Coke to ordering a Coke Zero.
Another moving song is “La storia infinita” (“The infinite story” in English), a song about how happiness can make a moment seem eternal.
For those not into bands, there are still plenty of options in Italian music. For indie and soft music lovers, one of the best options is Gazzelle. His songs have themes of love and nostalgia, such as “La prima canzone d’amore” (“The first love song” in English). The artist has other songs with a more self-focused theme about the struggle of making it through a draining time in one’s life, such as the song “Flavio” which is named after the singer.
If indie music is not your preference, there are still many other options, like from trap music, with singers like Sfera Ebbasta, and Lazza, (runner-up in the last Sanremo Festival), to old school authors like Venditti, who wrote a song about the night before a final high school exam that still resonates with students today.
If you are ready to go out of your comfort zone and give Italian music a try, you can start with this playlist, and you just might open yourself to a new world of tunes and cheaper concert tickets.
