In the Italian panorama, where soul and R&B continue to move on the margins of the dominant discourse, “Luna Piena”, the joint album by Ainé, Filippo Bubbico and Lauryyn, fits in as a project that programmatically avoids labels.
The EP was born from the meeting of three distinct paths which here converge in a shared writing, without obvious hierarchies.
Five tracks that do not seek a linear narrative but a magnetic field, where love manifests itself as intermittent force, attraction and drift, presence and slippage. Inside, soul and R&B are less genres than malleable materials, traversed without deference. The writing becomes porous, the production retains instead of exhibiting. It is precisely in this economy of gestures that the project finds its measure: an unstable but lucid balance, capable of escaping both manner and pose.
We met Ainé, Filippo Bubbico and Lauryyn to get into the process, rather than the result. A story emerges that dismantles the very idea of the collective and replaces it with something rarer: a fourth voice, which only exists when the three of them are together.
THE INTERVIEW
How did the idea for “Full Moon” come about?
Ainé:
The project was born a couple of years ago. I wrote to Filippo and Lauryyn, we had already been friends for a long time, so there was a solid basis. I had some ideas still in my drawer, still embryonic, and I thought I'd share them with them. They were not finished songs, but intuitions to be developed. From there the proposal was born: why not build something together, from scratch, as a threesome?We started exchanging materials, suggestions, messages. Then we found ourselves in the studio and everything took shape naturally. It has become an EP truly built with six hands, or rather, three minds.
You talk about a work of “three minds”: what are the characteristics of each that emerge in the album?
Lauryyn:
There was a division of roles, at least initially: Filippo took care of the production, while Ainé and I worked more on texts and interpretation. But it is a relative distinction, because we all participated in every phase.We share a lot in terms of taste and background, so I wouldn't say that each brought a “different part” of themselves. Rather, common ground emerged.
Filippo Bubbico:
Yes, it was all very balanced, almost a 33-33-33. Maybe Ainé gave a more marked contribution on the melodic level, I also worked on the sound construction, on the “dress” of the songs, between arrangements, mixes and masters. But it has always been a collective process.Lauryyn:
For me, working with Ainé was also an important artistic reference, especially in melodic writing. But, really, the percentages overlap: it was a continuous dialogue.
On a conceptual level, the EP seems to revolve around the phases of love, with imagery linked to lunar cycles. Is this a correct reading?
Ainé:
In reality this interpretation was born more outside than inside the project. The connection with the phases of the moon was not thought of on the drawing board. It's a suggestion that was created later.That said, it's not entirely random either. The title Full Moon comes from one of the tracks: when that song emerged, it immediately seemed natural to use it as the pivot of the project. It contained a precise imagery, made up of colours, atmospheres, moments of the day.
Filippo Bubbico:
The symbolism of the moon, if we want to read it like this, works: it speaks of cycles, of energy, of completeness but also of emotional instability. We care, even if it wasn't an intentional construction.Lauryyn:
And then, in hindsight, we realized that a certain type of language often recurs in the songs. In Orbitfor example, there is the idea of gravitating towards someone. In My lightthe person becomes a light source, something that illuminates.Ainé:
Yes, it's curious: without deciding it, we have linked different forms of love to very universal, cosmic or natural images. I don't know how aware he is, but there's a thread that holds everything together.
You said before that you share a lot of listeners. Is this what brought you together as a collective? And, beyond the lunar imagery, what were your musical references?
Filippo Bubbico:
In reality, for this EP there wasn't a precise reference, a guide track. We didn't follow a model. Rather we drew on our personal worlds, which are close, as if they lived in the same artistic neighborhood.The idea was not to pursue individual paths, but to create a sort of “fourth brain”, something that was the synthesis of all three. What emerged is a musical identity that couldn't have existed any other way.
So, rather than external references, the real reference was this new entity. It manifests itself in the way we communicate, laugh, share ideas. The energy created between the three of us was the main driver.
Then it's clear, everyone has their own ratings: Ainé hers, I mine, Aurora hers. Some coincide, others are far away. But everything is filtered by our identity and put at the service of this collective identity.
You are thinking of a live dimension for Full Moon?
Ainé:
We're thinking about it. We are waiting for our teams to find the right situation, a location or context that makes sense for the project. We are available, but there must be coherence.Lauryyn:
There is also a practical question: we don't live in the same place, so we have to fit everything into our individual commitments.Filippo Bubbico:
A concert together would be something special. Each of us already has our own live path, so meeting three requires a special occasion, also in terms of energy and event.Ainé:
But it will happen, sooner or later.
The Italian soul and R&B scene is growing, but remains perceived as a niche. How do you explain it?
Lauryyn:
A lot has changed compared to a few years ago. When I started listening to and then publishing music, there were very few references in Italy. Ainé was among the first to bring this sound in a recognizable way.Ainé:
This dynamic has always existed. It's not an Italian issue, it's really linked to gender.Even in the United States, extraordinary artists have never reached the levels of global pop. It's physiological. Like jazz compared to rock: it will never have the same mass impact.
I started bringing this type of sound into Italian around 2013, along with very few others. And in ten years the scenario has transformed.
Today there is a new generation that listens to this music, that goes to concerts, that follows artists, including international ones. There are dedicated playlists, editorial covers, a more structured presence. It's not a little.
For this reason I would no longer say that “there is no space”. Space exists, but it must be understood in the right way.
Anyone who makes this type of music knows it. It is a language that is not for everyone. We come from there and we don't even question it. We simply make the music that belongs to us.
Full Moon it's also this: no calculations, no strategy, just music.
Filippo Bubbico:
Maybe this is exactly the point for the younger ones too. Going after the mainstream right away can be risky. We see projects that start out strong but without real training and then get lost.The important thing is to build a solid identity, without obsessing over the idea of a niche or not.
LISTEN TO THE RECORD
ABOUT
AINE
Ainé born Arnaldo Santoro, born in Rome on 28 September 1991.
He is an Italian singer, musician, multi-instrumentalist, author, composer and producer. He is considered one of the exponents of Soul, Neo Soul and R&B in Italy. He studied at the Venice Voice Academy in Los Angeles, and at the Berklee College Of Music in Boston. He has collaborated with artists of the caliber of Giorgia, MARO, Marco Mengoni, Tormento, Sergio Cammariere, Mecna, Serena Brancale, Willie Peyote, Ghemon, Gemello, Davide Shorty, Gegè Telesforo, Clementino, Ensi and many others.
He was entrusted with the open act and shared the stage with artists of the caliber of Slum Village, Masego, Robert Glasper, Common, Ivan Ave, Kamasi Washington, Bilal, Solange. Between 2016 and 2024 his recordings were released, “Generation One”, for Totally Imported, “Uni – Verso”, “Niente di me”, “Alchimia”, “NHP+” for Universal Music Virgin Records, “BUIO LEGGERO” for ADA/Warner Music Italy. For some years he has also been a teacher in one of the best music schools in Italy. the Saint Louis College Of Music in Rome where he holds his songwriting, Soul and R&B classes and workshops.
@aine_official
PHILIP BUBBICO
Philip Bubbico is an internationally active musician and producer, performing in Europe, Asia, the United States and Africa.
He has performed in important venues and festivals around the world, including the Auditorium Parco della Musica and the Blue Note Milano in Europe; Singapore, Bali and Seoul (Casa Corona) in Asia; Blue Note New York, Nublu and Bowery Electric in the United States; and the Cape Town International Jazz Festival in Africa, collaborating with Varijashree Venugopal.
Trained at the SAE Institute in Milan and the Berklee College of Music (NYC), he works as a producer, composer and arranger for film, TV and video games, including Netflix productions in Italy and the United States.
As a producer he has released music for Sun Village Records (his label), GroundUP Music and Workin' Label, collaborating with artists of different genres.
He is currently touring with a solo electronic live project, performed with analog instrumentation for an immersive, club-oriented experience.
@filippobubbico
LAURYYN
Lauryyn she has established herself as one of the most interesting voices on the Italian nu soul scene, thanks to a sound that intertwines R&B, jazz and experimental electronics with profound and contemporary lyrics. After the great response to the EP “Intro” (2023), published by Sun Village Records and also reissued in a live version, the artist brought his music to some of the most relevant stages of the independent scene, performing at the MI AMI Festival alongside names such as Colapesce Dimartino, Marco Castello and Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti, and opening the concerts of Venerus at the Tagghiate Urban Fest and Daniela Pes at the Abbabula Festival in Alghero, Lucio Corsi, Serena Brancale. Some of his songs were chosen for the soundtrack of the sixth season of the series “Skam Italia” (Netflix), while in April 2024 he had the opportunity to play at The Bowery Electric in New York. After a journey of continuous growth, Lauryyn takes a decisive step with the publication of his debut album “Aritmia”, preceded by the single and video “Londra”, already included in the Spotify playlists Anima R&B, Scuola Indie and New Music Friday, and broadcast by programs such as B Side by Radio Capital – and by the single “Doppio Fine”. The album was selected among the five finalists of the Targhe Tenco 2025 in the “Best first work” category.
Social Links:
@lauryyn_____
