Waiting to see her for the eighth time competing on the Ariston stage from February 24th with the song Magical fairy tale (a vocal crescendo that only she and a few others could handle in Italy), Arisa met the press yesterday to talk about her new projects.
With enthusiasm and a newfound serenity, where she is no longer afraid to get involved even as an author and proud of her “childish” nuances; without shying away from any question, he answered with rare honesty and frankness – from the new album arriving in spring to his personal and emotional journey, from the desire to export his music outside of Italy to the approach to an iconic song like “What women don't say” in the festival evening of covers, up to the prevailing discussion with Laura Pausini on the interpretation of the Italian anthem and the latest successful television experiences (“The Voice Kids”).
I am very happy with this opportunity because I have wanted to return to Sanremo as a competitor for years, I would go every year! I really understood that for an Italian pop artist today, participating in Sanremo is truly a privilege, because when you don't do it you feel a bit excluded.
The song is part of an album that will be released soon, called 'Photo moves' and, in some respects, has been defined as 'Disney-esque'; in reality it has the desire to remain over time; it was built on a melody which in my opinion and that of the other authors (Galeffi, Giuseppe Anastasi and Mamakass) winks at the operetta of the early twentieth century but with a very modern theme, an account of the life we all live today, that is, the greater attention to externalizing oneself rather than building internally.
Then one morning you get up and realize that you have left many things behind, first of all being happy in general, regaining your sensitivity and your feelings, which metaphorically means becoming children again and understanding what is good for us. What made us happy as children is not very far from what makes us happy even now, we need to reclaim what made our hearts beat and continue our lives, even though we cannot change what we have become, but trying to pay more attention to our interiority, that boy or girl that we sometimes leave in a corner and who instead needs to express themselves and have fun.
In recent years I have understood more than anything that I have focused on the search for romantic love which took up a lot of my time, I haven't focused on anything else apart from work. For me, fulfilling myself has always depended on realizing my dream and having a person next to me.
After many attempts, I realized that I missed the opportunity to cultivate many other things; now the rainbow is inside me and therefore I will try to experience love in a more universal way, dedicating myself more to friends, my family and simply to myself”.
On the new album coming in spring:
“Photos moved” tells through many passages about sentimental photographs and portraits, which by their nature cannot be static, for these the photos are moved; feelings are subject to the moment and points of view. Life is beautiful because it always surprises you. It is a real story of life moments photographed through songs. I worked with the same team for the whole album, Mamakass, with whom I've been working for a couple of years and then with different authors who helped me with the writing. This album in particular is very important for me, it is the first in which I really participate in the writing and I am the only author of many songs, in a courageous way: I have always written but I always thought that my songs were not up to par, then I asked myself 'But up to what?'. Everyone does what they are.
I felt I was expressing my life through songs in an extremely honest way, even my uncomfortable femininity, in certain situations: in couples, in relationships, expressing my more childish side, the saving bond with my land. There will be some songs in which you will certainly not find me and you will wonder who it is… It's me! And I'm very happy, maybe the right time has come to feel happy.”
On the path that led her to this new phase of serenity:
Happiness is achieved with the awareness of not being able to have everything, of calming the continuous search for worlds and sensations that are not within our reach. Of course, first we need to understand what is actually within our reach… I did years of analysis, I looked inside myself a lot and I wanted to understand who I really was.
To understand this, I allowed myself a period of solitude. I am 43 years old so it is also natural that at my age I have different awareness but this is not a definitive surrender, I believe I am still on the way, I would like to find the courage to explore myself thoroughly and really bring out everything that I am and leave an authentic mark of myself.”
On the personal front, “at the moment I am emotionally alone but I have many people close to me. But since I have been alone, I see myself as more beautiful, calmer, more serene, more sunny. I think that in my case I need the right person and not just one person in general. I think that a woman needs the right person but they can be self-sufficient”.
On the choice of song
What women don't say” on the covers evening: “I have always loved the song by Fiorella Mannoia – and by Enrico Ruggeri. I love her deeply because she represents a very authentic femininity, which is neither the martyr nor the radical feminist, it is a femininity that knows reality and yet never stops feeling, neither winner nor vanquished; it's the femininity of mothers, of women who go straight on their way, the so-called ordinary women, of which I feel like I'm part, who work their ass off and carry on every day. I chose to join the Chorus of the Teatro Regio of Parma because I like to give the song the opportunity to navigate in a different dimension; this Choir gives an angelic aura to the piece because femininity, or rather, the feminine in general, is made of the same substance as angels, is capable of great gestures and is able to change the world”.
On the controversial change of ending of the song that Fiorella often performs live (“Ti diremo unaltro no” instead of “Ti diremo unaltro sia”):
I'll stick to the original; as I have always interpreted it, I don't dedicate that yes only to man; great women don't lose the desire to be available, open and capable; saying 'no' is closure, I want to see what the future brings me, I want to be inclusive and free in all forms, I don't want to place barriers between myself and others. Violence is another theme: we cannot live with the presumption of thinking that all men are wrong, just as women are all right.
You have to be human beings, in this song women are first and foremost human beings who do not lose their feminine nature and their maternal meaning, even if not expressed, because motherhood is acceptance and understanding. I say yet another yes, not necessarily to the masculine but to life as a whole.”
On that outburst on Amici from a few years ago that later went viral:
You have to have patience in life, there are moments and moments and if you don't give up and don't give in to rejection, things can change; Since I'm a very anxious person, sometimes I want everything right away and when something isn't given to me I get scared, but instead you have to work hard and not take everything for granted. I thought they wouldn't broadcast that moment, I was also upset about it and instead I realized that it helped me a lot, the public understood that I simply feel like a human being subject to people's liking or not liking.”
On Eurovision and the missed opportunity to participate in the year he won with Controvento (2014):
I would really like to go, there is my song, 'La notte', which every year is requested by someone abroad, this year by Gusstavo Lima which was a great success; every time I thank you because the song is also mine but why not me directly? I would like to export my music abroad, get to know new places and experience my work differently.”
On the comparison between you and Laura Pausini in the performance of the Italian anthem which has been so popular on the web in recent days:
I always feel very uncomfortable when they compare me with other artists because it's something that can only create antipathy. Even when they say I'm the most beautiful voice in Italy – and for me it's not true! It's something that only creates a void around me, while since I was a child I wanted to be like others and among others, instead my way of being has always put me in a different place, a little alone. So I never like comparisons. I'm very basic in my singing, I have no choice but to respect the songs for what they really are.
I wouldn't have been able to do what Laura Pausini did, honestly: she is an artist with an incredible vocality, who has toured the world, who expressed her greatness through a unique interpretation of the anthem; I, on the other hand, interpreted it like many other people have done before. Look at the American national anthem done by Beyoncé or Whitney Houston or Lady Gaga, those were also personalized anthems; we cannot think of Laura Pausini only as an Italian artist but she is a great international artist, so she can be allowed to do things in her own way.
In my opinion the anthem can be interpreted however you want. The thing I was less happy about, however, was that Malika Ayane and I had created a context with an unreleased piece to establish the anthem of the Winter Olympics: my anthem, 'Until dawn' won, and it wasn't shit on in the slightest and I was very disappointed about this. I will close the Paralympics with the Italian anthem and instead this song, written by school students, wasn't shit in the slightest. This displeased me the most and I would talk about this.”
The approach to this Sanremo will be “with seriousness but also with lightness, now I live all things as if they were the last because I have understood the value of things. I will try to enjoy it to the fullest, to have a lot of fun, to honor the people who chose me as Captain of Fantasanremo but I will also put a lot of effort into singing. I want to do everything well because I know I can do it”.
On the return to the live dimension – May 22nd in Rome at the Teatro Brancaccio and May 29th in Milan at the Teatro Lirico:
They will be unmissable live shows! (laughs, ed.). These concerts will be a beacon of what is new without neglecting what has made me important in the hearts of the people who want to come and see me. The songs from my past are my greatest resource, my source, they are the communication code with my audience who has followed me since 2009″.
On the emotion of being received last Friday by the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella together with the entire cast of the Festival, and who defined the importance of Italian pop music as “the country's cultural heritage”.
I've always thought so too; popular music also defines the popular culture of a given moment in history. Mogol always says it too, one of the first things he told us when we went to school with him. We too should be more aware of this, not only holding the mirror back from society but also trying to improve it a little. Human beings are sponges: constructive music, which can give messages, can also honor popular culture.”
On the successful and appreciated television experience at “The Voice Kids”:
Having the opportunity to make yourself known is truly a privilege; people sometimes through music, if they are not attentive to your relationship, they don't observe you and that's right because they have their own lives; when you make a television program where you are yourself you have the privilege of establishing human contact with people at home which stimulates a deeper knowledge. If before I was a little incomprehensible, now they've understood that I'm not that strange, on the contrary… I'm happy and truly grateful for this.”
THE TOUR
22 May 2026 – Rome, Teatro Brancaccio
29 May 2026 – Milan, Teatro Lirico
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