They will be competing at the 76th edition of the Sanremo Festival with Clandestine Poems. For LDA and AKA 7EVEN it is not just a return to Ariston, but the beginning of a shared trajectory that takes shape in the self-titled album out on March 6th.
A project born at home, grown in sixteen days of feverish writing, without filters or strategies. A record that seeks a point of contact between R&B and urban, but above all finds a generational truth that passes through Naples, through the language, through the urgency of telling oneself without any more shielding.
Written by Luca D'Alessio (LDA), Luca Marzano (AKA 7EVEN), Alessandro Caiazza and Vito Petrozzino, and produced by Noya, the song «speaks of a carnal love, a visceral love», an intense but at the same time fugitive love: a bond that never manages to find a stable form, despite being experienced with absolute fullness
During the covers evening, the artists will share the stage of the Ariston Theater with a true legend of Italian music: TULLIO DE PISCOPO. Together they will bring a special reinterpretation of “Andamento Lento”, an iconic song signed by De Piscopo himself, which has spanned generations and continues to be a timeless symbol of Italian music.
THE INTERVIEW
How was “Poesie Clandestine” born?
It was born by chance, or rather, without expectations. We had both finished the summer tour, him. We were in Rome, at home, with the idea of disconnecting, laughing, not thinking about anything. But we told our producer: bring your computer, just in case.
One evening we had nothing to do and we went to the studio. It was supposed to be a light session, almost a parody of ourselves. We laughed, we did silly things. The classic session from which a piece to be thrown away comes out.
Then at a certain point we felt that there was something different in the air. A more serious tension. From there “Poesie Clandestine” was born.
The album was made very quickly.
Sixteen days. Concentrated, almost feverish work. We have decided to remove barriers and filters, to put the truth before us.
What we are, the way we perceive love, which is the heart of the album.
We didn't say to ourselves: the record must be like this. There was no stylistic goal to respect. We looked for different facets, from singer-songwriter to more R&B sounds, up to a more radio-friendly pop.
It's a very varied job.
The important thing is that this project is separate from our solo paths. I (LDA) continue with my R&B world, Luca (AKA 7EVEN) with his urban universe.
Together something was born that does not belong to either of us exclusively. It is common territory.
Listening to him, however, you can sense a precise glue: your land.
Yes, Naples is an element that comes back, even when it is not declared. It's the first time we really sing in Neapolitan.
For me it was a delicate transition. I have always hesitated to do so, to avoid labels or easy judgements. Then I realized I had to stop holding back. I think in Neapolitan and then translate into Italian.
It's my native language, my way of feeling.
We didn't want folklore, but root. Even when we approach Latin or blues sounds, that matrix remains.
What are your musical legacies?
We grew up with an important tradition. Pino Daniele is a natural reference.
There are also less explicit influences. Something from Alex Baroni emerges in some vocal lines. It's not a comparison, it's an affective shadow. I grew up with his music and certain inflections stay with you, even when you don't realize it.
I like that you can find everything on the record: you can dance, you can cry, you can feel nostalgia. We didn't want an emotional monochrome.
How did your artistic partnership begin?
In a natural way. We have been living together for a long time in a creative coexistence. We said it to each other years ago: one day we will do something together.
We live with two producers and an author. There are five of us in the house. It's like a permanent university, except there are no written exams. Everything was born in there, even the song for Sanremo.
You are 22 and 25 years old. How complex is it to emerge today?
It's complex and we know it well. Sometimes you feel questioned, other times you are the one questioning yourself.
For this reason the idea of a shared project was also a form of mutual strength. Not to protect ourselves, but to grow. Talent alone is not enough. It takes discipline, study, awareness.
“Clandestine Poems” is this: a beginning, not a finish line. A starting point that brings together two identities without canceling them.
Sanremo is the stage, but the real work began much earlier, in a room, with laughter and a computer turned on.
You often talk about luck. How much does it really weigh in your journey?
Luck exists, it would be hypocritical to deny it. The right things coming at the right time, the planets aligning. But luck alone builds nothing if there is no preparation, study and dedication.
I (LDA) come from a family that worked hard to provide me with opportunities. I didn't miss anything. I went to good schools, I was able to choose. This is a responsibility even before a privilege. When you know you've been lucky, you can't afford to sit back.
IO (AKA 7EVEN) has had a different, bumpier ride. But what unites us is hunger. A hunger that doesn't depend on what you have or haven't had. It's the desire to demonstrate that you didn't arrive by chance.
Naples today seems to experience a new cultural centrality. Do you feel part of this wave?
Definitely yes. For Naples and Campania it is an important moment. Seeing so many artists competing, hearing the dialect return to the main stage of Italian music, is a form of symbolic revenge.
Until a few years ago, speaking Neapolitan outside the city could become a label. Or worse, a prejudice. Today the perception has changed.
I remember an episode from five years ago. In Milan I took a taxi, I spoke on the phone in Neapolitan. The taxi driver asked me if I was from Naples. When I said yes, he changed his attitude, cold, detached. He didn't even say hello to me.
A few years later the same scene was repeated, but with the opposite reaction.
“How beautiful, I come every summer, it's splendid”. It happened several times. I understood that something had changed. The tourist boom also had an impact, but music and football played their part. They are the two most popular languages in the country.
Naples is not just crime news. It's culture, it's identity, it's energy. And when this energy becomes a shared story, the narrative changes.
In the competition there are other artists from Campania and a monumental figure like Tullio De Piscopo. What effect does it have on you?
It's an honor. With many of the artists from Campania there is friendship and mutual respect. We grew up listening to that tradition.
But Tullio De Piscopo is an institution. A musician that the world envies us. We are kids, we know it well. When you listen to a maestro tell anecdotes, talk about the stage, about studying, you remain silent. You realize how much there is still to learn.
At eighty he has an energy that puts many twenty-year-olds into crisis. It's not just technique, it's vision. It's living history.
In recent days there has been talk of the idea of donating part of the proceeds of the Festival to support the Sannazaro Theater after the tragedy. What do you think?
We are absolutely in favor. If music can serve any concrete purpose, it must do so.
If our contribution is needed, we will respond presently. It's not a question of image, but of conscience.
Music is voice, but it is also community. If it can turn into real help, that's the least.
THE DISC
The album “Poesie Clandestine”, composed of 10 songs, takes shape from the human connection, even before the artistic one, between LDA and AKA 7EVEN, which has grown over time between closeness, shared life and a spontaneous and continuous exchange of sounds, ideas and perspectives.
THE TRACKLIST
1. Clandestine Poems
2. Last Dance
3. The end of the world
4. Damn longing for you
5. You remind me of her
6. Black Melancholy
7. I don't know how to say goodbye
8. Stupid Words
9. Nun is over
10. Andamento Lento with Tullio De Piscopo
INSTORE
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