His versions in Sardinian of the songs of Tananai, Lady Gaga, Antonello Venditti And Bruno Mars they went viral on Instagram, with hundreds of thousands of views. When he appeared on Rai Due last Sunday, in the national finals of the Performer Cup, many recognized him. But the real surprise, for many, was discovering that the singer from Sassari Antonio Meleddu in art Bandit , he is also a very good author and composer. The 22-year-old, in fact, sang his song entitled “Nonstante tutto”, playing the acoustic guitar and ending up barefoot on stage. A performance that convinced the hosts of the talent show Valentina Spampinato And Garrison Rochelle and which allowed the Sardinian team to beat Liguria in this singing challenge.
Bandito, how did your passion for music begin?
«At the age of ten I was given my first classical guitar, an instrument that I studied at Canopoleno in middle school music class. The teacher Anna Maria Pirisi He immediately noticed my abilities and supported me in this passion of mine. It was right in front of her and other companions that I sang for the first time in public: Hotel Supramonte by Fabrizio De Andr And ».
In addition to singing famous songs in Sardinian, he writes his own songs.
«Towards the end of thirteen I wrote my first song, in English, then I started writing in Italian, Spanish and also Sardinian. I will have written at least 170 songs.”
He is from Sassari, but knows Sardinian very well.
«My father is from They arise while my mother speaks Logudorese. In my Sardinian versions I combine terms from the two variants of Sardinian and I get help from my father for the more difficult terms.”
You’re starting to have a good following on social media. Is the formula of the songs translated into Sardinian appreciated by your followers?
«People’s response is very positive, even unexpectedly, I would say. Every now and then comments come that I don’t feel I deserve. One person wrote “you are the pride of Sardinia”, but I don’t think I deserve a compliment of this kind. I see a lot of affection, people respect me and what I’m doing. I also see a lot of willingness on the part of the people to promote these projects that enhance Sardinian culture. I’m not the only one who makes musical content in Sardinian on social media. My work is part of a spontaneous project to enhance and redeem Sardinian culture.”
What kind of studies did you do?
«After high school I enrolled in the Faculty of Philosophy in Florence, but after two years I decided to stop to dedicate myself completely to my great passion: music. Having a family behind me that supports me is a real privilege. And in light of this, I have to try even harder to do something good. This year I will start attending a three-year course in pop rock composition and arrangement at the Milan Conservatory.”
What are your plans for the future?
«This week I will come out with the song “After 20 years”, created for a contest. So I decided to kick off, with this song, a series of publications to arrive at the end of the summer with an EP. For the future I will definitely publish like I never have before. I record the songs in my bedroom, where I have a home studio, sometimes my sisters Irene and Elisabetta help me with the backing vocals, and for some parts I get a hand from musician friends.”
And for those who appreciated the reels of famous songs translated into Sardinian, Bandit he will soon begin publishing the complete songs on YouTube and Instagram. On Spotify, however, she will only publish her original songs.
