“From two we go to three, the more we are the better”. With these (and other) words, taken from the song Made in Italyin 2023, rocked the most polite musical stage in Italy, that of Sanremo. After a year of silence, Rosa Chemical he returned in February with Blackoutdark melancholic and romantic ballad. Now – in pair with Villabanks – back to the threesome with the song 3some.
Manuel Franco Rocatithis is the artist’s real name, is 26 years old, has a great desire to experiment and is not shy about speaking, as confirmed by his interview with Rolling Stone.
That you love them provocationson the other hand, it’s not a mystery. But, as the singer himself points out, it’s always been like this. Growing up in Alpignano, in the Turin area, he has always been noticed for his eccentricity: “The reactions were the classic ones of the provincial town when you find yourself in front of an alternative boy. Many looked at me curiously, for how I dressed and for what I did, but nothing more”.
After success Of Made in Italy, piece that is literally “exploded in my hands”, il down of ratings was inevitable. The biggest mistake – he says – would have been to get it into his head to return to that success at all costs: “I look back and see that Made in Italy had a million views a day and today’s songs got a tenth of that. Does that mean I’m bad or that people don’t love me anymore?”. No – he underlines – that was simply a song “doped” and Sanremo. The really important thing for him is to create something that represents him and that he likes.
And that’s what he did. Starting from Blackouta song with lyrics and sounds totally different from the Sanremo success, with which he surprised everyone: “It was just a song that expressed what I wanted and not what I the public would have expected” – and adds – “I don’t make music for go viralbut because I’m happy that those who listen to it make it their own”.
The law of large numbers dictated by the era of musica in streamingon the other hand, it’s not for him, because it always comes “quantity is rewarded, not quality”: “What do people care if a song gets 10 million views? We don’t talk about quality anymore and so there are a lot of artists who don’t reach those numbers they are not considered. This is not true meritocracy, it is numerocracy.”
In 3some the sounds change, but the atmosphere remains dark: “I hid for a very long time” – he confides – “what I am in everyday life: a very solitary person, closed in on herself, a nocturnal animal. The complete opposite of what people saw when I was in the spotlight. And I’m putting all of this into the songs”.
