This time he decided to play with his cards exposed: in his own debut EP, Devoted, Beatrice Quinta has put her all into it: she wants to show her new awareness, the result of an inner growth that has led her to become the self-confident woman she is today. «I put all the love in the world into it», she explains. «In my project I wanted sincerity and emotion, I wanted it highlight fragilities and show an awareness of unpleasant things that have happened to me.”
Beatrice Quinta, why this need for total sincerity with the public?
«My message has always been: “love yourself, be free”. But I realized that I wasn’t telling the whole story: even if you love each other, you sometimes go through phases where you don’t understand each other, where you succumb to social patterns and prejudices. Loving each other is a job that never ends, and I also wanted to tell the “behind the scenes” story.”
Are they autobiographical texts?
«Skin it is more so than anyone: for me it is the most emotionally destabilizing. In some parts my voice cracks, which confirms to me that I have written something sincere. It talks about a relationship in many ways similar to many others, in which you lose yourself because you are unable to give the right value to yourself: two hurt people create a hurt relationship.”
Relationships can also become abusive.
«I know, and I have also experienced them firsthand: I have suffered episodes of abuse that I discovered are terribly common among the women I know, when I began to confront them. Violence has many nuances, and I suffered it from people I trusted. Without realizing that it was abuse.”
In what way did she not realize it?
«I only realized it much later, in what I call the “living room sessions” with my friends, the moments in which we tell each other and confide in each other. When I reported certain incidents, they opened my eyes, and told me that it was unequivocally violence. It seems incredible to me that a person like me, who knows the meaning of feminism well, has not recognized the traits of violence in certain experiences.”
Why didn’t he talk about it before?
«Perhaps, on an unconscious level, to avoid stigma. I knew that in Palermo they would have dismissed certain episodes with some lapidary phrase, like: “That bitch must have liked it”, or they would have said that I was lying. It’s absurd: I was more worried about what they would say than what needed to be said. In one case, for quite some time, I kept silent just so as not to ruin the life of the person who had been abusive to me. It’s really disturbing, but instead of unmasking the violent man, I asked myself: “How did I get into that room?”.
The dramatic story of Giulia Cecchettin has increased awareness throughout society.
«After Giulia’s femicide, there was a general awakening: now no one can ignore the issue of violence any longer. I believe that men have also started to be afraid, a fear that leads them to behave more carefully: they are afraid that their actions could be harmful, and they have re-examined their behaviour. Just three days after Giulia’s death, I received a message from a friend, who told me about a new awareness.”
Did music help you overcome certain moments?
«I have always experienced music as therapy: in the darkest phases the pieces I am most proud of were born. The best moment was creating Devota, in which I talk about my fragility, but also my strength. Even difficult periods guided me towards self-determination and emancipation.”
