«My life changed radically in the space of a few hours, it took me a while to realize everything. I was a dishwasher living hand to mouth, illegally at that, in Los Angeles. The next moment I became an artist requested by the largest production houses in the world. I made my dream come true and I didn’t even know it was going to happen.”
Olmo Zucca, 25 years old, from Turin, is one of the very few Italians who can say he has won a Grammys, the musical equivalent of the Oscar award for cinema. Grew up in Barriera di Milano, one of the most controversial neighborhoods in the city, immediately after finishing the Vittoria linguistic high school he left for America. Waiting for him, after having successfully passed the pre-tests, is the Berklee College of Music in Boston, a private college dedicated to music. The courses, in theory, would last three years, but Zucca finishes school in two. And it is not a case. Foreigners, in fact, after graduation can only enjoy another year of visa, which is often not enough to settle down and find a job. So, when in doubt, Zucca decides to guarantee himself 730 days to do so. He moves to Los Angeles and starts doing all the humblest jobs. The hope, in the meantime, is to be able to enter the world of music by getting noticed by some studio or label. It will not happen. Or rather, not in the most conventional way possible.
Pumpkin, what happened in Los Angeles?
«It was the summer of 2020 and, after finishing my studies in Boston, I decided to move to the city of music par excellence. I began to do everything from mover to waiter, always in the black. Then, after a few months, I managed to get into the “Walles Lale” production studio. They didn’t hire me, but they taught me how to make and sell music. I was with them for 2 years, they raised me and in exchange I gave them my talent, creating hundreds of “instrumentals” (tracks, ed.) for other artists.”
When did the apprenticeship end?
“Never. The studio that welcomed me was fundamental to my growth but they never made me sign a contract. But I remember them with pleasure. One day they told me that an Italian artist was coming and that I would do well to be there too. And so I met Ghali, looking for some quality production for his music. After a few months the same happened with Michele Zocca, aka Michelangelo, Blanco’s producer. Unrealizable experiences in Italy.”
In the meantime, however, her visa expires and she becomes an illegal immigrant. But he decides to stay anyway.
«I wanted to take my chance until the end, I couldn’t leave, I would never come back. And then I was already working illegally, no one looked for me and I didn’t attract attention. However, I won’t deny that, after 3 years, I was thinking of giving up. I left the firm I had worked with because they never put me in order.”
And so he found himself back at square one?
«Almost, and meanwhile I was starting to miss Italy. I would never have said it. Then one day I left the restaurant after a rather tiring shift, I was exhausted. I turned on the radio and the unthinkable happened.”
«One of the tracks I had co-produced in the old studio was playing on the radio. My legs trembled.”
«I discovered that the track had been purchased by the manager of Tyla, an emerging South African singer. She gave the song to some authors to write the lyrics and she subsequently interpreted it in the best way. And in fact with this single, Water, has reached the pinnacle of success. At that moment I was crazy with joy, but I still didn’t know that my life would change forever.”
Tyla has become a star and in Olmo Zucca, what happened?
«I was still working in the French restaurant, I told my bosses that the song they were listening to was mine. But they didn’t believe me: “Yes of course, okay, see you tomorrow”. Clearly I never came back.”
«I saw my “creature” grow and above all people like me, an incredible satisfaction. I immediately told everything to my parents and friends in Turin. They were in disbelief, but my cell phone never stopped ringing. I had composed one of the 10 most listened to songs in the world.”
«Manager of any country, I don’t even know how they got my number. I had a percentage of the rights to the song (10% of the editions), and everyone started making offers to give them to them. At the beginning they offered me 3 or 4 thousand euros. Then they reached 100 thousand. There I began to realize what was happening. I was a small fish in a shark tank. Everyone tried to scam me with low offers which, however, were already very high for me. I was good at refusing and waiting.”
Did you expect that song to emerge to such an extent?
«It was a production like any other, I didn’t even remember it anymore. It suddenly rained on me, while I was counting coins to pay my rent. It was a good revenge. For years I asked for a contract worth a thousand euros a month to work in the music world, but everyone closed the door in my face. Every study told me there was no money, that I had to make sacrifices. Now it was my turn to dictate the rules. And I discovered that anything can be included in contracts: from Ferraris to houses, through to goods of any type.”
Who came out on top in the end?
«I decided to sell the rights to Sony, for hundreds of thousands of euros, in exchange for 25% of the proceeds. And in the next 10 years thanks to Water I should get, according to forecasts, another 600 thousand dollars. Films, compilations, radio: every time someone listens to that song I cash in. So today I am sure that I will always be able to dedicate myself to music in my life.”
And the icing on the cake is still missing.
« Exactly, because last February Water won the Grammy for best African music performance. Moreover, the genre I always loved as a child, so triumphing in this category is even more important to me. The absurd thing is that I never met Tyla, yet fate smiled at us with the same card.”
«I have entrusted myself to an agent, and I will soon sell the rights to my next productions to a record company. I can’t wait to buy a car, a house, create my own practice, but first I contacted a pool of lawyers to sort out my situation. Then, after everything is clarified, I can’t wait to return to Turin to celebrate with my family and friends who have always believed in me.”
