Måneskin: Keeping rock music in the mainstream discussion

Maneskin —FRANCIS DELACROIX

While rock music has long fallen out of favor in the mainstream, there are still young bands like Måneskin, which hopes to help carry the torch for the genre.

Composed of lead vocalist Damiano David, bassist Victoria de Angelis, drummer Ethan Torchio and guitarist Thomas Raggi, Måneskin rose to prominence in 2021 after winning the Eurovision Song Contest. With the members’ dynamic glam rock sound, gender-blurring visuals and undeniable presence, the Italian band has helped capture the attention of young music fans around the world

“It’s undeniable that we have had our little influence. I think that what we have done is that we have helped a little bit—not in bringing back rock into the mainstream, but in bringing it into the discussion again,” Damiano told the Inquirer in a recent Zoom conference hosted by Sony Music for Southeast Asian journalists.

The band, which finished second in the 11th season of “X Factor Italia” in 2017, has now more than 9 billion streams and 325 global certifications to its name. But aside from commercial success, the band’s work has also been gaining critical acclaim, having been nominated as best new artist at the 65th Grammy Awards early this year.

Among Måneskin’s biggest hits thus far include “Beggin’” (1.4 billion streams on Spotify), “I Wanna Be Your Slave” (921 million) and “Zitti e buoni” (433 million) with which they won Eurovision. They have also had the opportunity to work with music icons like Dolly Parton, and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine.

However, Damiano stressed that the renewed interest in rock—and the group’s success, to a certain extent—is the result of the collective effort of like-minded artists around the world.

“We don’t think it’s thanks to us. We think it’s just the natural development of music. Now there are a lot of artists introducing live bands and more analog elements into their music,” Damiano pointed out.

“We have just been very, very lucky to be in the right place at the right moment and do what we’re doing. Of course, we’re very happy that we’re getting all these achievements and recognitions, but we don’ think that we’re actually changing the music market or industry,” he added.

Inspiring people

Still, there’s no better feeling than seeing kids come up to them and say that the group inspired them to pick up and learn musical instruments. “It’s one of the best things our job gives us—inspiring people to do something, especially if it’s something healthy and useful like creating music,” Damiano said.

For Victoria, rock music brings a sense of excitement and freedom in an industry bound by “many rules” and “concerns” on “what to do and how you should present yourself.” The four of them shared the same dream while growing up. And now that it has finally come true, they’re not about to waste it by worrying about such things.

“Just do what you want and be yourself. And that’s like the most special thing that we also want to pass on to our fans and listeners. Like in our concerts, we see that people just come to enjoy and they’re fully themselves and in the moment. They’re free of thoughts and limitations,” she told the Inquirer.

Maneskin

Now, the band is sustaining the momentum with the recent release of the new edition of Måneskin’s latest studio album, “Rush!” In addition to the hit songs “The Loneliest,” “Supermodel,” and their Tom Morello collaboration, “Gossip,” the updated version—titled “Rush! (Are U Coming?)”—contains five new tracks:

The provocative rock ballad “Valentine,” which features Damiano’s “sultry vocals” and Thomas’ “slick guitar flourishes”; “Honey (Are U Coming?),” which the band performed on “Jimmy Kimmel Live”; the raw ballad “Trastevere,” which was named after the neighborhood in Rome the members grew up in; the toxic love anthem “Off My Face”; and the anthemic bop “The Driver.”

Excerpts from the rest of the press conference:

How did the five additional songs contribute to the “Rush’s” theme?

Damiano: We did these songs during and immediately after the last concert tour we had. It was the longest tour we have had and we still felt this rush. We felt like the place we were in wasn’t so different from the kind environment we were in when we wrote the album. We felt like the new songs belonged to that project because, in a certain way, they tell the same stories.

We got so much inspiration from touring and interacting with our fans and having a chance to play our songs live, which is the thing we care most about. So we felt it was only fair to put the songs with the rest of the record because weren’t finished telling the stories at this moment in our lives.

What were some of the challenges and breakthroughs while working on the album?

Victoria: I feel like every new chapter, every new album is a big step in our career. We care about giving the best we possibly could. We also have different tastes in music, so we don’t always agree on the kind of path to follow, or how a song should turn out.

But that’s also what’s beautiful about being in a band. You know, it’s never easy. You can never just follow your own vision. You always have to compromise and find new solutions that will please and represent everyone. But I think that’s what makes us unique, because our visions are combined… So some songs come out easily; some songs we struggle with. But in the end, it’s beautiful to see the final project.

You have worked with artists like Tom Morello and now with Dolly Parton (on a new rock version of “Jolene”) whose music is different from your original genre.

Thomas: Every time we have the opportunity to work with these huge, iconic artists, it’s very inspiring for us, of course. I will say that it was a really great experience. There’s this match between two different genres, but we always like to try to mix it up and do different things.

What were some of the things you learned as you worked your way into the industry?

D: That there are no rules to do things. Every time someone tells you that you have to look a certain way and do a certain type of music, it’s always wrong. Like following the trends. It’s always wrong because you always end up being late and running after something that has already been done.

What has been the impact of social media, especially TikTok, on the band?

D: We actually started using it a few months ago—in a proper way, of course! Both of our biggest songs, “I Want to Be Your Slave” and “Beggin’” went viral on TikTok. Of course, it has helped a lot. But people shouldn’t focus too much on doing something in order to go viral. I think the audience still has the ability to understand what’s good and what’s not.

We use it because it’s part of our society, it’s part of our generation. We have fun with it. It’s funny because you can show other parts of yourself outside of music. Sometimes, it’s fun to just do videos or make some jokes, whatever… I think it’s relative. It can be very helpful. But I think we shouldn’t focus on it too much.

The band is known for its courageous takes in terms of music, fashion, advocacies. What do you want people to take away from you?

D: That’s hard to explain. Basically, when you do something that other people tend to judge or make you feel uncomfortable, it’s important to keep in mind that what you express is your concern. And if other people aren’t able to understand it, you shouldn’t feel like it’s your fault. It’s all based on people’s ability to understand things and be open. INQ