"Krone" interview

Gianna Nannini: “Music keeps my soul young”

New album, new film, expanded book - shortly before her 70th birthday, Italy's rock star Gianna Nannini is going all out once again.

(Bild: Columbia Records, Luigi & Lango, Krone KREATIV)

With a new album, a Netflix biopic and her updated autobiography, rock legend Gianna Nannini is going all out once again for her upcoming 70th birthday. The Krone met her in Milan to talk to her about ageing as a rock star, becoming a mother late in life, her love of soul and vocal experiments.

In the year of her 70th birthday, rock star Gianna Nannini really wants to go for it again. Her brand new studio album "Sei Nel l'Anima" was released last Friday, her biopic of the same name, which she co-wrote herself, will be released on Netflix on 2 May and her autobiography, published in 2005, will be updated later in the year. "But that's not quite true," the bundle of energy replies to the "Krone" during an interview in Milan, "I'm writing a new foreword for it, that should be enough for now." It's hard to believe that the "Grande Dame" of Italo rock is celebrating her 70th birthday on June 14. She sweeps through the corridors like a dervish during media appointments, contorts herself on the corner benches during interviews and fires her answers into the dictation machine like a machine gun.

Short turnaround
The interview takes place in the restaurant next to the Armani/Prive club in the center of Milan. The interior of the sophisticated nightclub was designed by Giorgio Armani himself, and where DJs normally provide the atmosphere for a small number of mostly well-heeled guests, Nannini presents songs from her new album for the first time in front of a select audience. She actually wanted to record a soul cover album after the perfectly adequate but somewhat underwhelming "La Differenza" and a creatively paralyzing corona phase, but the rights procurement and licensing issues proved more difficult than expected. Nannini's musical roots, blues and above all soul, were then also the focus of "Sei Nel l'Anima". "I grew up with Otis Redding, Janis Joplin, Ray Charles and Etta James. They showed me how to sing." Nannini has made Etta James' classic "I'd Rather Go Blind" her own for the album as an Italian version ("Il buio nei miei occhi").

"The last time I sang in this way was at the end of the 70s, at the time of the 'California' album. My father encouraged this American approach in my voice, but a few years later the European sound became my identity. This album is like a return to the soul of the early days." A key moment for the album and film was the year 1983, which she also processed in a song of the same name. Before that, Nannini fell into a severe depression (the term "burn out" was not used 40 years ago). She isolated herself and lost the desire to be creative and write songs. "In 1983, however, a switch flipped and suddenly my life started again. I have no idea what exactly happened, but it did. That's why this year is like a rebirth for me. Strictly speaking, I'm living twice," she adds with a laugh.

Personal and versatile
The lively singer always has a mischievous side to her in conversation. Even though "Sei Nel l'Anima" is perhaps the most personal album of her career and many melancholy tones make up the basic tone of the content, her distinctive grating voice never surrenders to melancholy. In "Lento Lontano", a tribute to her beloved father, the 69-year-old brings gospel to the fore. "I worked with Troy Miller, who produced Amy Winehouse and Diana Ross. He was the right man. I'm trying to get as close as possible to a classic gospel song with Italian lyrics." Mission accomplished. The songs are versatile and some of them are hits. The single "Io voglio te" is a soul number infused with synthesizer sounds that focuses on Nannini's innate passion for life, "Tutta la vita" celebrates love and life with thick bass lines and the ballad "Caio e meglio di goodbye" deals with the pitfalls of separation when togetherness just doesn't work out.

Nannini uses her voice more explosively than usual in the individual songs and, with the more traditional instrumentation and the modern production, creates a very special feeling that lies somewhere between cozy nostalgia and contemporary contemporaneity. The final song "Mi mancava una canzone che parlasse ti di" stands out particularly well, with the singer's voice deliberately scratchy and originally produced over the instrumentation. "The song is quite different and playful. I hope people like it." While Nannini has certainly been inspired by modern trends in recent years, she deliberately turned back the clock for "Sei Nel l'Anima". Only pop starlet Rosalia made a lasting impression on her. "With her form of Catalan flamenco, she has found a completely new approach to pop music. I really respect that."

In the fight against Taylor Swift
There are now also new sounds in the family home. Daughter Penelope is fast approaching teenage years and has discovered the all-encompassing skills of superstar Taylor Swift. "She always tells me that I have one of the best singing voices in the world, but overall I can't keep up with Swift," laughs the proud mother. With "Silenzio", she has also written a number for her daughter on the new album. Gianna Nannini will go on tour with the album from November, followed by dates in the USA and various festivals in 2025. Perhaps there will also be a Danube Island Festival show. She last performed at the "Falco Tribute Concert" in 2021. "I love Falco and I love Vienna. I always enjoy being here and hope that we can get a live date together." Until then, she can steel herself sufficiently in Europe and overseas. Not only does Nannini not look almost 70, she doesn't feel like it either. "As soon as we're on tour, I'm 41 at the most," she laughs out loud, "it's my musical soul that keeps me young."