Talking To: Lorenza Marino
Wishing the Summer Would Come Back? Lorenza Marino has the perfect song for you!
Lorenza Marino describes herself as a ‘citizen of the world’ and her debut single ‘La Melodia’ epitomises that completely. Born in East London, the Italian Zambian singer-songwriter is an emerging independent artist with influences coming from all over the world. Her debut is a confident mission statement - Lorenza is here to weave together different genres and cultures in unexpected and beautiful ways. And I’m here for it!
“I hear this city always calling me
There is nothing like it’s melody
Do you hear it too?”
The lyrics of La Melodia are all about ‘sense of place’ and how special places hold special memories - these places seem to breathe on their own and have their own heartbeat; their own melody. We all have strong connections to certain places - from special holidays or trips, childhood memories etc - and that melody we heard in that place stays with us long after we have left. For Lorenza, this special place is Salerno in the south of Italy, which is where her father is from. She spent some of her summers there with her grandparents and it's a place which has many memories for her family. She used to tell everyone that one day when she’s older she’d move to Salerno because she loved it so much! I asked Lorenza about her connection to Salerno and she said “As a child, the emotions of leaving Salerno at the end of the holiday didn't hit her hard, till the recent years in which I found it harder to say goodbye.”
In an Instagram post about the release, Lorenza encourages the listener to ‘reflect on where you have encountered La Melodia before. Don’t let the different languages discourage you, because we have all collectively encountered her. La Melodia has always lived within me, but was reborn after the atmosphere and music I encountered in the Balkans, which will remain in my heart forever.’
In La Melodia, Lorenza sings to us in Italian and Croatian. The instrumentation includes a Southern Italian melody line, a Spanish sounding guitar and a Balkan accordion. The track immediately captivates you with lush vocal harmonies in the introduction that then melt away leading into a contrastingly sparse first verse where her voice shines. As the beat comes back and the energy rises, we’re taken on a journey from Italy to Croatia.
The bridge section is sung in Croatian. I asked Lorenza what her connection to Croatia was and she told me all about her trip there last Summer: “It felt strange to go on holiday to a place which wasn't Italy or Zambia which is where my Father and Mother are from. While feeling these complex feelings, I thoroughly enjoyed this family holiday and during the trip I realised, even though I wasn't in Salerno this summer, there were some features of Croatia that made me feel at home. The charisma from the lovely people, the lifestyle, the rich culture and the music. Hearing the music in the street and seeing the joy people would experience made me think of the Campania region which is a hub for such beautiful music. That's when I realised that La Melodia was inside of me and while I travel to different places, a bit of me remains in that place and a bit of that place remains with me for eternity.” A change of language, change of sound-world and change of place helps to emphasise Lorenza’s message. By not mentioning any specific places, the song is for Lorenza and Salerno but also for the listener and their special place, wherever that is. She invites us into her special place, to stay a while and reflect on our own experience and memories.
This mix of genres and cultural influences is so exciting and it sounds like Lorenza has plenty more to come in terms of experimental fusions! I asked Lorenza about her influences and inspirations: “I would say I grew up in a multicultural household with parents who love music. There was a lot of music with various genres and languages playing and I wouldn't say I ever had a favourite, because I love them all. My mother loved to play Gospel CD's, while my dad is quite an eclectic soul, who listened to everything like Peter Gabriel, Pino Daniele, Khaled (Algerian Singer), Youssou N'Dour and watched many famous American, British and Italian Artists/Bands live in/outside of Salerno. I grew up in London and on the way to my musical theatre classes as a young girl, my father and I would constantly listen to the radio to hear new music and comment about what we loved and eventually I would sing along to it!”
There are lots of sides to La Melodia and lots of sides to Lorenza as an artist. She is clearly very proud of her heritage and the different influences and cultures in her life and I’m excited to hear what magical creations are coming next! Lorenza has even recorded an upcoming release at Abbey Road Studios which she says was an incredible experience and the new song shows another side of her artistry.
“Now as an artist I find myself writing a song like La Melodia one day and the next it could be an Afrobeats inspired song. Some people who I've worked with realise I'm always researching and I'm the one bringing songs to the table from artists they've never heard of, it's just something I love! Coming up: More releases to introduce to people who I am and we see what happens from there!”
As we move into the Autumn, La Melodia is the perfect soundtrack to reminisce about Summer adventures gone by!
Written by Charlie Frances
Opinion
