“Starting to write is an act of survival.” Interview with Angelica
“My name is Angelica, I'm a singer-songwriter, I'm an Aquarius and when I sing I often forget the words of my songs even though I wrote them” this is how our chat with Angelica, a singer-songwriter originally from Monza, begins. After the recent chameleonic collaborations of 2025 alongside Crookers and Cosmic Crooner, the singer-songwriter returns with a new single that marks a further step in her pop and author evolution: here's what she told us about this new chapter and the path that led her here.
Interview with Angelica
“Oh, what a day!” It starts with an exclamation that we all make almost every day. What is the first thing you do when you realize that your day has taken a turn for the worse?
I try to play it down, which does not mean to delegitimize or minimize, I only try to lighten the weight I feel, perhaps even with a small gesture. Often in my case the small gesture is to buy an ice cream.
In the track you talk about 'hair that can't take it anymore': how much truth is there between how our head (and our hair) is and how we feel inside?
Sometimes the head plays tricks on us and pulls us down, other times it does incredible things and makes us go where our body did not think it would go, sometimes it is so full of ideas and thoughts that it can fall under the weight. As far as hair is concerned, in the last 6 years of my life I have taken it out on them a lot, venting a lot (just look at my photos from 2020 to today to realize it) now I am taking care of them and they are coming back. Even me, all things considered.
Was turning frustration into pop more of an act of survival or a liberation?
Starting to write is an act of survival. After that, finishing and singing a song is a liberation, really physical, as if certain things I write about go a little further and lighten me up.
Is there any advice that today's Angelica would give to Angelica who released 'When the party ends' in 2019?
Just recently, after YEARS, I listened to my first record again. I wrote it myself and self-produced, there is a lot of naivety but I love him very much because it is the result of a specific decision: at the time I could have used authors or accepted television proposals (talent) that had come to me and instead I wanted to take my own path because it was a necessity, to express myself freely rather than to 'appear' or 'arrive'. Clumsier than the first records made by super professionals? Sure. But so true. So what would I say to me about 2019? Good, you were courageous, pure and I am proud of you!
“Oh, what a day!” It is a super choral work (between Calcutta, Tropea, Congorock, Masa Masa). How was it to be all together in the studio?
Chaotic, beautiful, nocturnal, stimulating and fun. I'd be lying if I didn't also add the word stressful. Precisely because I have four records created mostly in solitude behind me, now I can afford (and I really like it) to be surrounded by my friends. For me, this job is a privilege but it is often also a cause of discomfort and stress, so wherever I can, I try to turn it into a party. In this case a party in the recording studio with people I love.
This single opens the chapter on the way to the new album. If you had to describe the 'vibe' or aesthetic of the next album with three objects or three images, what would they be?
Loredana Bertè at Sanremo in 1986 with the fake baby bump, Renato Zero who in 1979 sang “if I give you my hair what do you give me?” In Baratto and Lucio Battisti in the 80s on Swiss TV with clogs dancing clumsy Amore Mio di Provincia, from the last album written with Mogol. Oh and then also Raffaella Carrà's very lucid helmet that always returns to its place after every dance step.
What is the value of 'sisterhood' in the industry for you and how much does it affect the comparison with other women when you are in the studio or on stage?
Meanwhile, when I was a young girl and I wanted to play the guitar and write like my idols who were (and are!) The Beatles, it was not easy to find examples similar to the feminine. Then discovering the music I found some but compared to the male ones they have always been less, so the more we are and the more different we are, the better, the comparison is always very positive because it helps us to grow. Sisterhood is fundamental, I feel more at ease when I'm with women, feeling understood and welcomed is priceless. And then I have a lot of close singer-songwriter friends, I'm thinking of Levante, Elasi, Laila al Habash and many others. Do you want to be able to share the same fears, the same situations?
Do you feel that there is a new awareness today on the part of singer-songwriters in recounting female vulnerability without fear of being 'too'?
I think that there has always been an awareness on the part of singer-songwriters who decided to be such, think of the Rector or Nannini, two completely different artists who already more than 40 years ago were certainly not afraid of being too much. The difference perhaps lies in how the female narrative is received and in the number of proposals that is greater than 40 years ago.
What happens in your head five minutes before going on stage and what is the first thing you look for in the public eye? Will we see you live soon?
Five minutes earlier I feel the shivers of fear, I have stomach cramps, I try to stay focused and think about the practical things I need to do before singing (check the guitar pedal for the right sound, do very fast tuning checks, check if the in-ears work... things like that) then I hug my bandmates and off I go. When I go on stage, the fear goes away as soon as I hear a smile and fortunately this always happens as soon as I look at the audience. You won't see me live very soon but when will the album come out, spring 2027!
