Writing songs or performing them: choose.
“It’s as if I had two children and they asked me which one to save… I would be an architect.”
Was it plan B?
“He C.”
And the B?
“Being a dancer. I studied dance since childhood but it didn’t go well.”
For now Angelina Mango remains on the tracks of plan A. Singer-songwriter like her father, who tragically passed away in 2014, and like her mother, Laura Valente, long-time voice of Matia Bazar. After the victory in the «canto» group of «Amici», Angelina with her smile and overwhelming positivity found her space in the catchphrase challenge with «We’ll think about it tomorrow»; now there is a sold out tour in the clubs and “Che t’o dico a fa” has just been released, the best female debut of 2023 on streaming platforms.
A song with Naples in the background. City that returns in her concerts with “Tammurriata nera” and Liberato, but she was born in Basilicata…
“At this moment I feel like I resemble Naples: it reflects my enthusiasm. I don’t consider singing in Neapolitan cultural appropriation: music never raids, at most it borrows and gives away”.
What are you giving her?
“The public is welcoming me. An unsatisfying apprenticeship has paid off.”
When did it start?
«The first evening at 12 years old with my band. For a couple of evenings we called ourselves Black lake (it comes from Lagonegro ed.), then I became Angelina Mango”.
Haven’t you thought about using the shield of a stage name?
«My first EP “Monolocale” was full of personal songs: it seemed coherent to me to use my first and last name. And even if I had been called Papaya, everyone would have immediately understood who I was.”
Doubly the daughter of art: the cons?
“As a child, the rumors of those who speak without knowing you in depth. You get an A at school and someone says you don’t deserve it. Attitude that I find on Instagram”.
Do you fear confrontation with mum and dad?
“I have no sense of competition: music is a passion and not a challenge. I draw inspiration from what I like, but not so much in my family. Or perhaps, simply, they are things that I already have inside me.”
The first tour: sensations?
“80% of what I sing comes from my diary: realizing it gave me chills. For the booklet of “Will to Live” I sent mum to get the diaries, I have around 300 of them, to choose some drawings… Result? I have no more secrets…”.
The first song?
«At 5 years old, “I fell in love with myself”. I had a theory: a woman doesn’t have to get married to fulfill herself.”
“I can already see myself dressed as a bride / Everything is so banal” she sings now.
“I’m talking about those written stories: boyfriends, marriage, children. It scared me then, I’m the first of the “subs” and I wanted to be tough: now it would be fine with me”.
Cars aside, what was it like as a child?
«I lived in Lagonegro, 5 thousand inhabitants, until I was 15. As a child I had a lot of stimulation at home, but I often went out in the evening: the country allows you to do so.”
Now that he lives in Milan and made this post: «I wanted to wear leggings, but I wore a loose overall. Is it possible that he should be so afraid?
«If I’m out alone in the evening I worry about my outfit. This summarizes the situation we are in. The only concern is the problem, it shouldn’t be there.”
In 2022 only 9 women in the top 100 albums…
“The goal would be to get to where we don’t count on it.”
What do you think of the machismo of many trappers?
“When there is that attitude, I consider it toxic.”
In 2020, the first EP with a multinational company didn’t move anything. Were you afraid of having to give up?
“I scored a hundred and received zero… There were a couple of moments when I said “maybe it’s not the case. I was about to leave for six months in the USA when “Amici” arrived”.
When did you realize that something had changed?
«On the drive from Rome to Milan the day after the final. In my jacket pocket I found a letter in which a girl confessed to me how much my songs helped her feel better. It was a jolt that connected me to reality.”
His portrait is clear. The GenZ one?
“I see a repairing generation: we will have to fix the mistakes of the previous one. It seems banal, and it’s bad that it is, but we have to save the planet.”
2023-10-23 05:09:36
#Angelina #Mango #daughter #art #band
