They perfectly resemble their songs, from La prima cosa bella to Che SARA to SARA PERCE T Amo, which are now sung in all Italian stadiums and form a repertoire worth over 20 million copies sold worldwide. Angela Brambati (76 years old) and Angelo Sotgiu (77) or the remnants of the Ricchi e Poveri (Marina Occhiena left the group in 1981 and joined the others only to reunite in 2020; Franco Gatti died in 2022) sparkle positivity and optimism from everywhere.
And they have a smile ready for everyone. At the Sanremo Festival 2024 from February 6th to 10th, the duo expresses their philosophy with Ma non tutto la vita: “In the first verse we quote ourselves: “What a confusion”. The song is a hymn to living life to the fullest and getting on the dance floor now. Between electronic sounds and a dance rhythm, the piece balances – unsettlingly – between disaster and triumph.
Didn't Marina ask you to take her on stage with you 32 years after her last performance?
“Ninth. It's a closed chapter. On the fiftieth anniversary of The First Beautiful Thing, we had a four-person meeting: That's enough. We work better with two: we're well synchronized.”
What relationship do you have with her?
“Normal. Some messages. But after Amadeus' announcement we haven't heard from her again, also because everyone is looking for us and our cell phones are on fire.
But how much does Franco's absence weigh?
“A lot in the beginning. Then we strengthened each other. After all, he was the one who told us to keep going at the end of the 2020 tour. Without Franco we didn't know how to move on stage. We learned to joke with each other more. Today we feel close, we joke, we dance. And we have no intention of stopping: we have no deadline.”
Isn't it a coincidence that love was rekindled, just like when you started singing together at 17?
“For charity! (laugh). We're like brother and sister now. We love each other. But let's be grandparents. Not full time though, as we're constantly traveling around the world. We've just returned from a tour that took place in Germany, Romania and Uzbekistan. We will continue filming immediately after the festival: Estonia, Georgia, Australia…”
Did you ever return to Russia after the outbreak of war?
“NO. And we don't plan to do that either. We feel sorry for the many fans we have in this country, but it doesn't seem right to us to go there and sing now.
However, Pupo did it last November. Was he wrong?
“No comment. We did not agree with this choice at all.
Sanremo, Amadeus da Fiorello announces duets: Vecchioni, Nannini and Cocciante at the Ariston
Angela, do you know that you were the wet dream of Dimitry Utkin, the commander of the Wagner Brigade?
«Yes, I found out about it from the newspaper (laughs). I saw my photo between two half-naked girls. I thought, “But what do I have to do with this?” Apparently this gentleman came to see some of our concerts. But I want to say that I never met him.
And what about Putin?
“Not even him. However, if you want, we can tell you about the time the Shah of Persia invited us to Tehran for Reza Pahlavi's sister's birthday. What an idiot…”
What have you been up to?
“We didn’t know it was his sister’s birthday. So when they told us to bring the cake, we went straight to it and ignored the poor thing. We still have to laugh.
If you met Putin tomorrow, what would you say to him?
“To become good and put an end to the war: We want to organize a nice music party in Moscow to celebrate peace with our hits.”
Did you know that they are the big names with the most listeners of all time on Spotify at 5.6 million?
“They told us, but we understand little about it.”
Before your success, you worked as a gas station attendant and unskilled laborer. Do the young people who are becoming instant stars today know what sacrifice and effort mean?
“NO. That's why they don't last long. They come and think they're already stars. You build a house brick by brick: today they want it finished.
@ilmessaggero.it Behind the console he starts the two-hour maxi playlist with very short pauses between one song and the next, just enough time to read the title of the song that is about to begin, as well as its artists and authors. With his gaze, Amadeus tries to capture the reactions of the journalists sitting in front of him: It is the first time that he is playing the 30 songs that he has selected for the competition at the Sanremo Festival 2024 to someone who is not part of his very small circle of friends . Employees. It is a testing ground not just for artists suited to the traditional game – or ritual – of testimony. But also for the host and artistic director himself, who is now moving skillfully at his fifth festival. Here are our voices. 📝 Mattia Marzi / #ilmessaggero #sanremo2024 #sanremo #brani #big #concorrenti #gara #amadeus #reports ♬ Neon Bass – Tangelene Bolton
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