by Renato Franco
Fresh from the Sanremo Festival, where he came second to last, Sangiovanni explains: “I can no longer pretend that everything is fine.” The new album by the 21-year-old singer, whose real name is Giovanni Damian, bears the title “Privacy”.
“Sometimes you have to have the courage to stop. I can no longer pretend that everything is fine and that I'm happy with what I'm doing.
Sangiovanni has decided to get off the turbo success train: where you have to be there at all costs, where the present is always projected onto tomorrow. Never a break. Milestones. Goals. Pressure. Anyone who demands something from you. Until the thread breaks.
Sangiovanni (real name Giovanni Damian, “san”, an ironic shortening of “Saint” because he was said to not have the face of a good boy) gained popularity at a very young age, was launched by Amici in 2021 and in Beaten in the 2021 final by Giulia Stabile, who was his girlfriend until a year ago. The Revelation with Malibu, Sanremo 2022 with Farfalle (fifth place), a new festival that has just ended, which, however, left him in second to last place. A roller coaster ride that no longer entertains him.
“Thanks to this experience, I understood that it is important to be yourself and tell the truth. “You have to accept who you are,” Sangiovanni wrote on Instagram. In order to avoid classic web misunderstandings, I am not making this argument because of a placement in the rankings. I also experienced the previous Sanremo with the same discomfort, but I can no longer pretend that everything is fine and that I am happy with what I have achieved. I do. Sometimes you have to have the courage to quit and I'm here to tell you that I've decided to do so.
So stop. The release of his new album (Privacy) was postponed and the concert at the Forum in Assago on October 5th was canceled.
The fact that the singer has decided to cancel an event scheduled in seven months suggests that the malaise sapping his breath runs deep.
“Sangio” is only 21 years old and yet he seems to have already lived three lives, he immediately reached the top and now sees the bottom, he has found himself in the world he loves (music), but he feels limited or maybe forced. Little appearance (the only exception is passion for fashion), lots of introspection. One that never stays on the surface. He explains that he has received understanding (“I feel that what I am experiencing touches many people and makes me feel less alone”) and wants to make it clear that this is not a farewell (“I am not giving up , I… I believe in my music so much, but at the same time I don't have the physical and mental energy to push it forward at this moment.
The warning that his soul had gone into reserve was a few days ago. In Sanremo he spoke uncensoredly about his difficulties and addressed the issue of mental health: “A very topical issue today.” I can't say if I'm well or if I'm sick, I have a lot of difficulties and I feel fragile and weak. The song I'm bringing to the race also reflects this.” The song (Finiscimi) is the story of a love that comes to an end, and it was inevitable to connect it to his personal experience, a public way, to apologize to his ex-girlfriend Giulia. “It's a nostalgic and poignant song. It's about saying goodbye and to move on, I had to write this song. But I want people to find the meaning because it can have different meanings. There are many thoughts inside me, burdens that I carry on my stomach and that I often cannot leave behind.
Sangiovanni is a boy who stands out in a panorama marked by ostentation and narcissism: how many twenty-year-olds have Martin Luther King as their idol? «For me it's not about being cool, it's about telling the truth. And the truth is that I am not a person who is fine but who struggles to feel better, also thanks to music.” Always keeping in mind what his therapist had conveyed to him: “Every suffering has its dignity “You don't have to be afraid of a fall, you have to deal with it, you have to experience it: from there you can fly and even swim in sadness and depression.”
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February 15, 2024 (modified February 15, 2024 | 6:20 p.m.)
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