“I was discriminated against because I was short and didn’t have the physique of a singer,” reveals Riccardo Coccianti. “I felt very ugly and suffered because of it.”

Half a century agoAnima“, a record containing pieces that later made the history of Italian music such as”Beautiful without soul“H” When love ends“And next September 29th Ricardo Coccianti We will celebrate this very important event with a concert atVerona Stadium“I won’t build everything on the orchestra,” the artist explained in an interview with“vanity fair” – But I want to take a step back, like we did at the beginning of our career with songs that were played, a little bit like rock, with a lot of guitars. I want to go back to the basics of pop rock.». Back to the roots of revenge.

“In my own way, I also experienced discrimination,” he admitted. brave – Because I was short and didn’t have the physique of a singer. I always had a big inferiority complex, I saw myself as very ugly and I suffered from it. I was an introvert because of this, because Not approvedI was convinced that I couldn’t do anything in music.” Instead, success came precisely with “Anima“Even if the genesis of that album was painful. “After I made two demo albums, I recorded “AnimaThe record company rejected it. I was a little desperateThen they invite me to do a concert in a small theater. Antonello Venditti H Francesco de Gregori. I had nothing to lose: they were already grown, and I had nothing. So I did this ceremony, which was a revelation: in addition to understanding the new world that had opened up to me. francesco H AntonelloThey understood me too.”

If that had happened today, things might have turned out differently. “Today there is too much attention to appearance – Underlined Cocciante – I’m careful, but don’t do weird things just to get on stage. Go on stage, because it’s you. You go there because you have something to say.Not just to show your face or legs.” Without names, the discussion is generalized. « Singers Today I don’t throw them all away.But they have to be guided in a different way – the artist emphasized -. You have to first understand who you are and then let yourself be guided. Sometimes young artists They don’t do what they want.Because it is driven by people who drive it to become a marketable product.”

Another topic close to his heart brave It is the absence of a dedicated award for music in Italy, which recognizes the merits of all those working in this sector, not only the singers or those who write the songs, but also those who work behind the scenes. Something like that. Grammy Awards So to speak, with one academy Which awards prizes for all categories. «There silver ribbons Hey David Donatello For cinema, but for music there is nothing – concluded the singer-songwriter. Sanremo Festival It has nothing to do with it, it’s a singing competition, that’s something else.”