“I am learning to do without certain substances. Frederick? He thinks I stole something from him. I have a new girlfriend” – Corriere.it

Benjamin Mascolo he returned home and is very happy about it. “Here in Modena,” he explains, “with the people I grew up with, I rediscovered the value of simple things.” Mascolo, born in 1993, has been a star since 2015. Until 2020, he was climbing the charts with the duo Benji & Fede, founded by Federico Rossi. Then, after that experience was over, he began to accumulate more. In music (with solo album California) and in cinema (with films Time is over). He lived between Italy and the US, home to Bella Thorne, the woman he wanted to marry and split up with in 2022. Now he has resumed his music lessons, trying his hand at punk rock, which he loved since childhood. And he says, “In a world that worships money and bragging and where there is competition to see who makes the most money on OnlyFans, having principles and saying, ‘I want a family and think about my health’ is very punk rock. act of rebellion.

He wrote that returning to the stage was like “coming home after a long journey”. What have you learned on this “journey”?
“I tried different things musically, professionally and humanly. I wanted to show myself that I can do more than just pop. I learned that many cells are mental and that all that glitters is not gold. Hollywood, USA: everything is based on appearance. This is Instagram in real life, and even worse. I was at a chocolate factory and left feeling nauseous because I had eaten too much. We have a myth about the USA, but when I returned to Italy, I realized what value there is.”

He starred in “After Everything”, the new chapter of the “After” saga, which will be released in September. How it was?
“Wonderful experience. I got on well with everyone, especially with the main character of the saga, Hero Fiennes-Tiffin: he is younger than me, but he taught me a lot. In the movie, I’m his character-breaking rival. Until now, I have always played the good guy in this story. But I liked playing the antagonist: I see myself in him.

This is a romantic movie. What is your relationship with love today?
“I am in a relationship and I am very happy. I promised myself never to fall into the trap of love again, but life always surprises you. Even in past relationships, I was in love, but the serenity I have now allows me to share things in a more mature way.”

He has long been a musical teen idol, now he is in the cast of a film adored by the youth themselves. Do you still feel like a “teen idol”?
“I already feel like I’m out of that phase, but I know that for many, it’s still in transition. Fans used to have a tantrum towards us, a beautiful but overwhelming energy. Now they are treated differently. Instead of a little girl who jumps on me to rip off my shirt, there is now a 20 year old girl who tells me she grew up listening to my music. Age has something to do with it, mine and theirs.”

Have Benji&Fede fans internalized your artistic division? “Not yet, it will take time. There is a very beautiful phrase by American producer Rick Rubin, which says: “If you want to be useful to the public, don’t listen to it.” It has always impressed me.”

He said on social media that he faced a difficult phase, confronting the “dark part” of himself.
“I could ignore it and try to heal from the pain of life and that’s it: so far on social networks I have always shown only life that can seem ideal. But now I want to show the other side of the coin. Because many people know this pain of life and I would like them to feel less alone. I often asked myself the question: can pop music change the world for the better? Then I realized that in life we ​​also need pop music, and that since I got into the spotlight, people listen to what I say, even through social networks. Well, being able to send positive messages is fundamental to me: it gives meaning to my life.”

He mentioned “wrong habits” that he is learning to deal with. How?
“Putting on the brakes. Today we are all constantly excited. And when you do your job, there are even more incentives. If you let yourself go, you will get carried away. Anything from the wrong foods to the wrong substances, from compulsive social media use to rampant consumerism. Anything that can lead to loss. I learned, even when hurting myself, to impose rules on myself. Now I live almost a sports life: I monitor my health, my sleep rhythm, my nutrition … ”.

He talks about rules and healthy living right now when he writes punk rock. An obvious contradiction?
“The dilemma of many artists, which today is also mine: “Will I be able to make art even without certain substances, without living at a speed of 200 km / h?”. I don’t know the answer yet, but I think so. I have good energy on stage. In the studio, I have to re-learn how to access my emotionality without using psychoactive substances. When it comes to punk rock, a lot of artists started with absurd rhythms, but then managed to last for years, staying sober, finding balance.

Now he is collaborating with Finley. Like me?
“They are several years older than me, and almost everyone has a family. They give concerts and then get up early to take the kids to school. For me, they are a source of inspiration. Rock star by night and dad by day: that’s the ultimate goal.”

Are children a dream or a short-term project?
“I am good at making my dreams come true, so I think this will happen in the near future. But nothing concrete yet.”

With Finlay, he remade the hit “Dove e quando”, made with Federico Rossi, in a punk rock sauce. Is the signal too encoded?
“I did it for fun. But the message I am sending is that I am doing what I want to do. If I want to remake my song in a punk rock version, I do it. Even if someone doesn’t like it. I don’t want to live in fear of disappointing some people.”

Did you like Federico?
“I don’t think so. I think he took it as appropriating something he considers his own. I can understand that. But it’s his as much as mine, so…”

In “Political Correctness” he sings “It’s not dancing, it’s reggaeton, it’s rock ‘n’ roll this summer / Fuck trends and Tik Tok.” Some would say that he distanced himself from the first phase of his career. What does he answer?
“That social media has done a lot of good for my career but very bad for my mental health. So if at 30 I decide to distance myself from it, I’m right. I can’t spit on the plate I ate from, but I have to defend myself.”