“The main thing is not visible to the eye” writes Antoine de Saint-Exupery no one A little prince. While this phrase became iconic and then turned into a Facebook aphorism, we little people became increasingly aware that not only the most important things are invisible to the eye. In fact, sometimes we, in all our flesh and bones, are invisible to others. In the hope of being looked at, we become beautiful, dysfunctional, happy and sad creatures. Who would like to be invisible? Nobody, one might say. But at the same time, such visibility can lead to you getting lost. Guido Luigi Senia (from here onwards Three) wanted his music to be seen, and with success came fame. After his first album Wingsfour platinum and two gold albums, the Roman rapper returns with Invisible. A title that clearly states: the invisible are all of us. And it’s time to show yourself.
The first and only time we met, before that you presented a repack Wings on Warner’s Terrace. It’s been almost exactly two years, how are they?
Beautiful, but harsh from a musical point of view. I’ve been through a lot, gone through the usual phases of doubt that we all have. And here we are with a new album.
A project that is very well connected, and this aspect I do not think is completely obvious. The two different souls are recognizable, but the songs speak to each other a lot.
There’s a whiney part (laughs, ed.), which is more poppy, experimental and talks about my evolution, and a rap part, which instead expresses the world I come from. I especially like to embody this duality live, where there are two aspects: more “military” and more reflective. this has already happened with Wings and it will be even more so with this album.
The living dimension means a lot to you.
The main purpose of making music is to make it live, because if there were no live performances, there would be no response from the audience. I realized that without a tracklist or album, tickets would still sell, which makes me happy because it means people can’t wait to come to one of my shows. For me, life is everything, I feel like I have my place in the world.
Let’s get this out of the way without judgment: a few weeks ago I saw an Instagram story of a rapper complaining about fans asking him for songs from his first albums at concerts. What do you think about it?
On the one hand, I understand this, this is a reading of a live performance, and I don’t think it’s wrong. When I’m live, I try to do as much as I can, no matter who’s there or who wasn’t there before. Not all my concerts are sold out, that’s a fact and that’s normal. But even if the place is not full, I want to sing and feel good.
Amen, the album’s opening track, is a clear statement of intent. You say that being an artist is not easy, why?
The figure of the artist is too underestimated. Everyone feels like an artist, no matter what they do. But as I also say in Techno, those who make TikTok videos are not artists, they are something else. Art should never be disparaged and the word “artist” should be better contextualized because the risk is not caring about it and causing offense.
The idea of being seen by others and therefore no longer invisible can also be a double-edged sword, can’t it? Perhaps for an artist, invisibility can sometimes be an advantage.
You have hit the mark. I say my biggest fear was becoming invisible because I wanted people to notice me through my music and they did. But at the same time, there are situations in which you want to leave the house and be invisible. Maybe because today is a bad day and I would like to go for a walk without stopping. I understand that this is all part of the game, but sometimes I just want to be alone with myself and that’s all.
Personal growth is at the center of this album, addressing issues such as anxiety, depression and fear. Is there anything that scares you about growing up, both as an artist and as a person?
I recently turned twenty-six, so I’m even older (laughs, ed.), I understand that growing up is a responsibility and personal growth often goes hand in hand with creative growth. This isn’t such a bad thing, it means you have more and more years of your career under your belt. I have been living music for six years now, it makes me happy and makes me understand that I am on the right path and I need to continue on it as long as possible.
Do you feel some responsibility for continuing the saga of Krakow?
Of course, because with great success comes high expectations, and that’s a good thing.
Let’s talk about the features of the album.
On Cooling break I wanted two strong rappers, one of whom is Neapolitan, so I chose Nitrowhich is very strong and moves in the direction of sounds that I am also experimenting with, ed. Enzo Dong. For Big show I knew it Nicholas he would have done something over the top, and so he did. We wrote an American song, it sounds like a piece Travis Scott. However, in reality we are in Italy, and therefore it’s even cooler there.
The more rap-heavy side of the two songs you mentioned contrasts, but pairs nicely with the album’s closing song Letter to Father. An emotional song, with words that are not at all obvious.
It all started with a walk that I take every morning. That day I met two people who were probably talking about a loved one who is no longer with us. It made me think that there is no escaping the passage of time. I imagined it as if my father and I were in my brain and I was talking to him, telling him from the bottom of my heart everything I wanted and needed to do.
Have you listened to this yet?
Unfortunately. I tried to hide it from him, but we all listened together. He didn’t expect it, but I’m sure that when he hears it again, it will be like he’s hearing it for the first time.