Italiansrus.com : 2005

Interview With Italian Singer & Songwriter Giada Valenti 
 

by Anthony Parente (2005)

Giada, thank you for taking the time to be interviewed for the Web site Italiansrus.com. Giada is a newcomer to the United States and she recently released her CD "Italian Signorina." Her career was jump started when she won the "San Remo New Talents in the World" contest. Giada will also be making her Broadway debut in the upcoming musical based on the life of Mario Lanza.

The readers of Italiansrus.com would love to learn a little bit about your life growing up in Italy and about your latest CD "Italian Signorina".

Where you were born and raised?
I was born and raised in a beautiful town outside Venice, called Portogruaro.

What was life like growing up in an Italian family?
Well, God has blessed me by giving me an amazing family. My parents are the best parents I could wish for. Throughout my life, they have been, and continue to be, a great example. They taught me all I know about respect for other people, and love for life. They have given me unconditional love and the freedom to become the woman I always wanted to be. I have an amazing big brother who has always been like a guardian angel, protecting me, and great grandparents. In Italy families are really close, we always had big family dinners for Christmas and for Easter. I still call my parents everyday, and the rest of the family at least once a week, or they call or e-mail me. In my family we are like a” big team”, that loves and supports one another very much in all we do.

Who encouraged you the most to pursue music?
Well I think it was my Grandma Maria. She was a great soprano. She was an amazing, beautiful woman and I was so charmed by her charisma. I listened to her enchanting voice all the time; I was mesmerized by that sound. And she's definitely the one who made me fall in love with music - popular songs and operatic arias. My grandma always said that all kinds of music have the same dignity and deserve the same respect, when they are expressed with passion and love.

When did you first realize that this is what you wanted to do?
I think that music has chosen me. I didn't really ever think about becoming a singer or a songwriter. It has always been something that was in me. I was singing and playing the piano all the time and so I became a singer. Perhaps I was born a singer. I was singing songs by the French singer Edith Piaff to the family when I was only 3 years old!! I would wear one of my father's big, black shirts, put a belt around my waist so the t-shirt looked like a dress, and perform Edith Piaff songs. I was charmed by her voice and her personality. I am, still.

Where did you study music?
I studied piano at the "Santa Cecilia" Institute in Venice. I received my degree from the ”G.Tartini “ Institute in Trieste, and I took voice lessons in Venice with Jazz singer Down Mitchell.

Congratulation on winning the "San Remo New Talents in the World" contest with your pop ballad "Solo con Te" (Only With You). What has winning this contest done for you and your career?
Thank you! I won this contest in 2001. At the time I was living in Holland. I had just gotten married, and although I was very young, I was thinking of starting a family. After winning the contest, I signed a contract with BMG and began touring Europe to promote my CD. I haven't stopped since!

For the people who are not yet familiar with you and your songs. How would you describe/classify your music?
I have this dream of bringing to life Italian American and Neapolitan songs of the past. I love that music! And there are so many beautiful songs. Songs by Dean Martin, Rosemary Clooney, Frank Sinatra Perry Como. And I like to bring them to young audiences in my own way, with a touch of jazz and Latin in the arrangements.

Tell us about your latest CD "Italian Signorina"?
This is a short CD, with only 5 songs, what they call EP. There are 3 original songs, written by myself, and two famous Italian songs, Caruso and Quando Quando. We recorded the songs in Denmark and New York. I'm really proud of it. It's the first baby step into the giant American music business scene. But I'm already receiving a great response to it. Thanks to this small project there are already a few important people in the business interested in hearing more and doing more with my music and me.

What is your favorite song from "Italian Signorina"?
I love all of them, but if I have to choose one, it will be “But Beautiful”. I wrote this song to celebrate my love story.

When did you move to New York & what do you like so far about the city and the people?
I moved to New York City in May 2005. Well, I love New York. This place has a magical power. It goes into your heart and you can never leave again. Everybody who's never been here thinks that Manhattan is busy, only cars and cabs, and people walking fast with a Starbucks café in their hand. They think that Manhattans is Time Square. Well, what I love about New York is that the city is vibrant – so much has happened here. I love that the city has many small and big parks, where children can play, where dogs can have their own place to play. I love the fact that the city is so different, depending on which neighborhood you are in. I live all the way Downtown, and I love it. It is so quiet and still in the city. I love New Yorkers. I always talk with people on the street or in the train. If you look at a map, in a matter of a New York minute, some new Yorkers are already asking you where you have to go so they can help you. This is so unique and nice. If you ask for information in Italy, even if you are in a small village, you will have the feeling that everybody is from somewhere else, because they will respond to you, ” I'm sorry, I'm not from here”!! I love this place!!!

What do you miss most about Italy? Is there something that you use to do on a regular basis in Italy that you cannot do in New York or the United States?
Well, I miss my family and my friends. For the rest you can do and find everything you want here .I have found my way so I'm really not missing anything. I know where to find good Italian food, real Italian café' and the best Italian gelato. I have met some friends, Italian –American, that are so close to me that I even have Italian family reunions, like in Italy, but with their family. I call them my new American family.

Producer Sonny Grosso and musical director Phil Ramone selected you for a role in the upcoming Broadway musical based on the life of Mario Lanza. Did you ever imagine performing in a Broadway musical? Do you see yourself performing in future musicals?
No. I would have never imagined that. It happened to me, and honestly in the beginning I was even not sure that I would like it. You know you have to do the same thing every night for many months! But now that we have started rehearsals, I'm so happy to be a part of this project. It is a great project! I'm working with a group of really great actors and singers, and having Phil Ramone as musical director is something incredible. He is such a humble guy and truly a genius man. It is a great opportunity for a unique experience and me. To be chosen by Sonny Gross is such an honor. Sonny is truly one of the sweetest people I've ever met. He knows so much about the industry and his wise advice is so important and helpful to me. I am blessed to know him and to have him as my co-manager. You ask me if I see my self in other musicals? Well, let me do this one and then I'll let you know! But I think I will. And now that I'm acting more and more, in the future I think I would like to have a role in a movie or a TV Series. I love to act. It was my second passion after singing. I would love to have a role in a comedy. I love to laugh and make people laugh!!

Is there any singer you try to model yourself after?
No, not to model after, but there are certainly a few that I really admire a lot. I love Madonna for her genius way of reinventing herself each and every time. I love Celine Dion for her incredible voice and the sweetness that she shows to her audiences in her interviews. I adore Frank Sinatra: the voice of voices, and Barbra Streisand, the female artist of the century. Well, I even like artists such as Jennifer Lopez; a beautiful woman that is not the best in anything, but she's such a trooper that she became great in everything. To make it I think an artist needs talent but also a good character and a will to succeed no matter what!!! As an artist they often say that I'm a female Michael Buble. Well I love him as a great singer and like me, he enjoys entertaining his audience, with nice conversations in between the songs and some fun here and there. If I go to a concert I want to be entertained. If I only what to listen to someone singing then I play a CD at home!!

Are there any projects that you are currently working on?
I'm already working on my new CD. This one will be ready in the spring 2006.This one will be a full length CD, with at least 12 songs. I'm in the process of selecting the songs right now. It will be a collection of Italian American and Neapolitan songs. Songs by Dean Martin, Perry Como, Al Martino, Jerry Vale, Vic Damone and Rosemary Clooney. I will present them of course in my own way, with a touch of Latin and Classic Jazz. Hopefully I will record them with a big band and string orchestra. It has always been my dream to bring back to life all those songs that where so close to my grandparents. Those melodies are timeless and appeal to people young and old. And of course I'm also working on my own new shows. It will be a virtual tour to Italy with the help of those beautiful songs and I will invite my audience into my life, sharing with me some of my best memories.

If you could do a duet with any singer in the world who would it be?
Choosing one is almost impossible! I would love to sing with Tony Bennett. He is a living legend. Or Rod Steward…another living legend.

What words of advice do you have for aspiring singers and songwriters?
From my own experience I can only tell them to believe in themselves. Even if you are different, like me, don't try to follow the trend. Be yourself. I would also tell them to find a great manager, a great agent and some great people that believe in you. Don't ever change them! This business is tough, and there are many out there who will tell you that you are great even when you are not. You need to create a team around you that you can trust. And don't change them for some big shot name manager. I will repeat myself here: create a team around you and stick with them. You don't need name managers, you need a manager that loves what you do and that you can trust. Be honest with people. Don't ever forget that you are an artist because you are blessed with a gift given to you by God. And if you become a successful artist it is not because of you, but because your audience loves you. It may sound strange, but I've met many artists who became arrogant and selfish once they became famous. Keep learning and improving. My first singing teacher once told me, when I didn't want to learn something because I thought I was already good at it: “if you think you've arrived, you're history!!!” And last but not least; sing because you love it! The money will come. Don't try to become an artist because of the fame and the money. You will be so disappointed and you will fail. There are more bad moments and no money than glitter and glamour and luxurious things. To achieve those things you have to work very hard. If you are not moved by true passion for music you will fail and quit before you can achieve it. But if you have the passion, do as Winston Churchill said once to people who were asking him the secret of his success: Never never never never never never give up!!!!

You can listen to some of Giada's songs from her CD "Italian Signorina" and find out where she will be preforming by visiting her Official Web Site.

Source : www.italiansrus.com/articles/giadavalenti.htm