«It was born by chance, or by force, as happens with dreams. It is a song that contains a metaphysical atmosphere, probably born during my first convalescence, after the operation a year and a half ago.”
It's called Monte Cristolike the protagonist of the novel by Alexandre Dumas, the new single by Lorenzo Jovanotti, that of the return after a difficult period marked by the bike accident, the two operations, the rehabilitation. Released today, it is the first extract from the album which will be released on January 31st and it is not what one expects. He doesn't have the vital energy typical of the character, he is much more thoughtful, he talks about an emptiness, a loss and the attempt to find oneself. You deal with themes such as trauma and healing, travel and return, the passing of time and the desire to see things with new eyes. It mixes references to Dumas' character and at least apparently to the artist's biography, such as the reference to “the day in the summer of '76 when I said to myself: become what you are, not what they want”.
The idea for the piece was born when, during the long period of convalescence after the accident, Lorenzo listened to the audiobook of the Count of Monte Cristo read by Andrea Giordana. “It kept me company for days,” explains the singer, who had already read the novel in the past, in a press release. «Dumas, who also wrote The Three Musketeersis an immense narrator, and I found myself identifying with the protagonist: a betrayed young man, who loses everything – love, his role in society – and finds himself alone in a cell, from where his journey of rebirth. For me, writing is always an exercise, a way to process what I experience, and the text was born from that feeling of loss and revenge.”
Written and produced with Dardust, the piece combines a reggaeton rhythm and an orchestral part. «One day Dario made me listen to a melody on the piano in his small studio in Milan. I tried to adapt the lyrics to his music, and I immediately realized that it worked. In a few minutes we brought the song to life, but as always happens, the finishing work took months. It is a song that evokes adventure, research and also lack, that emptiness that pushes us to move to find what we are looking for. A key phrase is: “Even when you're with me I miss you”.
The song is accompanied by a video shot at Lido di Staranzano, in the province of Gorizia, by Antonio Usbergo and Niccolò Celaia for YouNuts!. «The location is incredible and takes me back to many images and sensations present in the song: imagination, dream and return. The plot doesn't follow a logical thread, it's like a dream: there's no real narrative, the dream just comes. This video tells a moment in my life that talks about time, trauma, recovery and rebirth. It's a journey, which is always a fundamental theme of my music.”
The protagonist of the video, says Lorenzo, «could be a castaway, perhaps the waiter at a party on a ship, or perhaps the captain, or even a simple sailor. He finds himself on a desolate island, where he encounters figures that could only exist in his mind: shadows, tribes of spirits, a mermaid. We included elements that came to mind as we went along, such as a fencing duel with a shadow, a horse – which is also my sign in the Chinese horoscope and an animal with which I identify – and even an ancient amulet with Laurensius Juvenis Artifex engraving, “the young Lorenzo the artist”. It is an object that the protagonist finds on the island and which reminds him, for a moment, of having been an emperor in a past life.”
In March, Lorenzo will return to perform in sports halls. The dates:
4-5-7 March Pesaro, Vitrifrigo Arena
11-12-14-15-17-18 March Milan, Forum
20 March 2025 Zurich, Hallenstadion
22-23- 25- 26- 28- 29 March Florence, Nelson Mandela Forum
3-5-6 April 2025 Bologna, Unipol Arena
9-10 -12-13 April Turin, Inalpi Arena
22-23-25-26 -28 -29 April Rome, Palazzo dello Sport
5-6 May Milan, Forum
15-16-18-19 May Verona, Arena
