There is a thin thread that links childhood dreams to the choices we make as adults.
Sometimes that thread breaks, other times it becomes music. HimalayasRevelè's new single, was born right there: from the child who wanted to become an astronaut and from the man who today looks at the sky with different eyes, but with the same hunger for truth. The sound intertwines references to the Neapolitan new wave with a completely personal, authentic and raw poetics.
Revelé he goes back to telling himself without filters. And he does it together with the voice of Memehis twin sister, who accompanies him in a dream who never wanted to change her form in any way.
We met him to talk about Himalaya, his roots, the walls to overcome and that poetic obstinacy that makes his music a place to live in, rather than listen to.
Giuseppe, welcome back! We broke up with the release of your first song 'O Mar 'O Mar. How do you feel today, after a few months, in returning with a new chapter that is so different and so personal?
I feel like I've taken a step closer to myself. 'O Mar 'O Mar it was a return to my roots, a dialogue with my land. Himalayasinstead, is a dialogue with everything I tried to avoid: fears, limits, disillusionment. It is a song that was not created to please, but to tell the truth. Today I feel more exposed, but also more free. It's as if I've found the courage to really look at myself.
You told us about how life can test our certainties. Was there a precise moment in which you understood that, despite everything, your path would still be art?
Yes. It was a simple, almost banal moment: a night when I couldn't sleep. I started writing for no reason, like I did as a kid. And there I realized that, although I had tried to escape, to build other paths, the only thing that really made me breathe was music.
It was an involuntary but inevitable return. Art waited for me. And I'm back.
In the video for “Himalaya” you can glimpse a comic by One Piece. How much did manga and cartoons matter to you as a child? Is there a thread that connects the child Joseph to the adult one?
Manga was my first gateway to the world of dreams. They taught me resistance, obstinacy, the idea that even those who start from the bottom can change their destiny. One Piece, in particular, left me with one thing: the courage to continue looking for your “treasure”, even when everyone thinks you're dreaming too much. The thread that connects the child Joseph to the adult Joseph is precisely that: I continue to believe that something beautiful can still happen. The difference is that now I'm no longer afraid to admit it.
Many of your songs are born from strong images. For Himalayaswhat was the first visual or emotional spark?
The first image was that of a child running in the neighborhood square, looking at the sky as if it were a promise. The emotional spark, however, came when I thought about how different that child was from the man I became… and how much, in reality, he still had something to teach me. From there the phrase “For you I would climb the Himalayas” was born. It was a confession to something or someone that gave meaning to my movement.
Sand castles seem fragile, destined to collapse, yet they become poetry. How much of acceptance and how much of challenge is there in that image?
There is both. The sand represents everything we cannot hold back: love, time, people, certain promises. But building something on top of it anyway is an act of defiance. It's like saying, “I know it might fall apart, but I'm going to do it anyway.” In that fragility there is a form of beauty that I have learned to no longer fear.
If you could write a letter to the Joseph of 2035, what would you tell him and what would you ask him?
I would tell him: “I hope you had the courage to stay true to who you are, even when it scared you.” And I would ask him, “Was it worth it? Did you choose love or fear?” I think my whole life ultimately revolves around this question.
Is there anything anyone said to you about your music that made you feel really understood?
Yes. One person told me: “Your music doesn't seem written to please, it seems written not to die inside.” And there I felt seen. Because that's exactly how it is: each song is a way to save myself one piece at a time.
After Himalayaswhat is the next peak you want to reach? Is there something you're already building?
I'm building an EP that tells all the parts of me that I've left silent so far. I want it to be a journey, not a collection of songs. My next pinnacle is finding a way to combine the sincerity of my writing with a bigger, living project that can walk outside of me. And yes: I'm already climbing. One track at a time
HIMALAYA, distributed by Artist First and produced by Mario Meliis available on radio and digitally
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
