Interview with Leon Faun recently returned with the new album REM phasean almost mystical project in some ways, also based on what the artist himself has chosen to tell our microphones. From the inspiration behind this desire to make new music to the collaboration born by chance with Sofia Come backa journey that has brought him this far with a newfound maturity.
Leon Faun, what is “REM phase”
What is “Fase REM”, your new album?
“It's a project that was born from the need to return to dreams, but not so much those that are dreamed at night. Dreams understood as objectives: this is the title because I felt the need to return to dreaming after an aseptic period. It's not a record for which I had the concept before, it evolved along the way, thanks also to the video for Polvere da sparo. I want to tell the others that it's not just about the lyrics, but about something that concerns a historical period in which people dream less and feel less free to do what we want.”
“Coherence is the death of art”
This album seems to be broken in half and after the Awakening another journey begins, with the phrase “coherence is the death of art”.
“I think that art is what we produce based on what we experience, and inevitably we end up being inconsistent. Maybe once upon a time you didn't even listen to certain genres, and then you find yourself doing them. How did I know that in 2026 I would have made a country song, or a song like Occhi lucidi? It's the beauty of the creative phase, of the REM phase.”
Love as “fuel” and its disappearance
You've also changed in the lyrics: there's a lot more love than in your previous albums.
“This theme was already present in LEON, here I made it clearer and more concise. It is a fuel that is so needed nowadays, love is never banal and it is something that motivates me a lot. However, I am not talking about simple love for a girl: I have flows in my head, and then the truth is that I have been single since 2021. As the attention span has lowered in general, I believe love in human relationships has also lowered: everything is a bit disposable. Love seems to have become a little plasticky, and I like to talk about it because it is a powerful fuel that makes everything go around, including art.”
“Scissione”, the Awakening and the songs broken in half
Have you thought about including other songs similar to Risveglio?
“It would have been cool, as a big fan of The dimensions of my chaos by Caparezza. But I immediately faced the problem of those who listen without knowing the whole journey well, especially on Spotify, where you can't upload the track divided into two parts.”
“Scissione” is also particular, a song divided in half. Were they two separate songs that you combined, or was it born that way?
“The idea of making a split song was born, we had already done it in Oh My Gosh Freestyle and I wanted to propose something like that again. Then we thought of using the two parts as an announcement freestyle, separate, before the release of the singles. When people started asking for both songs, I decided to put them together, also because it's an excellent idea for live shows.”
The collaboration with Sofia Tornambene
At the end there is the voice of Sofia Tornambene, and the approach is similar to that of “Scissione”. Were you thinking of using this formula for the other songs too?
“I felt like doing it only in these two cases. Phase REM was born from an audition of Sofia's, which she and the producer had decided to discard. When I heard it, that intro seemed magical to me, perfect for the concept of dreams, and I asked to have it given to me immediately as the intro of my song. Then my entire next verse was born, which starts after that angelic voice and destroys the enchantment.”
The most mature album and fan feedback
You're on your third album, after “C'era una volta” and “LEON”. Do you feel like this is the best concept of the three?
“Definitely. With Once Upon a Time I had a physiological need to let things out without thinking too much, I was very impulsive in my writing. With LEON I started to show myself more, to also talk about my private life. This is the most complex journey I've taken and, at the very least, the most mature work, my favourite.”
What feedback have you received in these first days since the release?
“The people who follow me are very happy, and that's the only thing that matters to me. I've received incredible messages. I have a very particular audience, we have an intrinsic relationship, I see it when we look into each other's eyes at live shows and in stores: they're all a bit of outsiders. If you follow my project, you have a few loose wheels, and that makes me happy.”
What the “REM Phase” live shows will be like
How are you preparing to bring the album live? Will there be something special also on a visual level?
“We will definitely invent something, even if I can't reveal anything. We want to make it an atypical live show. The band will be there, it will be a concert played, not in playback, with various interventions. I'm happy because there are many pieces that lend themselves to being played, I always write with that intention.”
You can find all the dates in our article dedicated to the Phase REM Tour, and our opinion on the album in the review of “Fase REM”.
