On Tuesday 9 December Manuel Mariano, aka Welo, will return to perform on the stage of Sanremo Giovani 2025 on the occasion of the semi-final of the competition which will bring two talents to the stage of the Ariston theater in February in the New Proposals section.
On his part, the artist has a very interesting song, entitled Emigrated (Island Records/Universal), which tells with originality the difficulties of having to decide whether to remain tied to one's roots (as the singer did) or whether it is better to leave in search of better opportunities.
The song, already available on all digital platforms from November 25th, is a sort of generational manifesto, a frank portrait of a complex Italy, where the absence of the State makes departure a necessary choice rather than a simple dream.
The message of the piece is clear and resonates powerfully in one of the key phrases of the song: “Emigrated because here the State is always absent, unjustified”.
This is not the romantic narrative of the South as a postcard, but the chronicle of a place where people grow quickly and where talent, unfortunately, is not always enough to guarantee a future (“and this is one of the things that pisses me off the most”the singer-songwriter told us). And it is interesting that he himself decided not to leave his homeland (“If I become famous I'll take a thousand planes but I won't leave Lecce”he commented), considering that in unsuspecting times he still had the opportunity to approach a city like Milan, notoriously considered an El Dorado for anyone who makes music (and rap in particular).
Welo (from Lecce, born in 1999) we therefore wanted to be the spokesperson for a collective story that talks about hastily closed suitcases and the feeling that staying is the real, arduous undertaking.
VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH WELO
All Music Italia interviewed the artist for you: here's what he told us about Emigratedon his journey to Sanremo Giovani 2025 and on his land, Salento, a place with a very strong cultural and musical identity.
Cover image credits: HELP press office – PR & Media Relations
