Article by Marzia Picciano
Listen MURR-MAor the artistic project of Chiara Petrucci from Livorno, means entering into a concept of music that we too often leave behind or consider to be the prerogative of a certain more international production. These are sound carpets, of extraordinary complexity, on which Murr-ma/Chiara works like a precise Penelope, a magician of her loom. Woods it is a room that is truly a forest which can be accessed with a dark prayer that is halfway between a product of Of the Nanja-Marshall they Explosion In The Sky. So how can we not be impressed by those who decide to propose, as a singer-songwriter, music in such a universal sense as Murr-ma?
After all, we are not talking about a neophyte in the industry. Chiara has dedicated herself to music since childhood.
“I am a Livornese who was away from Livorno for about ten years between Bologna and then Granada, before returning to my homeland where I happily put down roots again” she tells us. These two experiences outside were vital for my personal and musical education, then over time I understood that I needed to be close to the sea and my family and so I came back.”
Having moved to Bologna, she continued to write, and performed in clubs, developing an interest in rock and electronics, which she mixes with wisdom and a lot of ambient mood in her current project (she has already been part of various projects such as Hunger And Mirami. Today he is completing his first solo album, the result of the collaboration with the producer and keyboardist Fabrizio Pagni (Zen Circus).
But let's go back to the beginning. How did your passion for music – and a certain type of music – arise?
“Shortly before I was twenty I discovered that my grandfather's old classical guitar was perfect for accompanying me when I wanted to sing, and I started using it to help me write my songs. From there I never stopped and recently I found myself with all these songs written over 12/13 years and in different cities and I thought it was time to give them a chance. In the meantime I had played in various projects and those experiences made me they helped me grow and finally feel ready to dedicate myself to my solo project.”
Composition is a fundamental element in defining pieces that are real feelings, even for those like Wreck. How do you approach creating your songs?
“I don't really have a very precise system, sometimes it happens that I have a melody in my head, in which case I immediately try to record it and then from there I develop the song by writing the lyrics. Other times I take the guitar and write down both the music and the words together, I rarely write lyrics without having the melody in my head. For me the link between the words and the sound is very important, I'm very interested in whether the voice is at the service of the general rendering of a sound, of an atmosphere, I try to intertwine these two components as much as I can.”
Who do you draw inspiration from, as an artist, and not only, for your pieces?
“My musical tastes are very varied, I think the ones who have inspired me the most over the years have been Bat for Lashes, Fever Ray, St Vincent, Sharon Van Etten, Dorthia Cottrell. As well as obviously Bjork and all the work of Thom Yorke.”
Can you tell us more about your album in the works?
“I can tell you in the meantime that I can't wait to be able to play it and publish it! I selected 8 of my songs of which I recorded demos as bare as possible, only with voice and guitar, because I have a lot of trust in Fabrizio (Pagni, nb) and I wanted to give him the chance to imagine the best outfit for them.
In the end we actually worked on it together, we have very similar musical tastes so it was easy to have fun with these pieces and mix rock with electronics, playing with synthesizers but always trying to respect the nature of the pieces. For me it was very important to mix the electronic part, which represents me a lot, with my more rock soul. I really love trip hop and dream pop but I also come from alternative, post rock and doom.
My hope was to be able to bring all this into my music and I hope I succeeded. I have to say that I am very happy with the result.”
Last question, classic. What does Rock Contest represent for you?
“I have been following both the work of Controradio and the Rock Contest for years and this year, even though my project is almost newborn, I decided to dive in and try. I am very happy to be among the selected, I listened to all the other proposals and it is very nice to share this experience with all of them. For me it is above all a way to get involved and make my music heard, I am honored to do it on such an important stage.”
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
