After struggling with sudden fame, the Måneskin showman has gone solo, gone pop, found himself, found new love… and fallen in love with music all over again.
When Italy’s Måneskin broke America, they bucked just about every odd. They were the winners of the Eurovision Song Contest, a campy phenomenon mostly unheard-of in the States. They played good old-fashioned, supposedly unfashionable, rock ‘n’ roll, and often didn’t sing in English, which would presumably preclude any Top 40 radio play. And their single was a cover of a Four Seasons doo-wop oldie from 1967.
And yet, Måneskin became not only the biggest Eurovision import since ABBA, but one of the biggest new rock bands of the past decade. They opened for the Rolling Stones; recorded with Iggy Pop and Tom Morello; played the MTV Video Music Awards, Saturday Night Live, Coachella, and Glastonbury; and were even nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy.
But Måneskin’s charismatic frontman, Damiano David, wasn’t happy; in his own words, he felt “lost” and “sick.” And so, he decided to buck the odds again… by recording a solo pop album. And it’s the most honest, vulnerable music of his career.
“It happened now because I felt the need to do it now,” explains David, acknowledging that it’s a huge risk to not capitalize on Måneskin’s momentum with a follow-up to their 2023 international breakthrough LP, Rush!. He also expects that some fans won’t understand or embrace his solo career. But he’s making this music “totally for personal satisfaction. When it feels right, it feels right.”
“Just like with every other human being, sometimes things go very well in life, and sometimes they don’t. The last few years have been very good in my ‘job life,’ but I gave up a lot of my personal life, and my relationship got very affected by it. I started being less carefree in my head,” David continues. “I felt like in order to keep doing this job and also have a healthier life, I had to stop and rebuild from scratch. So, I wanted to start a new project with my own name, a different type of music, and way more control on the creativity aspect. And I have to say, that was the right move. I’m having a great time, and I’m healthier.”
The 26-year-old pop-rocker is referring to his ex-girlfriend, Italian model/activist Giorgia Soleri, who he’d dated since his teens. He respectfully refuses to discuss that relationship, which very publicly ended in June 2023. But he seems delighted to talk about his supportive current girlfriend, former Disney actress Dove Cameron, who inspired his cinematic ballad “Born With a Broken Heart” and influenced his euphoric new sound by introducing him to the “magical” world of musical theater.
Contrary to reports, David’s upcoming solo debut will not be called Tenderness, as apt a title as that may be. “I saw an article claiming that, and honestly, I was a little offended. That’s not a good album title! I want something special,” he laughs. The ambitious artist has a special vision for the record, for which he penned 72 songs, including the majestic, Bond-theme-like “Silverlines” with electronic auteur Labrinth. This whirlwind of creativity also included collaborations with popsmiths like Jason Evigan (Benson Boone, Dua Lipa); Sarah Hudson (Charli XCX, Katy Perry); John Ryan (Sabrina Carpenter, Teddy Swims); Sammy Witte (Harry Styles, SZA); Mark Schick (Tomorrow X Together, Cher); and John Hill (Portugal the Man, Bleachers).
Below, MC speaks with David about his bold new direction, his newfound happiness, his work/life balance, and why his “journey matters more than the destination.”
You’ve made it clear that Måneskin aren’t breaking up, so it’s interesting that you’re releasing a solo record so soon after your band’s success.
Yes, from a marketing point of view, it is kind of “wrong” to do this. But I stay as out as much as possible from “strategy” and “marketing” thinking. That’s not my job, and if I put the weight of it on my shoulder, it becomes unbearable. I’m not doing this for money, numbers, or anything like that.
Måneskin’s success is what most bands dream about. But it seems it didn’t fulfill you.
That’s the thing. We got extremely famous and we got a lot of achievements. We even won awards that usually don’t belong to foreign artists. That was great. But I was working so much that I wasn’t even realizing that I was neglecting myself. I didn’t realize until it was too late that I was actually getting sad, that I was losing enthusiasm, that where we got wasn’t really fitting my needs. I pushed through as much as I could, until I got into this work mode where you’re not really thinking creatively. I really felt lost and kind of a like a robot sometimes. It was nobody’s fault but mine, because I never said no to anything. I wasn’t able to do my own evaluation about what was happening. I was so distracted that I wasn’t even seeing myself getting sick.
Did you go to therapy during this time?
No—but this is not me saying, “Don’t go to therapy, you can make it yourself!” I tried, but I had very bad experiences, so I built kind of a prejudice towards that. I feel now I’d be more able to find [a therapist] that fits my needs, because I’m more aware of my needs. Back then I was so chaotic, I didn’t know what I needed or how I wanted to be listened to.
Was making this album your therapy, then?
Yes. Being in an environment where I didn’t have any of my usual dynamics was therapeutic, because I was pushed to not repeat my dysfunctional patterns. All preconcepts were different. That was very good for me.
It seems your rock-star persona never represented the true you.
Yes. Especially in Italy, where we have more years of career than in America, I had way less time and opportunities to show my real self. And I don’t think this is necessarily wrong or dumb, but it’s just a human reflex to label things so we can recognize it better and interact with it better. And so, because Måneskin made rock songs and had “rock” attitude and “rock” outfits, people put me in that category and became blind to anything else I was doing or showing. That didn’t feel great, honestly. I felt unseen, because I was just the “hot guy doing rock.” I mean, that’s a cool place to be! I’m not complaining! But I have a lot more to say. I’m a versatile artist; if I have to rank my skills, I’d say adaptability is my No. 1 skill. I like to play with music. I like to play with outfits. My favorite part is the creative part. If I’m stuck to one aesthetic, I suffer. I’m not saying, “Oh, my pop stuff is better than my rock stuff;” I think they’re equal level, because it’s from the same source. But it’s like food: I like to eat a lot of different things, not just pasta and pizza every day.
This pop format showcases your voice like never before. Did you try to sing differently or do any vocal training for this record?
Thank you. I think that was a natural consequence. Rock has a very defined way of singing, especially with a power trio with a lot of distortion and effects to fill up the room. So, I had to sing in a very powerful way [with Måneskin] and couldn’t access some vocal registers. Also, we aren’t very melodic-based; we’re very riff based. It’s just a different way of doing it. And again, my background is more towards this type of [pop] music, so I think it’s my body feeling more comfortable. I sang in a very instinctive way. I didn’t take many lessons — and when I did, I didn’t really enjoy it!
The irony is, your solo record was made without commercial concerns, but it’s more in step with the current market than Måneskin’s rock.
I’m actually more interested in what’s modern than what’s passed by. I don’t have that romanticism that everything that was done before the ‘90s was better. I truly don’t think that. I know there’s nostalgia and everybody loves their favorite band from when they were teens, but I don’t necessarily think that what’s old is better or worse. That stuff sounded great at the time, but today we’re making songs that in 10 or 15 years we’ll still listen to. Music is music. There’s some very good music, some very trash music, some music in the middle. Just let us have fun with it.
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