If this story sounds familiar to you it’s because I had to write a similar story last year about our, Ignazio.
When I go on Instagram or Facebook and I see stories that hurt the guys, it upsets me. These are three of the nicest guys you’re ever going to meet in your life. It’s not just a career for them, it’s their life, their whole life. It’s what they’ve dedicated themselves to since they were teenagers. Everything they do they do for us the Fans. We as you know, aren’t just fans to them, we are family. They grew up with us and they know how important we are and, they do things every day to try to please us. Sometimes it’s a picture, sometimes a song or sometimes just their joking around. Then there are days, not too often, when they are quiet, they just hide themselves in their own lives. Lives that you and, I take for granted every day, they only get to enjoy occasionally. No, they can’t be out there for us 24/7 but they try their best to make themselves visible and available.
Even though we are like family to them, they do have families of their own. Families that they have spent so little time with over the last twelve years. The pandemic has been very hard on all of us. It was also hard for the guys because they had to leave us their fan family. If anything, there was some good that came out of this, the guys got to stay at home with their families. Since they were teenagers, they never had the opportunity to stay at home with their families for a whole year. And I think Ignazio expressed it best in an interview when he said, “if it wasn’t for the pandemic, I wouldn’t have spent those last (precious months) months with my dad.”
I chose to write about Ignazio this week because of some sad things that have been said about him on Instagram. I’ve had to do this on other occasions for Piero and Gianluca. This is a very important time for Ignazio. It’s a time when he needs to be near family and, among other things, to deal with the loss of his father. The purpose of this piece is to show you, those who don’t already know it, how, really, nice Ignazio is and has always been since he was a child!
Let me start by telling you about what Ignazio does for us with his music and what he contributes to the music industry.
If Ignazio did nothing more than sing for the rest of his life, he would be remembered as a singer who captured an audience at a very young age and continues to intrigue them with every passing day.
From the first time he stepped on the stage, he was a star. I remember watching him on PBS and thinking if he’s this good now, what will he be like ten years from now. Along with Gianluca and Piero these three, amazing, men have achieved in ten years what most men could only dream of achieving in a lifetime!
He is the voice that never ends! The voice that intrigues! The voice that takes your breath away! The voice that leads you to ecstasy!
But it doesn’t end there. No, there is so much more to be said about Ignazio and the best place to start is in his performances. He is the ultimate entertainer. He is the production. His presence is there in every aspect of the production. He is a prolific entertainer! He sees music! He feels music! He breathes music! Follow him around the stage. The little gestures aren’t just for our entertainment they are real movements within each song. Let me describe it as I have described it for you in the past:
Ignazio is known as the funny one and that he is! But is it really about the joke? Or is it more about the production.
I want you to think about the performance. We know these guys have amazing voices but, what if they got on the stage and for two hours, they did nothing but sing. I don’t think it would work. A performance needs the ability to move on. There’s no change of scenery and no intermission so how do you move the performance along? Ignazio! The joking he brings into the performance provides the levity to relive the seriousness of the performance. He brings a certain ease and suspense to the performance. The audience is always wondering, what will he do next.
But is it always about joking? I want you to think about what I’m saying. Ignazio is constantly moving around the stage. He’s dancing and keeping the rhythm. He’s swinging the microphone around and constantly nodding towards the orchestra, Gianluca and Piero. Is that the lead up to a joke? I don’t think so. Let me tell you what you are looking at. Ignazio is following every note that is sung or played on that stage. His mind is in motion. He is sensitive and passionate with music. He has the ability to see the music as it is happening. He knows where every instrument should come in and out. That’s why you notice little things like him smiling, nodding, pointing towards the musicians, Gianluca or Piero. He also grabs the baton from the conductor, sometimes to joke but more often to conduct. Think about him conducting the Asti Symphony Orchestra while Marcello Rota sang his tenor part. He wasn’t joking, he was conducting. And that’s why everyone was watching in amazement. And when it was over, they were speechless. Look at Michele Torpedine go across the stage to embrace him. He is in awe of this young man. You call him funny I call him brilliant! I am going to make a prediction here! Remember you heard it here first. Ignazio will compose a great operatic pop opera one day.
In an article by Ilvolovers Romania they commented: “Ignazio, for what he looks like and also for everything he sometimes hides, is an imposing, brave and authentic young man. Sensitive and passionate, his performance creates a hurricane of feelings for anyone who looks at him and listens to him. For him, the phrase “singing with the heart” is not a metaphor, it is a reality expressed in every gesture and makes us wonder what his eyes see when he sings.”
Let’s look at how Ignazio has helped aspiring young artist.
On February 2, 2014, Ignazio collaborated with singer Roberto Amadè in a project that resulted in a wonderful concert, the Amadè-Boschetto concert which was organized through the Cultural and Artistic Center “Ignazio Boschetto,” with the support of The Town Hall of Marsala. The Teatro Impero archipelago hall has long applauded this initiative which brought together several artists from Marsala.
Ignazio has helped many young people in their careers. In February 2014, Katya Pantaleo, a young singer from Marsala, won the Premio della Critica at Sanremo with the song “Come in paradiso” music, lyrics and arrangement by Ignazio.
On August 30, 2014, Chiara Cusumano and Giorgia Vassalo, The Duo Sisters, reached the finals of the Festival di Castrocaro, performing a song composed by Ignazio: “Paura d’Amare”.
And let’s not forget the beautiful song he wrote “Hablando de ti” that he has performed in concert.
And what about the theme song for the Rai Series Makari.
Let me add to this by recognizing Ignazio’s production company, Floki Productions. At 25 he started his own production company. Does this surprise you? It doesn’t surprise me. It makes a lot of sense to me.
Floki Productions I’m sure is Ignazio’s dream. So, where does the dream begin. Nico Arezzo!
In many ways Nico reminds me of Ignazio. He knows what he wants and, he goes after it. Nico was the first artist to sign a contract with Ignazio under Floki Productions.
You will remember that Ignazio released Nico’s song Gorilla on June 30, 2020 (in the middle of the pandemic) in a “Live on Instagram.” Let’s listen to what Ignazio had to say about that:
“On Thursday night we were the first to do a high-quality sound live on Instagram.”
People wouldn’t dream of doing what Ignazio did. What a spectacular show!
While the music world was trying to restart, Ignazio, at age 25, made his debut as a producer. And what a phenomenal production it was!
Ignazio said, “Production has always been my dream. It started with an idea to give a chance to those who deserve a break,” Ignazio reminds us “as it happened 11 years ago to myself, Gianluca and Piero.”
Some of you may remember the interview I did last October with Ignazio’s teacher Ermelinda De Bartoli. (you can read the full interview “Watching Ignazio Take Flight” on www.ilvoloflightcrw.com) Now I want to go back to that interview and pull out some of the questions and answers which will give you some insight as to who Ignazio really is:
Excerpts from the Interview of October 2020….
Susan: Ignazio’s mother said Ignazio was always very serious and responsible! How would you describe him as a teenager?
Ermelinda: I met him when he was only 14 years old. He was at the beginning of adolescence and, he was always joking. He was very attached to his family. He grew up in Bologna because the family moved there for work and, at the age of ten he moved to Marsala when the family decided to return. In Marsala he attended middle school and two years of high school. At school he was playful and sociable, with a very open and modest character. He often told us about his passion for singing which he studied with a teacher. His life as a teenager was not hard, because, as soon as he started his career at the age of 15, his life changed due to the numerous commitments linked to his success and the new path taken with Il Volo.
Susan: Ignazio is very kind and compassionate. Was this something you noticed about him as a teenager?
Ermelinda: He was very generous and affable to everyone. In particular, he was very compassionate towards some pupils with disabilities, with whom he often conversed, holding them in high regard and showing empathy.
I remember an episode one evening after he won Ti Lascio Una Canzone, the whole class with me and another colleague went to the pizzeria. Ignazio was just fifteen and, when it was time to pay the bill, he came to me and said: “Professor, you are my guest.” I understood that in him there was so much kindness in his manner and in his soul, in this case, a kind gesture towards a woman.
Susan: When Ignazio was your student, he was already studying with Lilliana Adreanò. Ignazio said he had a great passion for soccer and, he loved to play every afternoon but, it had been less so after he started taking singing lessons. He said, “I had less free time and then no free time and I realized that singing was more important than all the rest.” How do you think Ignazio saw his future at that time?
Ermelinda: It is true to study singing he began to leave other hobbies. After Ti Lascio Una Canzone despite having been praised by these great Italian singers, who sang with him, I remember that he told all this with great modesty and simplicity and despite the fact that he had won he never spoke of great expectations nor did he delude himself, at least, until the moment in which Michele Torpedine and Tony Renis hired them after a short time, to form Il Volo. I heard the comments on him by experts such as Claudio Cecchetto and Al Bano who, when he told him that he had recently taken singing lessons, were amazed.
Another detail that I noticed is that while he sang, he always kept his eyes closed and he told me that he was doing it because having recently lost his grandfather, who he adored and, it was he who Ignazio thought of while he sang and, he sang with his heart.
Susan: Ignazio went from your classroom to Ti Lascio Una Canzone and immediately became a star. You told me after the Italian program, he just took off. You said you saw him take off! What was it like watching all of this happen before your eyes? Did it seem like it was all happening very fast?
Ermelinda: Of course, having seen him “take flight” in a short time and, see him pass by the school desks, and then on a stage was for me, as for all his companions, a great emotion and a source of great pride.
Susan: Did you see a change in Ignazio during this time?
Ermelinda: Ignazio was still at school, after his first success, and with all of us, he always remained himself … with a modesty and genuineness that still distinguishes him today.
Susan: During the performances Ignazio sang with some really great singers. Massimo Ranieri, Albano, Fausto Leali to name a few. These singers were in awe of him. Do you think that Ignazio understood what was happening to him?
Ermelinda: Yes, these singers were more than in awe of what they heard, they were astonished, something that Ignazio confirmed when we asked him. And, to think that he was still a kid, and had not yet completed the development of the vocal cords.
Yes, Ignazio from the point of view of his singing ability had already understood in comparison with these famous singers that he had what it takes to become even greater.
Susan: How did your other students feel about what was going on in Ignazio’s life?
Ermelinda: His classmates were very happy and excited. Every Saturday night none of us left the house. We all waited to see Ignazio on TV … and on Monday when he returned to school, for the class, it was a riot and bursting questions, and also a source of pride to kids as they were, to have him as a companion … the little big star, their friend.
Susan: Did you every stop to think about how this all happened? How did a young man from a very simple family suddenly become a superstar?
Ermelinda: It often occurred to me that what was happening to Ignazio was a fairy tale … of those things that you think can only happen in fairy tales. He is a boy with a great talent hitherto unknown, from a very modest family but very united and with healthy values, he was able to tread the scenes of half the world … from his cottage in the countryside to a duet with Barbra Streisand and much more that we know.
The way in which all this happened is told by the facts that there was a first revelation of his talent and Ti Lasco Una Canzone, as we know, could remain there as it happens to many without getting anything else; then as he also said he had the luck of an intuition of the director who suggested to the managers Michele Torpedine and Tony Renis to form the trio.
Susan: How did you feel when Il Volo won Sanremo?
Ermelinda: When Il Volo won in Sanremo, that evening, in addition to the great emotion, I retraced the periods of when Ignazio was still young, always talking with humility about his first successes and I also thought that from the beginning I told myself that he was a phenomenon, so seeing him on that stage, the most important in Italy, was for me just as it was for all Marsala people.
Susan: Finally, what would you like to add about Ignazio that we haven’t already covered?
Ermelinda: I think I have said everything about him of what I know and what I have had the opportunity to perceive. When I talk about Ignazio, with others, I always say that he is very humble, modest and always very affectionate with the people who meet him. I still say:Ignazio, is a beautiful soul.
For Ignazio family is important. They are everything to him. So, please understand that he needs to be with his family right now. You like being with your family. How about posting some nice pictures of the Ignazio we love? Soon he will be in the limelight again. Until then, let’s remember, Ignazio is a Beautiful Soul!Respect that soul!
Join me next week as I go back Through the Fields of My Mind and open the door to a new adventure!
It’s always difficult to decide where to start with Nico. Yes, he’s complicated but, always delightful! Perhaps looking at where Nico came from can give us a better idea of who he is.
Nico (Domenico) Arezzo was born in Ragusa, Sicily on October 2, 1998. You might say he was born and raised on a stage, initially “with drumsticks in his hands” … but soon the need to put one note after another brought him to the guitar. Both of his parents are entertainers. His mother Emanuela Curcio is dancer and a dance teacher, and his father Peppe Arezzo is a pianist and an Orchestra Conductor. Nico also has a younger sister Emma. Once I commented to Peppe, she’s a little Nico! Like Nico, she’s into everything!
But what is it I see in this family that gives me a good feeling? Values, good values! I talk a lot about values because I think it molds beautiful people. When I write about Il Volo or when I write my BOIN stories what do I always go back to, good values. To understand where I’m coming from, let’s take a closer look at the Arezzo family.
When you’re a family of entertainers, it seems someone is always traveling so, whenever everyone has the opportunity to be together, it’s a festival. And what do they celebrate? Everything! Nico explains it in this way.
I’m down, (in Ragusa, his home). It’s Christmas time. We celebrate birthdays when it’s not the right day. We celebrate birthdays when we are together. Tomorrow or maybe the day after tomorrow it’s my turn!
And during his time at home for Christmas 2020, Nico experienced his first earthquake. He said, “Yesterday I felt my first earthquake in history. It was weird, powerful! I’m down! It’s Christmas time and everything is shaking! Happy birthday to everyone.”
“Merry Christmas to everyone. Happy birthday today or yesterday? If it was yesterday sorry for the delay. Happy birthday to you.”
How did Nico get to where he is? Certainly, he got his talent from his mom and dad but how did he get to where he is today?
Nico first came to my attention in 2017 when he won the Festival Show in Verona with the song “Se Vuoi” (If You Want). I happened to be in Italy at the time and I was very taken by his performance at the Festival. Nico can be very engaging and, you can get lost in Nico’s words and actions. Nico said “Se Vuoi” made him move! I say Nico made “Se Vuoi” move! Nico said he was drawn to this song because, “It’s a song that forces the body to move even without wanting. It’s a fresh song that turns on everything that can be turned on … the same freshness that I want to convey now that the music has taken my whole life.” The song is exciting and lively, like Nico! I remember that his voice captured me. He has lots of rhythm and expression. He immediately captured the audience. And I’m sure he captured the attention of at least one of the judges there that night, Michele Torpedine.
And what did Michele have to say about this event, “This is the first moment where we understood.” He certainly did! After the Festival Michele signed Nico and so did Ignazio! Great idea! Great choice!
What makes Nico so good? He’s very talented and the team is amazing! Nico Arezzo, Ignazio Boschetto and Michele Torpedine! Collaboration complete!
Nico is versatile! How about Nico and Ignazio singing a Pino Daniele medley? Anyone who sings a Pino Daniele song, gets a seat in my corner!
Nico along with Ignazio, Davide Marchi and Francesco Landi, wrote and set to music the song “Volo” which Nico sang at the Sanremo Festival Giovani in 2019. In the song there is the desire of the singer to live 360 degrees, with joys, pains, emotions and also a lot of love. But that’s not all, what struck everyone about his performance was his ability to play the guitar, an element that has conquered the public, the judges and the critics. He can make that guitar Scream!
In January 2020, Ignazio started Floki Productions. Nico was the first artist to sign a contract with Ignazio under Floki. This made lots of sense to me. In many ways Nico reminds me of Ignazio. He knows what he wants and he goes after it.
And, in the mist of the pandemic, Ignazio did a LIVE on Instagram to present the first release by Floki. Gorilla!
In “Gorilla”, Nico comes alive! He is the Gorilla in the jungle! He has the feeling and the expression for this song. He’s bouncing all over the stage. He’s definitely got the moves! It’s so catchy! And people love it!
Following the release of Gorilla, Nico did an interview with Nico Donvito, an Italian Music Blogger. In this interview, I saw another side of Nico. We hear this young man talk about his music. His place in the music industry. How he got there and all the people who are responsible for his journey.
I heard a, very, intelligent and, responsible young man who has worked hard to get to where he is. He talks about, who he is, where he came from and how he sees his future.
Right out the gate, Nico impressed me with his insight. Nico saw “Gorilla” as a means of escape from where we are in our world today and an expression of where he finds himself in the world. Nico said, “ ‘Gorilla’ has a fresh taste, because in the last few months we have been a bit obliged to heavy thoughts, to stop and reflect on important things, to close ourselves in ourselves. At a certain point the moment comes when you need a beer on the beach with your friends, ‘Gorilla’ is just that, something not at all thick which and, in certain situations, can be essential.”
That’s pretty deep and right on. It was almost as if Nico was saying I wrote this song two years ago, but this was its moment. It’s when it was needed. To say that the ‘Gorilla’ is that moment in time when you need to kick back or as Nico put it when you need a beer on the beach with your friends, yes, that’s exactly what “Gorilla” is. Its’ light and intriguing and it brought us away from all the madness that preceded it. Perhaps, the sign that Ignazio made the day that “Gorilla” was released, that seemed to upset so many people, was nothing more that Ignazio saying: Let’s take the weight of the world and toss it aside. You had your way and now, we’re going to have ours!
One of the things I love about Nico is he is always looking for ways to entertain us! In February, he decided to travel around Bologna with some friends and a mattress. They sat around on the mattress and greeted people as they went by! Nico said, “I don’t wanna be romantic but every now and then there are certain tangles you hardly imagined. You know those blurry photos that are beautiful just because they’re blurry! Those people you don’t know but who greet you, and you greet them, and then you talk to them! Today I text a friend of mine, Do you have a rope? I need it to tie a mattress to the top of my car.’ He reminded me that I don’t have a car. True, I don’t have a car, so I don’t have a roof!” And that’s Nico’s humor which grabs us and keeps us laughing!
And where is Nico now? In his words, “There are days that if I focus, Traffic Lights go green when I want.”
Nico’s new song, “Polline (pollen)” has been released. Nico says, ‘I wrote almost all of my song in this notebook. ‘Polline’ was born a year ago. This summer this notebook fell into the sea, dried in the sun and ‘Polline’ remains legible.”
In a review a writer said: This is a “new piece in the path of the artist produced by Ignazio Boschetto. Nico Arezzo’s ‘Polline’ is the single that marks the return of one of the most talented songwriters of the new generation already the winner of the Festival Show a few years ago.” I couldn’t have said it better myself!
Nico tell us, “This song has been ready for at least a year, in the meantime I have written many other things, I have explored a new musical genre that you will listen to soon and I am evolving but, this piece, I absolutely did not want to abandon it because I am very attached to it.
‘Polline’ is a song to which I am very attached, especially, literally. It’s a piece that comes almost as a challenge. They said to me, ‘Can you talk about a relationship that’s over but, looking back, you can say ‘but it was beautiful’? And so, even though there may be a small void hidden between the lines of the song, thinking that I haven’t lived through that story would make me sadder.”
And how did Nico preview this new song on Instagram? Honey jars! Nico said, “I’m releasing a new track this month. Every day I will add a jar of honey in my fridge with a letter on it, not in order. I start today! Go into my stories, write in the comments the first word you think of. Try not to guess right away or you will ruin everything for me! Every day a jar a letter! Oddly, though my Italian is very limited, I guessed what it was!
What is the song about? The answer is in one line of the song! “They say you can understand a person from what you find in his fridge.” Let’s go to Nico’s fridge and see what he’s really all about!
(Floki Productionby Ignazio BoschettoandMichele Torpedine.Pollinewas produced atTake Away Studios in Modena.)
Another amazing video! It makes me smile! It makes me laugh! It makes me happy! Nico, everything you do excites me! From day one I knew you would bring a fresh approach to the music industry and I was right. You have such energy and, all your projects are ambitious like you. Your videos present the real you!
Yes, you’re Complicated but, your delivery is always Delightful!
What I liked about Nico from the first time I saw him was his energy! The way he draws in his audience. He says, “he chooses songs that make him move.” I say, he makes the songs move. Nico first came to my attention when he won the 2017 Festival Show in Verona. Afterwards I started to follow him never knowing that his path would cross with Ignazio’s. Ignazio what did you see in this young man? Probably what I saw. A fresh approach. A freedom of expression that goes deep and is apparent in the songs he writes. Nico writes much of his own music and what he writes is really about who he is.
In a recent interview with Nico Donvito, an Italian Music Blogger, I saw another side of Nico. This is the side, in my opinion, that resembles Ignazio. We hear this young man talk about his music. His place in the music industry. How he got there and all the people who are responsible for his journey.
I heard a, very, intelligent and, responsible young man who has worked hard to get to where he is. He talks about, who he is, where he came from and how he sees his future.
Right out the gate, Nico impressed me with his insight. Nico sees Gorilla as a means of escape from where we are in our world today and an expression of where he finds himself in the world. Nico says, “Gorilla has a fresh taste, because in the last few months we have been a bit obliged to heavy thoughts, to stop and reflect on important things, to close ourselves in ourselves. At a certain point the moment comes when you need a beer on the beach with your friends, ‘Gorilla’ is just that, something not at all thick which and, in certain situations, can be essential.”
That’s pretty deep and right on. It was almost as if he was saying I wrote this song two years ago, but this was its’ moment. Its’ when it was needed. To say that the Gorilla is that moment in time when you need to kick back or as Nico put it when you need a beer on the beach with your friends, yes, that’s exactly what Gorilla is. Its’ light and intriguing and it brought us away from all the madness that preceded it. Perhaps, that’s what Ignazio was saying the day Gorilla was released. Let’s take the weight of the world and toss it aside. You had your way and now, we’re going to have ours!
Nico said he had Gorilla “in the drawer for a few years, in some ways it had become something unheard of for me, even if I understood the potential of the recording. So , I decided to rewrite the verses, to work again on the musical aspect, to represent in some way my growth. In addition, the team that work ed with me has changed . The head of everything Ignazio and the great boss Michele are two people that I will never stop thanking for they believed in something, then took that something from nothing to something so beautiful. Something wonderful to invest in, something that is not yet, is not for everyone, they took it and had the courage to go with it. This is the way we have known since November. We are side by side where we breathe when the boys are just a bomb and you can fell joy.”
When asked how he perceived Gorilla Nico said, “when they ask me what genre, the only word I can come up with is ‘Groove’ because it represents a constant in my music. ‘Ignorance’ because I consider it the most appropriate term, even if the most elegant one could be light-heartedness, but if we want to bring it among people to the language of children, we can speak of good and healthy ignorance. ‘Mustard,’ finally, because it is not clear if you like it or not, if it is spicy or not, if you go to analyze a few sentences of the piece there is also a pinch of political criticism, deliberately proposed in a subtle and veiled way”.
Gorilla is indeed a statement. Nico sees all the worth of it. He realizes where it needs to go and who it needs to touch. In reworking the song, he has opened a door to who he is. He is the groove, the spice and the mustard all rolled into one. The good and healthy ignorance is the selling point of the song. It appeals to children because they understand the language of the Gorilla and they look for him.
Nico was asked if he has achieved a specific artistic identity or, is he simply looking for it?
Nico explains, “it is certainly better than before and it will always be like this, a crescendo. Initially I had difficulties, because you need to find your own pen, otherwise you will remain an interpreter basing everything on your stamp. Today I think I have reached a good textual point, I can still improve on a musical and melodic level, some nuances can be added to make it even more personal. ”Gorilla” is a piece written more than two years ago, a mix between what has been and what is now, the next songs will be part of the next phase, I hope people will notice this growth, because originality is the most important element for an artist.”
What an amazing insight. Listen to how Ignazio summed up Nico in an article from Quotiano.net. “This is the moment Nico has been waiting for, for two and a half years. We could have anticipated the times, but I think we did the right thing to wait. Nico needed to grow calmly in writing. And he’s doing it very well.”
When asked about going to Sanremo again, Nico gives us a look into the future. ”I am working on many new things, little is known about me, there has been ‘Volo’ and ‘Gorilla’ but I have even more personal songs in store. The thing that fascinates me most about the pieces I’ve written, in these years, is that they highlight my character, they tell me in detail. A strange place is certainly to be expected, where there are, particular thoughts, all accompanied by the ‘groove’ that characterizes me. Regarding Sanremo Giovani, I confess that I have a song that I like so much, but that I don’t yet consider perfect. Surely in the future there will be a third test, I can’t tell you if it will be this year, next year or the other, but it is an experience that I would like to repeat with the right piece.”
In a recent article I wrote, I stated, “Nico has a lot of passion when he writes. His songs go deep and, they leave you with a lasting impression! You can feel the depth of who Nico is. So young and so wise. It’s no wonder that Ignazio noticed him. He’s all feeling. He can be crazy, calm and tenacious all at the same time! He can be so funny and so serious in a split second!”
One of the songs Nico has in store for us is “Passanti.” On the night Gorilla was released, Nico gave us a preview of some of his upcoming songs. Listen to my words about the night Gorilla was released.” I hope you noticed that little gem that was slipped in there, Passanti.” Coming soon!
How does Nico see his future? “It seems trivial,” Nico says, “but I would like my music to reach everyone. I don’t care who listens to it, the important thing is that anyone who wants to do it will take care of it, enter my head and don’t make too much mess.”
If Ignazio did nothing more than sing the rest of his life, he would be remembered as a singer who captured an audience at a very young age and continues to intrigue them with every passing day. From the first time he stepped on the stage, he was a star. I remember watching him on PBS and thinking if he’s this good now, what will he be like 10 years from now. Along with Gianluca and Piero these three men have achieved in 10 years (in reality 5 years) what men can only hope to achieve in a lifetime! He is the voice that never ends! The voice that intrigues! The voice that takes your breath away! The voice that leads you to ecstasy!
But it doesn’t end there. No, there is so much more to be said about Ignazio and the best place to start is in his performances. He is the ultimate entertainer. He is the production. His presence is there in every aspect of the production. He is a prolific entertainer! He sees music! He feels music! He breathes music! Follow him around the stage. The little gestures aren’t just for our entertainment they are real movements within each song. Let me describe it as I have described it for you in the past:
Ignazio is known as the funny one and that he is! But, is it really about the joke? Or is it more about the production. Let’s turn to the production.
The stage is simple. One sign that says it all – Il Volo. There’s the orchestra. Guitars, drum, piano, violins and whatever other instruments are needed for the performance. I want you to stop and think about the performance. We know these guys have amazing voices but, what if they got on the stage and for two hours, they did nothing but sing. I don’t think it would work. A performance needs the ability to move on. There’s no change of scenery and no intermission so how do you move the performance along? Ignazio! The joking he brings into the performance provides the levity to relive the seriousness of the performance. He brings a certain ease and suspense to the performance. The audience is always wondering, what will he do next.
But is it always about joking? I want you to think about what I’m saying. Ignazio is constantly moving around the stage. He’s dancing and keeping the rhythm. He’s swinging the microphone around and constantly nodding towards the orchestra, Gianluca and Piero. Is that the lead up to a joke? I don’t think so. Let me tell you what you are looking at. Ignazio is following every note that is sung or played on that stage. His mind is in motion. He is sensitive and passionate with music. He has the ability to see the music as it is happening. He knows where every instrument should come in and out. That’s why you notice little things like him smiling, nodding, pointing towards the musicians, Gianluca or Piero. He also grabs the baton from the conductor, sometimes to joke but more often to conduct. Think about him conducting the Asti Symphony Orchestra while Marcello Rota sang his tenor part. He wasn’t joking, he was conducting. And, that’s why everyone was watching in amazement. And when it was over, they were speechless. Look at Michele Torpedine go across the stage to embrace him. He is in awe of this young man. You call him funny I call him brilliant! I am going to make a prediction here! Remember you heard it here first. Ignazio will compose a great opera one day.
That’s what I’ve said in the past and now I have to add to this by recognizing Ignazio’s production company, Floki Productions. At 25 he has his own production company. Does this surprise you? It doesn’t surprise me. It makes a lot sense to me.
On February 2, 2014, Ignazio collaborated with singer Roberto Amadè in a project that resulted in a wonderful concert, the Amadè-Boschetto concert which was organized through the Cultural and Artistic Center “Ignazio Boschetto,” with the support of The Town Hall of Marsala. The Teatro Impero archipelago hall has long applauded this initiative which brought together several artists from Marsala.
Ignazio has helped many young people in their careers. In February 2014, Katya Pantaleo, a young singer from Marsala, won the Premio della Critica at Sanremo with the song “Come in paradiso” music, lyrics and arrangement by Ignazio.
On August 30, 2014, Chiara Cusumano and Giorgia Vassalo, The Duo Sisters, reached the finals of the Festival di Castrocaro, performing a song composed by Ignazio: “Paura d’Amare”.
And let’s not forget the beautiful song he wrote “Hablando de ti” that he has performed in concert.
In an article by Ilvolovers Romania they commented: Ignazio, for what he looks like and also for everything he sometimes hides, is an imposing, brave and authentic young man. Sensitive and passionate, his performance creates a hurricane of feelings for anyone who looks at him and listens to him. For him, the phrase “singing with the heart” is not a metaphor, it is a reality expressed in every gesture and makes us wonder what his eyes see when he sings…
Floki Productions I’m sure is Ignazio’s dream. So, where does the dream begin. Enter Nico Arezzo!
Let’s start where Nico started in Ragusa, Sicily.
Nico (Domenico) Arezzo was born in Ragusa, Sicily on October 2, 1998. You might say he was born and raised on a stage, initially with drumsticks in his hand … but soon the need to put one note after another brought him to the guitar. Both of his parents are entertainers, his mother Emanuela Curcio is dancer and a dance teacher and his father Peppe Arezzo is a pianist and an Orchestra Conductor.
In an interview during the Sanremo Giovani 2019 Nico said “… I study, write, sing and interpret and in my spare time I run away … my guitar has accompanied me everywhere since 2016 … In the last two years I have been very focused on my music, on my writing, on my way of seeing what is around me? Now I realize that I have an overstuffed suitcase in my hands … I’m just waiting to make the world inside me known to all those who, with a suitcase in hand, will leave with me….”
“There are too many places I’ve never seen, too many people to meet. I kept telling myself this … did I have to go out … out of the house? How to tell my parents? Thus, was born my song ‘Volo’ (Flight). Flight is an air ticket, flight is blank pages, flight is a house key. (Is it destiny that his song was Volo)” Nico says, “In ‘Volo,’ I sing my escape, the desire to try, to try something else. Escape in secret trying to get out of the world of those you love and those who love you without hurting or suffering.”
Nico wrote and set to music his song “Volo” which he sang at the Sanremo Festival Giovani in 2019. In the song there is the desire of the singer to live 360 degrees, with joys, pains, emotions and also a lot of love. But that’s not all, what struck everyone about his performance was his ability to play the guitar, an element that has conquered the public, the judges and the critics.
Nico was not new to the television stage he had already appeared in Xfactor in October 2017. He was presented as the Prince of that edition. The song he sang was Prince’s “Kiss.” He also participated in Amici di Maria De Filippi.
Nico first came to my attention in 2017 when he won the Festival Show in Verona with the song Se Vuoi (If You Want). Nico said he was drawn to the song because, “It’s a song that forces the body to move even without wanting. It’s a fresh song that turns on everything that can be turned on … the same freshness that I want to convey now that the music has taken my whole life.” The song is exciting and lively, like Nico! I remember that his voice captured me. He has lots of rhythm and expression. He immediately captured the audience. And, I’m sure he captured the attention of at least one of the judges there that night, Michele Torpedine.
In many ways Nico reminds me of Ignazio. He knows what he wants and, he goes after it.
This past January, Nico was the first artist to sign a contract with Ignazio under Floki Productions. This is some of what Nico wrote in a post after signing with Floki.
I never write long posts but, I have to tell you things that are too important:
• I signed… I will be the first artist of the “Floki Production” of the big man @ignazioboschetto with the eye always watchful of the big boss @mtorped… we are talking about the top of the top, we are talking about people who even looking at you make you feel smarter smarter
• It’s been (since the) beginning of January that, every day, I sing I write I eat register I take them I sleep dirty scream I clean them back I laugh I live in a place where people are not well… meaning that maybe they are not even people at the bottom… They first look at you, then they play… and play… and how they sound you’ll hear it. At @takeaway_studios REGISTING my first ALBUM and what’s selling outside is something impressive… to me, something awesome… and thinking I have my first album on my hands, thinking about delivering my first album is something awesome…
Ignazio’s participation in Red Ronnie (Barone Rosso) was really nice.
He was also connected with Lidia Schillaci and Nico Arezzo.
Their performances were beautiful and Red was very happy to have them as guests.
Red= I can’t wait to start this live. There will be many guests tonight. The first person I share contact with isIgnazio Boschettofrom Il Volo.(here Red asks to share the live broadcast, and makes a long speech that the internet is trying to limit the connections and he is against this thing.) Then he says that Ignazio has joined the live, also Lidia Schillaci and also Nico Arezzo and then there will be many other guests.
Initial theme plays of the Barone Rosso Solo Flight show.
Red= Let me immediately call Ignazio. He has just returned from a tour, so now let’s see if I can find him ……. “are you there?”
I = Maybe, I’m here.
Red= Here you are, listen to Ignazio, will we call your friends immediately?
I = As you wish, yes.
Red= We start first with the young ladies and so with Lidia.
“Are you Lidia?, wait because Ignazio was vertical. (Ignazio turns the video horizontally), well that’s better.
Meanwhile Ignazio, welcome back from your tour.
I= This time I don’t have the chance to break anything (he refers to the first time Il Volo was with Red Ronnie and Ignazio broke the juke box.)
Red = In fact, the juke box, it is still here and still suffering, if I put a record in, it does not go and you know why. (Ignazio laughs). Maybe it’s better if you stand vertical, so Nico is there too. (Ignazio returns to vertical). While I call Nico, explain to me why your friends are involved, are they only Sicilians?
I = No, there is nothing patriotic, it is a question of relationships, with Lidia there is a great friendship that binds us and with Nico, there is a friendship but also a working relationship, because as you know, we are preparing Nico’s CD and I can’t say anything anymore because he’s here.
N= I’m here, I arrived on time.
Red= Let’s explain well, where are you, from Sicily, Ignazio?
I= I was born in Bologna, but my family and in any case my Sicilian house that I have is in Marsala.
Red= Lidia instead you are from Palermo?
L= I am from Trapani, born in Palermo but I live in Trapani, from Castellammare del Golfo and then I live around Italy.
Red= Is Nico from Ragusa instead?
N= Yes, I’m from Ragusa, Ragusano, point down (in the sense the lowest point of Sicily)
Red= So we have Sicily, here, of the excellence of Sicily. Lidia I have to tell you one thing, I saw that you are on all platforms, even periscope, because your friend was responsible for periscope, and she is also called like you.
L= Livia, her name is Livia and not Lidia. (Lidia’s image appears) I was doing these crazy live shows, but now I have stopped, now I’m more on Facebook.
(Finally there is the image of all three.)
Red= Now all three of you are here, stay in that exact position because you are at the center of the image.
N= But is it okay horizontal?
Red= Okay, now you are all vertical because Ignazio dictated the rule
I= But I have the phone like this.
Red= But you could turn it.
I= I did, but then you said to go back vertical.
Red = Okay that’s fine, you all are so beautiful. Listen Ignazio, let’s start from Il Volo, how did it go in America?
I= It went very well, we were lucky enough to bring the tour almost to the end, we only canceled three concerts. Without talking about what happened in the end, we had a lot of fun, because it was already a year and a half, two, that we were not returning to America, and it was nice to come back with the tenth anniversary, because we celebrated 10 years. However, we are used to taking nothing for granted, and receiving people’s affection in that way, after 10 years, has been surprising.
Red= And after that you came back, you had the greatest contrast, a tour in America and then armored in the house.
I= Think what luck (ironic).
Red= It went well because you have almost finished the American tour.
I= We canceled the last concerts, when the decree arrived, which canceled flights to and from Italy, we looked each other in the eye and we said to each other, we have people who work with us and have families, small children, it is it’s just that we make a serious decision and go home.
And that was it.
Red= How many dates have you canceled?
I= Three
Red= And how many dates have you had?
I= About twenty.
Red= How did you meet Lidia?
I = I remember Lidia, when I was a child, at the time of “Operazione Trionfo” (Star Academy talent show), and I was extremely in love with her voice, obviously and I don’t go further because it would be obvious.
After years, we met personally through a mutual friend, guitarist, right? (Lidia nods), Gino De Vita, in Sicily and so this friendship was born.
Red = But will you do things together?
I= We have already done something.
Red= But something more substantial, now let’s see something, because you sent me some wonderful videos. At two in the morning the videos arrived, I downloaded them and I thought, now I go to bed and then tomorrow I watch them and instead I started to watch them, beautiful, with a fantastic technique, besides, very beautiful. I don’t like to make people sing live, because in the end, there is no synchronization, the audio is bad etc., instead your videos are spectacular. (certainly all Ignazio’s work)
L= Ignazio is very good, he does the editing, he does everything , it’s crazy, I have to say it’s all thanks to him.
Red= Having had him in my studio, I don’t know how he does things without breaking something though …….. Lidia and Nico, you must know that when Il Volo came here, he went to the Juke Box and started to push and remove at the same time, the buttons …… Lidia you are gone, what have you done? (there is no longer Lidia’s image)
L= But do you hear me at least? Maybe it’s my connection, I try again.
Red = You are there, you are there. Ok. No, you went away again.
N= Red, as soon as you spoke of Ignazio who breaks everything, the connection was automatically dropped.
Red = But do you see the coincidences? I said “Ignazio who breaks” and immediately see what happened !! (everyone laughs)
Here you are Lidia ….. no you are no longer there.
Wait until I attract positive energy: “Ignazio doesn’t break anything, Ignazio is a good boy, Ignazio brings Lidia back in connection …….”
I = But what have I got to do with it ???
(Lidia’s image comes and goes.)
Red = So Nico, I was telling you that Ignazio came here and started pounding the buttons on the juke box, like a computer …. tac tac tac …. and the juke box went haywire. They have already come twice to fix it ….. today I reminded Ignazio of this and he said “reset”, but it is not a computer !!!!
That juke box is from 1956.
N= I saw you in the next phase, (means the second episode of Il Volo da Red), when you had already placed the prohibition signs for Ignazio.
Red= But look, I didn’t put those signs, it was my staff.
I = There is Lidia doing ping pong (Lidia’s image appears and disappears)
L= I don’t know what to say, I don’t stay connected.
Red = I take advantage of it to put up one of your videos, I will put up ENDLESS LOVE ?? What do you want to hear?
I = As you want, if you want to put a song made by all three WHAT FOR FRIENDS ARE FOR.
Red = Yes a song made by all three. Look at the technique, I don’t know how Ignazio did it, in my opinion there is some dwarf who works or some worker who does everything for him.
It’s a beautiful song, are Ignazio Boschetto, Lidia Schillaci and Nico or Nico Arezzo?
N= For today Nico Arezzo.
Red = Not for today, it must be forever. OK, then WHAT THE FRIENDS ARE FOR, Nico Arezzo, Lidia Schillaci and that wretched one !! (everyone laughs)
Red= How nice guys. I don’t know how you did Ignazio, you were really good, I must say that it’s done in an incredible way.
I= But it’s simple ….
Red= How simple, how do you do it?
I= It’s simple, I make my video, then Nico does his, Lidia his part and then I assemble everything.
Red= I hear your voice coming and going. Even Nico, feels bad, I do something, I call everyone back, let’s see if it works. I will call Ignazio back.
I= Can you hear me?
Red= of course I hear you. (Ignazio appears with the golden tapir in his hand, which is given here when there is a situation of particular embarrassment.)
I= As the best phone call of recent times !!! (Red laughs loudly, amused)
Red= But when was it given it to you?
I= When there was the history of the hotel.
Red= It’s true, when they invented that you had destroyed the hotel. Also this story, in your career. Wait I add, first Nico, that we are sure he has a good connection …… nice tapir ….
I= Yes, one never thinks of receiving it, but it is cool.
N= Here I am.
Red= Here you are, Nico and we also call Lidia, but where does she connect from ???
I= She is in Sicily.
Red= She’s in Sicily, that’s why the connection is hard. Here is Lidia.
L= Do you see me?
Red= Yes, here are all three. Listen Lidia, but where are you now in Palermo?
L= I’m in Castellammare del Golfo, do you know these areas? In short, San Vito lo Capo, these areas here, are beautiful.
Red= Do you know that I have never come to San Vito lo Capo? I was hoping to come this year with the festival, with a project, but then it didn’t go well, so …….
I= I invite you.
Red= Why are you down (in Sicily) in the summer?
I= Always, I always spend August in Sicily.
L= See you all, this summer, come to visit us, Red.
N= Sorry, we make a midpoint.
I= Sorry, you come to Marsala, we all meet in Marsala.
Red= Yes, then maybe we will cross the sea and go to Favignana or …….
I= Favignava is in front of my house, so …..
Red= Now I am sending another video of yours, because the songs you have made are very beautiful, but the concept is this, since your collaboration is very beautiful, as soon as the borders reopen (intended as the quarantine ends), as soon as they let us leave the house I wait for you here.
I= Of course.
Red = You should have already come, in the last episode (of the Barone Rosso) available before you went to America, only that I was already full of guests and instead I wanted to give you the necessary time.
So, Ignazio we all know him, Lidia, you did OPERAZIONE TRIONFO, so Ignazio saw you too, then what did you also do?
L= I was on tour for a long time, I was on tour for a few years with Ramazzotti and others and then I have dedicated myself to many things, soundtracks, I have written a lot. I did TALE E QUALE SHOW(she played a copy of Lady Gaga, very good), and now I’m in the process of processing, and writing.
Red= But does Ignazio also have something to do with your project or not?
L= No, I don’t know.
I= I have something to do with friendship, we give each other advice.
L = Exactly, I’m working on my own. I am writing many things, let’s see what happens.
Red= You Nico instead, you did XFACTOR, if I’m not mistaken.
N = Yes, Xfactor from three years ago, I think.
Red= And then you did Sanremo Young.
N = Yes, last December, therefore more recent.
Red= But did you show up with your own song? Or didn’t they let you do your own song?
N = Yes, a song of mine that I wrote about two years ago at the beginning of my writing phase. I introduced myself and …. we chose this song because it was the one I felt the most and therefore it was the right one.
Red= Now I would like to put up a video, what do I put up Ignazio?
I= What you want.
Red= But they are all beautiful …. there is Shallow with you and Lidia (Red mispronounces Shallow, and the three laugh a lot, because as pronounced by Red it seems a forbidden thing.)
I= Put ENDLESS LOVE
Red= Wow, Ignazio I want to know what the word means, you could explain it with words spoken well?
I= I am a lively, spontaneous boy, but I have a certain dignity, so I don’t say it, and you go look for vocabulary. (everyone laughs)
Red= Let’s give some dignity.
I= Let’s hear the song. (laughs)
Red= Watch how they laugh, shut up I put the video. ENDLESS LOVE Ignazio and Lidia Schillaci.
(after returning from the video, Red’s voice is not heard)
I= Let’s say that after this video a particular love was born between me and Lidia.
L = Yes, incredible.
I= A crazy professional love, there is a great esteem between me and Lidia.
L = But the esteem has always been there.
Red= I forgot to turn on my microphone.
I= So?
Red= So, nothing, I’m doing some chaos.
I= I know that I made you anxious.
Red= Look, when I deal with Ignazio, I sweat. Even when he arrived with Il Volo at the Red Ronnie studio, I expected him to sit down to the piano, instead he immediately went to the drums. Luckily Torpedine was there and took him away.
Listen Ignazio, what does it mean that your love for Lidia was born, does it mean that you will make children together?
I= No, no, only that professional love was born. You know, when I came from America, I thought what I can do, to be close to the people who follow us and who love us? And I thought about making videos, but I thought it would be fantastic to do something like a collaboration, a duet, something …. and I immediately thought of Lidia. Because thinking about ENDLESS LOVE I thought that Lidia was perfect , and she immediately made herself available, just as when we thought of What The Friends Are For, Nico made himself available immediately.
All this has been done to give a message of hope, to remain close to the people who are forced, like all of us, to stay at home, to live a life they were not used to.
Red= But, what to say Ignazio, that with this speech, you made sense of this live? Now I’m serious too.
I= Wait for me to turn the page to the talk. (jokes)
N = Do you know that I have never felt Ignazio so serious?
Red= But neither did I, in fact, amaze me, because he has an incredible ability, because he is from Il Volo, the funny boy, the jester of the three, then, this guy here, seats on the piano, he sings and you think but is he the same person that was around here before? Because he is completely transformed. It’s a crazy thing, understand?
I= I can say, singing is a little like making love, when one makes love it’s like entering another world and for me, singing is the same thing.
L = He enters another dimension, understand Red?
Red= You Ignazio, you told me that, with Nico you started your own project, your label.
I= Yes, we have been talking about this for a long time with Torpedine. In our group everyone has roles and certainly Piero and Gianluca are the ones a little closer to Michele for some decisions, I too say my opinion, but I always give my ok. I do the recording studio part more, I play. It’s been a while since we’ve talked with Michele about doing something, producing guys. We had started with a girl named Shari, but then we took different paths, we were busy doing other things, so it was a mess.
Then, the other two (Piero and Gian) said that they were not so interested, instead I wanted to have my record label, and so I told Michele that I would like to produce Nico, who had already been seen by Michele and Ciotti (Il Volo press office manager) and so Floki Production was born.
Red= What does FLOKI mean?
I= Floki is a Viking character, he was a ship builder, so behind Floki there is the genius of the builder and also hope ……. and then why Nico and I are passionate about the TV series that is on Netflix, where there is Floki.
Red= Here is the reason.
I= Now I tell you, Nico has been waiting for a long time to go out with the new CD, we had to go out in May …. what could have happened ??? World pandemic !!!
N = You must know that I had had several projects, which for one thing or another had never started, now this year finally in early January, we closed ourselves in the studio every day and at the end we already had the CD. We wanted to publish it for May then it was ready and we wanted to anticipate and instead ….. the decree of the pandemic. Maybe it was all, because the album was supposed to come out.
L = Too bad all this.
Red= In my opinion it is a pandemic-juke box, which has come at the right time.
Ignazio, there are a lot of people, from Salvador, Brazil, Morocco, Miami, Rome.
I= But what is behind you – the mask of THE PAPER HOUSE?
Red= Yes, I also have a sweatshirt, I’m a friend of Helsinki, I did an interview with him in Venice, very beautiful, it’s on my Facebook.
I= I tell you the truth, when it all started (his career) for a young age, I didn’t know you, then when I did some research I discovered everything, but the pinnacle, for me, was seeing you with Pavarotti and Bono, in the film by Pavarotti.
Red= But you know that critics have criticized that documentary but they say that’s that is the most important part. I haven’t seen it yet.
I= They do it on Monday it seems to me.
Red= Where?
I= I don’t remember, but on the main TV channels.
Red= Then I see it. One day, Ignazio, you and I go to dinner and I’ll tell you everything, because they are good adventures, understand?
I= Absolutely.
Red= So, I salute you, I hope you will come here when you can. Nico, I hope your CD comes out soon. Tell me Ignazio.
I= Do we say goodbye with the medley made with Nico?
Red= Yes, do you want to teach me how to make TV? I don’t teach you to make songs.
I= Also because it is better not.
Red= No, I’m out of tune ….. greetings also from Bolivia, from America …..
I= Do you know how this medley was born with Nico? Because when there is a certain type of music …. even with Lidia, we love Pino and then we decided to do a 4/5 minute medley of Pino Daniele.
Red= This medley is amazing. I greet you, you have an appointment here. Lidia, you are very good, and then you and Ignazio are well together, he looks like D’Artagnan and you sweeten things a little. Nico, a question, in Pino Daniele’s medley, you play the guitar, but do you really play it then?
N = Yes
Red= Good.
I= He plays very well, like it was from God, heavenly.
Red= Ignazio greetings from Detroit, Mamma Mia, what a great success Il Volo has had.
I= We have been so lucky and it is nice to bring our culture.
Red= Ignazio is no luck.
I= Also
Red= Luck does not exist, remember, they are always merits.
I greet you guys, I love you.
I + L + N= Final goodbyes.
Red= I put this video, which I find amazing, is a medley of Pino Daniele.
I must also say this that, when there was a tribute to Pino Daniele, made at the stadium in Naples, Il Volo’s participation was criticized, in reality, as Pino Daniele sings, Ignazio, I believe that nobody sings it like this. I don’t say it because I have him here, live, but because it is reality, because he is simply magical.
This is a Medley, with QUANDO – QUANDO PIOVE – CHE MALE C’E’.
Below, instead, I publish the video of the song that Nico presented in December at Sanremo Young.
The title of his song was “VOLO”.
And here the magical interpretation of Lidia Schillaci TALE E QUALE, after which every singer had to imitate a famous singer.
Very good Lidia who imitates Lady Gaga.
I must say that here too there is a lot of talent and skill.
Very beautiful both the duet and the trio, and then Pino Daniele medley, really strong.
Lidia you have a beautiful voice and Nico you have many skills.
Ignazio you are a boy who has many facets, you know how to be funny, but also serious, you are bright and romantic and you also have an entrepreneurial soul.
What can we say again, we wish everyone a lot of luck for your projects.
Daniela
Credit to owners of all photos and videos.
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