After over fifty years of career, Ricchi e Poveri (Angela Brambati and Angelo Sotgiu) are experiencing a new wave of success thanks to the popularity that their songs have among young people. The song But not all of lifewith which they had only reached 21st place in Sanremo, subsequently totaled over 34 million listeners in Italy alone and had over 350 thousand creations on TikTok, the social network for very young people. After the song, Airwhich was one of last summer’s hits, their new song was released today The Christmas of the angels, especially dedicated to children.
How do you explain this enormous success among very young people?
ANGELA: «Maybe they realize that we have a history behind us, but they feel we are close to them like grandparents or uncles. The music they listen to is often dark, it speaks of discomfort, unhappiness, and maybe they also need a bit of lightness and positivity.”
ANGELO: «Kids often write to us that they met us thanks to their parents, but then they “fell in love” with us and our music».
But where do you find all this energy? Especially Angela, who goes wild on stage. The result of a lot of training in the gym?
ANGELA: «For goodness sake, I don’t go to the gym, I’m lazy. It’s only music that gives me all that energy, it’s the awareness of being messengers of joy and hope.”
Your songs are popular all over the world. You have done concerts everywhere…
ANGELO: «Everywhere they sing our songs in Italian, and this is very beautiful».
ANGELA: «When it comes to music, audiences in every country in the world behave in the same way. Let the differences disappear, we sing, we dance: we are all the same.”
Do you like today’s music?
ANGELA: «Music always comes from the heart and we respect young people a lot and what they do. People change and music changes too.” ANGELO: «When we started, you had to go to a recording studio, you had to have the knowledge and the money. Now making music is within everyone’s reach, there are small studios where you can package your own product and try to make it circulate.”
In the Sixties, together with Marina Occhiena and Franco Gatti, you were young in a Genoa populated by sacred monsters. Fabrizio De André was the first who bet on you…
ANGELO: «De André made us do an audition, but we didn’t pass. He told us to persist because he was sure we would be successful. Those who love music know how to recognize the talent even of those who play a genre completely different from their own. Then we went to Milan and were lucky enough to meet Franco Califano who gave us a name and an identity.”
At your first Sanremo, in 1970, you sang The first beautiful thingwhose lyrics were written by Mogol. At the last Festival you presented yourself with a text by your son, aka Cheope…
ANGELO: «These are truly the strange cases of life. Over the years, various authors have written for us, but we have maintained a constant line. For example, Cristiano Minellono and Dario Farina have been our authors for a long time. And for two years we have been very happy with Cheope.”
An incredible career: what do you remember with greatest satisfaction?
ANGELA: «When we showed up at the last Sanremo like a gift package, complete with a bow. Because I like to think that we are a gift for people, bringers of joy.”
ANGELO: «The past was amazing, but I like to look to the future, to what I will still do».
Have you ever thought about quitting and doing something else?
ANGELA: «I really like contact with nature, animals, and for a certain period I opened a farmhouse in Val Borbera. But running that business and singing wasn’t reconcilable. And I chose music once again.”
ANGELO: «When I want to relax I go to the studio I have at home and make my music. I have no other ambitions, I only have music in my head. And maybe sleep a little more!
Your names are Angelo and Angela. Have you ever felt like you had a real angel on your side?
ANGELO and ANGELA: «That’s right, we often had the sensation that an angel was watching over us, with large wings».
