For almost half a century he has been one of the greatest protagonists of Italian music: singer-songwriter, narrator of emotions and feelings, poet capable of translating the most intimate sincerity of the human soul onto the pentagram.
Riccardo Cocciante, 80 years old on February 20th, he made thousands of people dream, fall in love and move with songs that have gone down in history as Margherita, If we are together, Beautiful without a soul, A question of feeling… «I like to describe what comes from the heart», says the singer-songwriter. «Making songs means looking for elegant forms to express profound reflections. I was very introverted and I opened up to the world through music. I have always been lucky enough to find authors around me capable of transforming into words what already existed in melody. Because music speaks.”
Humanity in music
Cocciante is preparing for a 2026 that will see him once again as a protagonist between a summer tour in the Italian provinces and the return of the musical Notre Dame de Paris in the major national theaters. His music, with lyrics adapted into Italian by the lyricist Pasquale Panella, way back in 2002 they were the basis of a work that he defines as “popular and rich in spiritual themes”. The success of the show is not accidental: «It tells of a humanity that suffers. It is a story”, explains Cocciante, “that underlines how much it can hurt the world not to love, to look at others with selfishness and possession”. And he adds: «The protagonists have difficulties due to their being different: Quasimodo, deformed, seems to be unable to expect anything from life; Esmeralda, however, is not accepted as she is a gypsy and far from the noble class. Yet, they are better than everyone else because they are last. Isn’t this what Jesus also said?».
Riccardo Cocciante guest at the Sanremo Festival in 2024
(HANDLE)
Between questions and research
Several times the singer-songwriter has been able to tell his relationship with faith through his songs: profound, in some cases tormented, but always open and positive: «Yes, I am a very believer. The humility that Christ taught us in living with charity, attention to poverty and having a generous soul are values that I constantly carry within me.” However, there were moments of hesitation: «For a long time I had doubts about how man had taken over the management of the Church, making it an institution of power», he admits, «then he arrived Pope Franciswhich has made the way of talking about faith simpler, looking to the future but recovering the essential values of the Gospel. A path that I hope will never be abandoned again.”
Words that also arise from a personal encounter: Cocciante, in fact, met Bergoglio years ago, before a concert, being struck by the caresses directed at children and the sick, from that direct and profound way of entering into relationships and offering comfort: «I believe that Francis is missed by everyone and remains in everyone’s heart for his simplicity and for the aura that surrounded him, the same that, I am sure, the saint of Assisi also had».
Daily dialogue
The singer-songwriter then goes into the merits of his personal relationship with faith, telling of a daily prayer that keeps him in constant dialogue with the Lord: «I really wanted to get married in church. Believing, for me, is something essential.” A belief that also extends to his vision of God: “He is only one, he is human and he is close to everyone.” This look also finds space in the songs of Notre Dame de Parisparticularly in theHail Mary pagan played by Esmeralda: «It is a true prayer that comes from a woman who does not believe and is enlightened by her approach to Mary»explains Cocciante. And he adds: «When I composed it I thought of the hope that the Virgin is able to give even to those who don’t believe and still turn to her for help». The protagonist therefore sees in the Madonna a mother and a friend, discovering a faith that she didn’t think could belong to her. Then there is God but how unfair is the world which, instead, represents the prayer of a man (Quasimodo, ed) who «does not understand why so many injustices exist and, suffering discrimination, recalls the love that Jesus gave to humanity despite its suffering». Cocciante recalls the image of a God capable of restoring light to those who have lost it, a presence that accompanies and supports. It is a theme that emerges already at the beginning of his career in To Goda song in which the simplicity of the words is combined with a refined melody. The same attention towards the most fragile returns in Heart of Jesuscomposed with Lucio Dalla as an invocation for help and protection.
Riccardo Cocciante with Pope Francis in 2023
(HANDLE)
Be yourself
«I am an atypical singer-songwriter», he explains, «starting from my origins: I was born in Saigon, Vietnam, and I spoke French before Italian. Even my vocality and my way of expressing myself arise from here. I never wanted to look like anyone: the most important teaching I received is to be proud of your diversity. Today we often try to conform in order to be accepted, but I believe we must always defend our uniqueness.” Devoted to the Madonna, Riccardo Cocciante regularly attends her Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, in Paris, living the faith in a discreet and personal way. «In life it’s not important to be perfect», he says, «but to look for beauty in the way you say things. Singing also follows this direction: it is a way of telling stories, in which each performer can add something of their own.”
This is a thought that also guides his work as a musician: «You can recognize me in my compositions from start to finish. I love using contemporary language: for example, in Notre Dame de Paris the intention was to combine European and American musical styles, adapting them to different technological evolutions. It is a timeless work, just like faith in God.” Believing, for Riccardo Cocciante, is a mission that does not only know the past, present or future: it is a completeness of time.
