Where Independent Music Finds Its Voice

Rivo Tano Vezzanico: Italian singer-songwriter who explores the depths of life with poetic and evocative music

Rivo Tano Vezzanico, a young and introspective Italian singer-songwriter born in 2006, creates music that delves into the complexities of life and the human condition.
Growing up in a small town where creativity thrived, Rivo found solace and expression through music from a young age.
Influenced by iconic artists such as Lucio Dalla, Battiato and De André, he weaves symbolic lyrics and evocative melodies to create what he calls “dreamy songwriting,” a genre that bridges reality and dreams.
His debut single, “La Murena,” is a metaphorical journey into the depths of existence, exploring themes of instinct, awareness and the tension between life and survival.
Currently at work on her debut album, Rivo aims to connect with listeners by reflecting shared experiences of fear, wonder and the search for meaning.
With a mature artistic voice beyond his years, Rivo sees his music not only as songs, but as mirrors in which others can find pieces of themselves.

https://youtu.be/LPiCMioSYHc?feature=shared

Tell us about yourself, who are you and where do you come from?

My name is Rivo Tano Vezzanico, class of 2006, born and raised in a small town where time seems to pass more slowly, but creativity never stops. Since I was a child, I had a complicated relationship with reality: I looked at it, I listened to it, but it was not enough for me. I had to turn it into something more . let’s say, musical.My story is that of many, made up of evenings spent playing, of off-key notes that become songs, of daydreams in the middle of a suburb that sometimes seems not to listen to you. But in the end, that’s the secret: keep singing, even when no one seems to hear.My first single, “La Murena,” is not one of those love songs you hear on the radio every day. No, it’s more like a dive into the deep sea, where thoughts mix with currents and you never know if you’ll find yourself swimming or struggling to breathe. But that’s what life is like, isn’t it? A constant oscillation between trying to understand and letting go.What is my goal? Well, it’s not to become famous. If it happens later, I’m not complaining! I simply want to tell stories, my own or those of anyone who will listen. And if in doing so I can make someone think or bring a smile to their face in the midst of the gale, then I can say I have done my job.For now, I am navigating between words and melodies, building my debut album, a mosaic of thoughts and sounds that I hope will say something to those who will find themselves listening to it.

How was your passion for music born? Who are your idols?

My passion for music came naturally, I would say almost inevitably. I grew up surrounded by sounds, words and melodies that seemed to have a life of their own. There was no specific moment when I decided that music would be my path, it’s as if it was always there, waiting for me. Maybe it was the boredom of a winter afternoon, maybe a song I listened to distractedly on the radio, but at some point I realized that music was my way of dialoguing with the world. As for my idols, I have always admired those who were able to turn their uniqueness into strength. Lucio Dalla is one of my main points of reference, not only for his extraordinary music, but for his ability to tell human stories with an unparalleled delicacy and irony. He knew how to capture the essence of life, made up of contradictions and hidden beauty, and he did it without ever taking himself too seriously. Then there are artists such as Battiato, Rino Gaetano, De André, Graziani and others who with words make you see worlds you would never have imagined, and Tom Waits for the foreigner, who drags you into a universe of ramshackle characters and sleepless nights. I am fascinated by those who can make universal what seems personal, those who use music as a tool to dig deep into the soul.

What kind of music do you do?

My kind of music? Hard to define, you know. Not because I want to avoid labels-which are also sometimes convenient-but because music for me is a bit like life: it never follows a straight line. It is made up of curves, sudden detours, moments of pause and sudden acceleration. If I really had to give you a label, I would say that my music is a kind of “dreamy songwriting.” Yes, because I always try to tell stories, the kind that take you away, that make you travel. But at the same time, I like to remain suspended between reality and dream, between the here and the elsewhere. You will never find yourself in front of a simple love song or a song that only talks about what happens outside the window. I always look for that something extra, that hidden detail, that note that vibrates in the silence. I don’t promise easy refrains or melodies that stick in your head on the first listen. However, if you take the time to listen, if you let my music envelop you, maybe you will find a world you recognize yourself in, even if you didn’t expect it. I am fascinated by sounds that tell, by melodies that can speak even without words. There is a little bit of blues, a little bit of jazz, a little bit of that light melancholy that accompanies you when the day ends and the night has not yet really begun. There is the electricity of the city and the silence of the suburbs. There is the sea, with its mysteries, and the sky, with its endless “who knows.” In short, I don’t know if my music has a specific name, but I do know that it has a soul. And it is a soul that is always searching, that never stops, just like the waves.

What is the most important song for you? What message do you want to convey to the listener?

The most important song for me at the moment is definitely “The Moray.” It is a song that I am particularly attached to, because it represents the first real dive into this musical sea that I am navigating. It was born out of a deep reflection, perhaps even a bit mysterious, about our being suspended between awareness and instinct, between fear and letting go. The moray eel, in this case, becomes a symbol of how we live life: hiding in a den of thoughts, escaping danger, but at the same time letting ourselves be carried along by the currents. The message I want to give with this track, and with my music in general, is that we are never completely safe, but neither are we completely lost. There is always that tension between living and surviving, between trying to understand and being surprised. My music wants to be a kind of mirror, a space in which the listener can find fragments of himself, recognize his own fears, his own questions and, why not, even some answers. I am recording my first album, and I can already tell you that there will be many more songs, each with its own voice and message. Each of them will tell a story, a small fragment of life that, I hope, will also speak to those who will listen to it. I’m not interested in giving lessons, but I want to offer food for thought, to open windows into inner worlds that perhaps we don’t always have the courage to explore.

Why should a listener who doesn’t know you listen to your music?

If I were a listener, I would want to hear music that surprises me. I don’t want something I already know, but neither do I want something that makes me feel lost. I am looking for music that makes me walk on a thin wire, where I can recognize myself but also discover a corner of myself that I had never seen before. I would like to hear a song that speaks to me without shouting, that whispers a hidden truth, but without giving me the impression that it is final. I would like to hear songs that take me far away without throwing me off balance, perhaps with melodies that are a bit nostalgic but also know how to make me smile when I least expect it. What do I expect from a song? Maybe I would like it to be a journey. A short trip, perhaps, the kind you can take in a few minutes, but that leaves you with that feeling of having experienced something important. I would like music that makes me see the colors in the words, that can be light but not superficial, intense but not heavy. Also, I would like music that leaves me space. That allows me to think, to imagine, without filling every corner of my silence. Music that does not tell me everything, but leaves me something to discover on my own, maybe even long after I first heard it.

What are your future projects? Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

Five years from now, when I am 23 years old anagraphically (and maybe a few more in my soul), I see myself still making music, but with a few more notes and experience on me. I imagine myself having released my first album, and maybe my second. I wish my music had come to touch a few more people, not so much for the fame, but for the connection it can create. I see myself writing more stories, playing live in places I never expected to reach, where people gather under the same sky to share something beyond words. I would like to keep experimenting, exploring new sounds, new ways of storytelling. I never want to stop or get stuck in one genre or direction. My future plans? To continue to grow, as an artist and as a person. I would like to collaborate with other musicians, discover new worlds through their stories, their notes. Maybe take my music beyond the borders of Italy, because I believe that certain emotions, certain truths, can be understood by anyone, anywhere. Five years from now, I hope to look back and see a path full of encounters, concerts, songs that I not only wrote, but that kept someone company at an important time in their life. Most of all, I hope to continue to surprise myself, because if there is one thing I want to hold on to, it is the ability to surprise myself, both of life and music.

Tell our readers a funny episode that happened in your career as an artist.

Well, although I only officially started three days ago, something curious has already happened! As soon as I released my first single, “The Moray,” I received a message from an old friend whom I hadn’t heard from in years. He wrote to me saying that he always imagined that I would become a singer, even though I had never seriously sung even once in front of him in junior high school! It was surreal, because I had never actually talked openly about my dream of making music, even with the people closest to me. Yet, it seems that somehow my passion was already evident, even if I didn’t realize it. It is as if the music had been there, hidden beneath the surface, and only now had I found the courage to bring it out. This episode made me think about how sometimes our path is already mapped out, even if we don’t realize it right away.

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