HUstage name of Federica Ferracutiattended the Sanremo Festival this year, competing with Highsnob with the song “Take care of yourself”, Ranked 20th. She sings, writes, plays, produces and began studying music at the age of 12. “Neon“Marks the debut of HU in music and comes out in June 2020, then the contract with Warner Music and participation in AmaSanremo (the competition to access the New Proposals categories) with” Occhi Niagara “, but does not reach the Final. After graduating for the second time at the Milan Conservatory in musical composition, Amadeus is called to participate in the Big Festival this year. “Prime numbersIs HU’s first album.
Who are the prime numbers?
They are the people who are aware of being unique and unrepeatable. This mantra has always been good for me and I believe it has allowed me to grow deeply as a human being.
Is it difficult to be “unique” in this society?
We are always looking for what we do not have and we project into others as we would like to be, consequently we project our image into something that does not belong to us. Of course, it is difficult to understand what we really want and it is much easier, instead, to approach worlds and people that we observe from the outside and think that they have made it. Today there are so many positive examples that one eventually forgets about one’s identity. Above all on the musical side, I believe it is important to be unique and not to look like anyone.
There is a lot of Milan in your songs. What does it represent for you?
I come from a very small place in the Marche, Fermo, I came to Milan to do the Conservatory. After so many sacrifices I made it. Milan is what I call ‘the discovery of the Internet’: a lot of information rains down on you, sometimes mistakes are made, but slowly over time you learn to filter what you see to understand what you really want. I learned from my disappointments, from the never kept promises, from the many people who ‘crossed’ me on this path and hurt me, however, in the end, I looked for what I was looking for. Today I am calm and I do what I like. In other cities I would never have found this awareness.
You sing “but can you imagine if the world ended now?” and there is a war on. Was it inevitable that something like this would happen?
I wrote it in October when the situation was already tense. I wanted to quote a concept taken from the book ‘La Conscienza di Zeno’ by Italo Svevo to convey the idea that the human being would eventually self-destruct. Man is governed above all by power, success and money, which is why he triggers wars. I also took inspiration from the ending of the film ‘Fight Club’ when human contact is re-established, no longer having to choose an ornament that ‘defines him as an individual’.
You are multi-instrumentalist as is Francesca Michielin with whom you collaborated for “Guai”. What struck you about her?
We met in a strange context at the Conservatory and then he supported me a lot when I did Sanremo Giovani. We felt and kept in touch, during the day we found ourselves together at my home session structure and not to record ‘Guai’, but only to make music together. One day I found myself with this song that had a particular refrain. It was a song that I could only close with a multifaceted artist and a wonderful person like Francesca, so I submitted it to her and she generously helped to close it. Today the hunt for her feat is fashionable, but with her it was all natural.
There is the coming out in “Mom”. What did she represent for you?
The acceptance of one’s sexuality is not just declaring it to others but is first of all the fruit of a path of acceptance of oneself. Coming out is a path of awareness and it is not something you do because it must end up on your identity card. It took me a long time because I went through a difficult childhood, I was often teased at school, I had no one to talk to about my thoughts and difficulties. In short, it was not a walk, then by nature I am restless and fragile. Then I found the strength to tell the truth first to myself and then to tell it to others.
The Zan Law has been ditched and there is little talk of rights for the LGBTQ + community. A topic that is no longer in fashion?
I want to be honest about this. Trends pop up on social media every day and are often political in nature. So everyone starts talking about a topic and, often, they are people who know absolutely nothing about the topic they are talking about, I hate this thing. There are also colleagues who, before putting on music, launch into political battles in favor of the social trend of the moment. I have never shared this choice.
How do you act?
Today I come forward in first person and I do it after I have worked a lot with music to broaden the audience that listens to me. Then I came into contact with many realities and I listened to the others a lot. Today I know that I can talk about certain things because it is important how certain topics are communicated. Words are important and not just to fill trends. The war has obscured all other arguments, I understand that. But we must not let go, I hope we will talk about rights again. Many don’t understand things until they live it. I was lucky because my parents, despite being 60 years old, were always very open and not bigoted. But when I think of so many others their age who don’t understand the meaning of the battles that the LGBTQ + community is doing, I am not surprised. We need to reshape the way of expressing concepts in order to reach as many people as possible. The target of understanding is limited, we must take note of this and take action.