Italian-born musician Edo Ferragamo joins us on Close-up Culture as he gears up for a big 2019.
Q: 2019 is fast approaching. What kind of sound and music should we be excited about hearing from you next year?
A: It’s a very uplifting, up to date pop sound with urban influence and a lot of organic sounds. Guitar is my main instrument!
Q: I’ve seen some great clips of you online playing with Cayenne Noluck and the band. How much fun are you having testing the new stuff out on live audiences?
A: Honestly, playing live is what I love the most! Cayenne Noluck is a really talented artist and a good friend, we wrote so much music together in the past year and I am so excited to share it with the world in 2019!
So far the response that we received from playing live has been really great and it keeps getting better every time!
Q: You mention Cayenne. Tell us more about the people – and the type of people – you like to surround yourself with when creating new music?
A: Like I said, Cayenne has been a very important piece to this album. He is a great rapper, singer and writer.
I love exploring different sounds and voices (singers or rappers.) I go into sessions with no expectations, but with an open heart and usually something great comes out!
Q: I’ve heard Jimmy Hendrix and Stevie Wonder are a few of your influences. Was there an artist – or something else perhaps – that you drew inspiration from for your new work?
A: I listen to so many artists all the time! One of my favorites is definitely John Mayer cause he’s just an amazing musician, songwriter and guitar player. I grew up listening and playing all the classic rock records from Led Zeppelin to Pink Floyd to Guns ’n’ Roses. While at Berklee though, I came across funk, pop, some jazz and later on electronic music.
My current playlist would have: John Mayer, Dua Lipa, Foster the People, Andrea Bocelli, Greta Van Fleet, Ed Sheeran, Halsey, Post Malone…just to name a few.
Q: You are the grandson of Italian designer Salvatore Ferragamo. Can you tell us about your background and how those early experiences shaped you as an artist?
A: My family has been very supportive in my career. It took some time to prove to them that I was very driven, a hard worker and talented. But once that happened, they became my biggest supporters. Growing up as a Ferragamo taught me what it means to value the family and what it means to work hard to achieve your goals.
Q: As a film lover, I enjoyed hearing that ‘School Of Rock’ helped spark your love of the electric guitar. What did you love about that film and do you ever return to it?
A: I still watch the film from from time to time! I remember hearing the sound of the electric guitar for the first time at 12 years old. I was just fascinated and I immediately thought: I have to do that as well! So I went down to the basement to pick up my mom’s old classical guitar and started to mess around with it.
Shortly after, I started taking lessons and fell in love with it. By the time I was 15 or 16, I knew that music was going to become my main focus in life!
Q: What eventually brought you to the US and how have you adapted to the lifestyle change?
A: The first reason I came to the US is because I attended Berklee College of Music, which was a very strong and beautiful experience. My dream was always to go to US to focus on music and playing along some of the best musicians in the world.. Berklee gave me that opportunity!
I certainly made some changes in my life still but I’m still Italian in my roots and that will never change.. I really like the fast pace of living in NYC!
Q: What do you want to achieve as artist in 2019 and beyond?
A: I’m very excited for my music to come out, and I hope it can reach as many people as possible! I really look forward to performing at more concerts and traveling the world next year.
Q: Lastly, do you have a message for your fans heading into the new year?
A: I want to thank my fans for supporting me throughout this journey that is only at the beginning! I have so much music to share – so please keep following me as I move forward.
Title photo by Lapo Quagli
Fantastic!!!
wow he looks very much like his grandfather