Feb. 7 – Antonio Martino speaks Italian perfectly but has a Parisian accent; he has the typical colors of man from Southern Italy. Antonio Martino, aka Migaso, is eclectic artist born in the suburbs of Aubervilliers by Italian parents. “From an early age, I have always had a deep connection with Italy and Calabria, a bond that has followed me in my artistic career,” says the singer, who performed at the Circolo degli Artisti in Rome with his band, I Briganti. “We are the only group in France that sings in Italian, and this exotic rock attracts people as they consider the Italian language very melodic.” The group is made up of different nationalities all living in France: the bassist Nicolas Borg is French with a grandmother from Sicily, the drummer Benjamin Corbeil is from Quebec, and keyboardist Matthieu Lesenechal is the only French native. The group presented for the first time in Italy its album “Luminescenza,” Italian hard rock, with complex and varied cues from electro and blues, easy to listen. This is not Migaso’s first tour in Italy or Rome: “In 2007 I presented my album at Zoobar, in Rome, and it went very well. In Italy, I go back almost every summer to see my family in Calabria. Now, with all of my work commitments, it is difficult to find the time to come.” Despite being raised in France, the singer has pleasant memories of Italy: “returning is always a great emotion, to find Italy with all its qualities and its flaws is always a pleasure. To me, the defects are the qualities that make the country unique and beautiful.” Migaso’s idea to sing in Italian in a traditionally protectionist country when it comes to music is what convinced the Parisian label MML Music to produce this the and that earned him the title of ambassador of the Italian language in France. “It ‘s hard to carry a title – the singer admits – As a child, I first learned the Calabrian dialect, then Italian. Growing up, I developed an interest for literature, and I have studied the Italian classics.” A second-generation migrant, Migaso enjoys an excellent reputation in France, where the main rock radios and national TV programs have spoken about him. About the fans, he says “They usually only sing the chorus because they remember it! But I’m still fascinated by this language full of sun and warmth. For me, singing in Italy is very exciting because for the first time the public understands well the lyrics of my songs.” The album contains two singles, “Inferno” for the French market and “Luminescenza” for the Italian one, as well as a bit of Calabria, with “Il Brigante” sung in the local dialect and with the sounds of tarantella and acoustic guitar. Migaso is also a highly skilled guitarist, who has worked in France with the biggest names in the hexagonal rock: as Norbet Krief (Trust) and Jannick Top (Magma). In France, his album is already a success: the video for “Inferno, la libertà non ha prezzo,” the remix version of “Inferno,” has received more than 400.000 views on Youtube at the link http://youtu.be / rHmId4Q1gxg . “The French would have rather had me sing in English. It was difficult to make people understand that I will sing only in Italian: whether you like it or not, I will. It’s all from my Calabrian side!” he adds jokingly. “Even though I have a dual nationality – because I received the French at 18, with the right of ius soli – my parents only have the Italian one. They are from the same small town in Calabria, Grisolia, and their names are Maria and Mario. My first name is Antonio, my middle name is Lucio after Lucio Battisti, whom my father greatly admired. How can you get more Italian than this?”. As for “Migaso,” that’s a secret Antonio Martino is yet to reveal.
