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Marta Del Grandi

Folk, Pop / Italy (Milan)
Marta Del Grandi
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Marta Del Grandi

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Laura Marling, Agnes Obel, Soap & Skin

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Elegant, orchestral pop

" An Italian singer-songwriter with subtle, minimalist ballads "

Emotion can be a tricky thing to convey in music, with many dangers of being over-the-top, too theatrical, or too syrupy. Italian singer-songwriter Marta Del Grandi has added another challenge by favoring orchestral music on her debut album, ‘Until We Fossilize’, released in November 2021. The result is simply magnificent, somewhere between Ennio Morricone’s soundtracks and David Lynch’s mysterious atmospherics. She’s managed to make a record full of emotions, while sticking to minimalism and subtlety. A very rare combination which only the greatest, cleverest musicians are capable of (Laura Marling, Agnes Obel or Soap & Skin come to mind).

Before making this wonderful album and becoming a solo artist, Marta Del Grandi studied jazz vocals at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milan. After a visit to China, she went to Nepal and settled there for a while, teaching at the Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory. These experiences abroad, soaked in different cultures, enriched her inspiration and she came back to Italy in 2020 armed with a renewed creativity. The songs on ‘Until We Fossilize’ show this journey and Marta’s eclecticism – with touches of jazz, modern classical, ambient, electro synths and folk. She self-produced the record, with a little help from Shahzad Ismaily (Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed, John Zorn…) who mixed her album in Brooklyn, and was also in charge of recording drums and synths. Performing live is not easy in the middle of a pandemic, but Marta Del Grandi toured when her album was released, headlining her own shows or supporting Brigid Mae Power and Marina Allen.

Photo: Andrea Luporini