Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: My dad was a musician, he played piano and sang in a lot of important night clubs during the ‘80s and ‘90s in Italy, especially in Naples, Capri and Rome. So at home I was introduced not just to Italian and Neapolitan folk music but also to a lot of American music – I remember I would listen to Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson but also Bill Evans, Diane Krall and many others -. Then, my grandpa was a big fan of Frank Sinatra and he always put his music on whenever I was with him. Finally, when I was a teenager I started exploring more jazz music and developing more interest in other genres like funk, R&B or HipHop.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Leo Pesci”?
A: I do music because I feel the urge to say something about society and it makes me feel good, so growing my fan base has never been my aim. I’m not that kind of person who enjoys showing himself taking hundreds of shots on social media or showing off about this and that. I’m a regular person and what I do is real, and I’m not influenced by anyone telling me what to write or say. In a society where music is always influenced by something beyond art itself, then people should appreciate intellectual honesty. And I just want those people to be part of my fan base.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: It is difficult to mention just one artist. But I can mention someone who changed my way of listening to music that is Roy Hargrove. Now I have a bunch of artists who I listen to on a daily basis and i really like what they do such as Butcher Brown, Yusseff dates, Terrace Martin, Glasper, Kendrick and a few more.
Q: Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your new album IMPOLITE?
A: After releasing 2 EP (one in 2020 and another one in 2021) I felt I had to completely destroy that artist I had inside who cared more about what the listener would think about my music than what I really wanted to do with my music. In the past few years I tried to fit in and to show I could be a part of the scene – and my music was influenced by that -. With IMPOLITE I felt free to do the music I love and to say the things I wanted to say. Spotify plays are less but my music is real. That’s what IMPOLITE meant for me.
Q: What was the creative process like for writing and producing it?
A: IMPOLITE has 15 amazing independent artists behind the scene. They deserve to be heard more than me, and I loved the idea since the very beginning of featuring 2 artists for each track. Each one of them contributed to make IMPOLITE unique. A special thanks goes also to Vincenzo De Fraia and Saint who both co-produced and mixed many of the tracks and gave me unbelievable support.
Q: How does the album differ from your previous music in terms of style and sound?
A: if you read the interview until this point, you know the answer! Again, IMPOLITE is a mix of a lot of genres – hiphop, nu jazz, funk, neapolitan folklore, and more -, of artists with different musical and cultural background whose lyrics want to make people think. My previous music was good but polite!
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Many, but if I need to choose one I’ll say Yussef Dayes. I’d be happy to know he’ll listen to IMPOLITE.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: That’s very hard to say but hustling is always the key, whether you are a musician, a chef, a plumber or a skater.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: I would say ‘stop to think you’re gunna be a football player and go study music!’.
