Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: Animate is Luigi And Filippo. We’re from a little town in the south of Italy near the sea. I am Luigi, guitarist and vocalist of the band. I started to play guitar when I was 13 or 14 and from then on I play every day. A couple of years later I started writing lyrics. I can remember exactly where I was when I wrote my first song that was called “ feelings masks”. I’ve always listened to music, rock music and metal music and when I got my first guitar I was completely fascinated by the sound, I loved it from the very first moment. It’s the music I listened to when I was really young that impacted my musical direction. I love pop songs as much as I love metal songs. And that’s what Animate is about, I guess.
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 ANIMATE ?
A: I purchased animateband.com a couple of years ago and it’s time to go online with an official website. To all the people who are about to listen to Animate, I would like to say thank you first and then I’d say that we hope we make the right impression, with the music and with lyrics too.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: I find inspiration in books and in music too. I read a lot of science fiction books. But life is the very first source of inspiration, I guess. I’ve been in New York a couple of months ago and there I’ve written a song called “ the top fo the World”.
I really really like Ghost, I think Tobias Forge is a genius, I love Sleep Token in my opinion they’re reinventing heavy metal music and I like the progressive band Polyphia.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Filling Your Void.”?
A: We spend our lives doing the best we can to fill our inner voids. We are so dazzled by our new-found virtual lives that we are losing contact with reality. We are replacing all that is missing by creating false realities where virtual love, compassion, kindness and empathy satisfy our deepest desires. All that while our real world is being torn apart before our very eyes.
This is the message.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Powerful
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Filling Your Void”?
A: The sound came up when we decided to put the heavy elements into the song. And at that point, after we saw we had a good heavy chorus and a hard rock-style guitar solo we came up with the idea to create what I call “the effect segment” after the bass slap. As a musicians I really like every aspect of the guitar sound, the big heavy riffs, the funky sound and of course the ambient/effects aspect. And we want the listener to find every aspect of the guitar playing in our songs. It’s experimental and experimenting is always challenging but it gives you the freedom you want when you’re making your songs.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: We’d like to shake the consciences and the souls of the listeners with our music. There’s always a profound meaning in our songs and that’s for the listener to find out. Having people hear your songs is the best thing that can happen to a musician, that’s it.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: I have to say it: I saw Peter Gabriel last month in Milan. That was an incredible show! He’s 73 but when you hear his music you understand he is a genius. So that’s the name right now.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: I am searching for someone to give me the right advice, too. I’d say: keep listening to music, if you want to make music do it freely, with what you have. And be prepared because it’s like running naked in a crowded street. You can lie to other people as a person, but your music must be sincere, always. So don’t lie to yourself first.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: Know what you want, and pursue it.
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