Artist: Violetta Zironi
Hometown: Reggio Emilia, Italy
Latest Album: Half Moon Lane
Personal Nicknames: Vio
If you could spend 10 minutes with John Lennon, Dolly Parton, Hank Williams, Joni Mitchell, Sister Rosetta, or Merle Haggard how would it go?
I think it would be Dolly Parton. I would love her to give me advice on how to keep up with this tough career — as a woman, as a storyteller — and especially, I would like to have her reassurance that being genuine and easy-going like her wins in the end.
Since food and music go so well together, what would be your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?
Well … my early teenage idol was Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day, so I would love to share my favorite food with him — a pizza.
How often do you hide behind a character in a song or use “you” when it’s actually “me”?
Not very often. I tend to write about myself and my personal experiences, and the only way I can be genuine and sincere about them is by speaking in first person. Sometimes though, I like to tell stories about friends or people i know, and I would pretend I am that person.
What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?
It was when I was 7 or 8 years old and I watched “Back to the Future” with my family. I remember watching the scene where Marty McFly picks up the guitar and plays Johnny B Good pretending to be Chuck Barry. I was absolutely blown away by the energy of that performance and it looked so much fun, and remember the people in the audience looking weirded by him but then completely changing their face and start dancing. I just wanted to be like that.
As you travel around the world, what is the overriding sense you get of the people?
Traveling the world is the best way of getting to know people. I’ve travelled a fair bit so far and I have to say people surprise me all the time. And it’s amazing, because they can be so different from each other but in the end one starts learning so much about life from them, and so much about oneself. I see myself in people, in places, and I also see the differences about people and me. This is incredibly inspiring and it make me happy.