-) Who is Roberta Giallo?
An easy question to start with (naturally, I’m being ironic!), but I’ll still try to explain myself better—knowing full well I’ll fail. How can one define oneself? It almost feels criminal to attempt defining a shifting nature. Yet… I am a singer-songwriter related to poetry: a multifaceted singer-songwriter, a being capable of rapidly adapting to its surroundings. Perhaps that’s why I feel a certain affection for the chameleon. I used to do my makeup by drawing its tail beside my eyes. Still, deep down, there’s a part of me that remains loyal to itself, immutable, eternal. I am a kind of perpetual paradox. Beyond metaphors, practically speaking, I’m a musician who experiments and is closely tied to other art forms. I cross boundaries, composing across various representational planes—not just notes, not just sounds. I’m a composer and singer-songwriter with a vision that stretches into theater, poetry, contemporary art, and even cinema. I’ve written songs for myself and others, produced albums and created soundtracks for theater and film, crafted digital art sets for my shows and for others, and performed my music throughout Italy and abroad—from Asia to the United States, naturally passing through Europe. So yes, I’m also a curious traveler. I’ve coined many terms in an attempt to describe myself appropriately. The latest is “cantapoeta” (singer-poet). I like it for now—it sounds right. We’re almost there, but I must mention philosophy, the field in which I earned my degree and specialization with a thesis on Schopenhauer. Philosophy, in a way, saved me—smoothing out the precarious balance among the different parts of myself, curbing the dangerous extremes, and harmonizing reality with dreams. And that’s a never-ending task, in fieri… … the magical work of living and becoming self-aware.
-) When did you realize that music would define every aspect of your life?
I think I already knew at age five, around the time I started studying classical piano and instinctively began composing short instrumental pieces—despite having no knowledge of music theory or extensive training on the instrument. The same thing happened with writing essays at school. While my classmates would stare at a blank page, I, quick and fearless, would fill it in an instant. It was like a beautiful race, me and my inspiration running together. Then society—with its rules and conventions—tried to make me forget that deep, intimate self-perception… but it failed miserably. Fortunately, the songs prevailed. A voice, a light, an untamable inner song has always guided, inspired, and empowered me. The stubbornness of Capricorn, my zodiac sign, surely did the rest. There were also crucial encounters and collaborations with great music legends who recognized my worth and helped boost my self-esteem and public recognition. First and foremost, Lucio Dalla, one of the greatest Italian singer-songwriters ever. The super producers Mauro Malavasi and Corrado Rustici — they also lived in the United States. Malavasi, among other things, produced for Bocelli, while Rustici worked as a producer with Aretha Franklin… I can’t leave out “the alien” Red Ronnie, a charismatic figure you at WILD FILMMAKER recently interviewed—one of the most original music journalists and communicators ever. He has always supported and promoted me—we care deeply for one another. He, who interviewed Jimi Hendrix (and owned his guitar), Bowie, Harrison, Fidel Castro, and many more… Last but not least… Bologna, the city I chose to live in: an ancient university and art city, mystical and magical, played a big role in my destiny. It gave me inspiration and awareness, also through encounters with gifted artists and musicians in whom I recognized myself—as kin. Life is marked by magical encounters: recognizing one’s kindred spirits—or as Goethe called them, “elective affinities”—helps us understand where we come from, who our soul family is, and where we’re headed. It also helps us have, as Pier Paolo Pasolini would say, “the courage to shine.”
-) Tell us about your special concert taking place at the Basilica of San Petronio in Bologna, your adopted city.
This concert feels like one of the most meaningful and important of my life and artistic journey—as a musician and as a cantapoeta. We’re talking about a sacred, monumental place: a Gothic basilica that hides mysterious details even in its aesthetics. San Petronio in Bologna is the last great late Gothic work in Italy, started just after the Milan Cathedral in 1386. The façade is partially unfinished, which gives it a strong dualism: shining white marble at the bottom, and dark, exposed brick above. When I looked at it—especially at night—it reminded me of the face in Munch’s The Scream. The large window looks like an open mouth in a cry of pain, the side aisles like hands on a face (the central nave). Easier to see than explain… Anyway, in this vast basilica, I said my final goodbye to my dear friend and mentor Lucio Dalla.
For years, I think I avoided entering it to not relive that painful farewell… and later, because it was even at risk of terrorist threats. However, some places call us back—and we must return. When I was invited to hold a concert for Peace as part of a major exhibition by Catalan sculptor Juan Crous—who reimagined Picasso’s Guernica in a massive sculpture made of glass tiles—I thought: how lucky am I? This concert is and will be a gift, a blessing—for me and for those who attend. The desire for peace that fuels it is the noblest of causes, and it must be cultivated and grown. I’m working on the setlist now. I’ll perform solo, just me and the piano—my long-time friend and confidant. I’ll draw inspiration from the aura of the place and the energy of the souls present. And there will be many… May 12, 2025 will be a historic date for me—a turning point, a new baptism. I’m grateful, happy, full of enthusiasm and joy.
-) What would you change about the world?
Simple: No more wars. No more oppression. No more violence. No more deception. We must learn to dream “marvelous utopias” again: to find the missing beauty, to thirst for justice and truth. We should give ourselves the luxury—and powerful gift—of dreaming again, lighthearted and a bit wild, like children… free to imagine and shape the world we want to live in. I believe in the magical art of words and visualization. So I try to imagine boundless beauty, powerful harmony, human connection, philanthropy, choirs of angels (with a few off notes—imperfection is necessary…). I stubbornly dream of Peace, Beauty, Art, Lush Nature, Joy in living, Joy in existing. These words, mind you, are not abstractions—they are realities we’ve forgotten how to dream, to even conceive.
-) When you hear the word “soul,” what comes to mind?
In one of my songs I say: “The soul is an animal, and it dwells beyond good and evil.” That’s what I believe—it’s a living thing, in motion, also appearing as sacred animal visions or totems. If I don’t think and just follow instinct, I see a shimmering light moving across crystal-clear water—a light dancing on the water’s surface…
-) What do you think of WILD FILMMAKER?
You are amazing! And without exaggeration, I’d even say that you feel a bit like family. Staying on the theme of “elective affinities,” I feel related to you: an indomitable yet supportive community. You’re a beautiful paradox that is and will continue to impact the reality of cinema today and in the future. Everyone should know about WILD FILMMAKER , a platform with which I’ve already built a valuable relationship of mutual respect and original collaborations. Honestly, I hope this connection continues. The journey of mutual discovery felt immediately interesting, even predestined… I believe it will keep surprising us. Wishing the best to the entire community—visionary, like its founder.
