-)Who is Davide Combusti, aka The Niro?

I am an Italian singer-songwriter and composer, a bit of a wanderer. Recently, I like to define myself as a creative who primarily communicates through music.

-)You’ve shared the stage with globally famous artists, tell us some memories of those collaborations.

I have many memories. Among them, I shared the stage with Amy Winehouse during her 2007 Milan stop and with Deep Purple in 2006 in Rome.

I remember the fantastic band that accompanied Amy and the charisma she radiated: that night I signed my first record deal, which would tie me to Universal International for several years. With Deep Purple, a sort of city legend was born because I faced their audience with nothing but a simple electrified classical guitar, winning over an extremely hostile crowd from the first song. It was 2006, and at that time, I hadn’t released anything yet. Receiving compliments from Deep Purple themselves was wonderful. I’ve also worked with Radiohead’s manager, Chris Hufford, on his Anti Atlas project, and I recorded and sang on an album of unreleased Jeff Buckley songs with Gary Lucas. I have countless memories, but in general, I always love creating new ones.

-)Your stage name is inspired by the Oscar-winning Italian-American actor Robert De Niro. Tell us about your relationship with cinema.

Yes, the name is inspired by the great American actor. The reason is that back then, The Niro started as a band, and we needed to find a nice name, and the nickname stuck with me even when The Niro turned into a singer-songwriter project. My relationship with cinema is visceral. I love cinema: from serious films to comedies, with a particular fondness for the French Nouvelle Vague. It was inevitable for me to end up writing for the cinema. I write a lot for images, and I’ve been fortunate enough to collaborate with many directors, both Italian and foreign. I’ve written soundtracks, among others, for James McTeigue, director of V for Vendetta. It was a great experience. One of the last soundtracks I worked on was for the short film The Moor by Daphne di Cinto, which was submitted for the 2024 Oscars.

-)Tell us about your recent collaboration with director Christian Candido.

Christian is a fantastic director from Turin who involved me in the series Boombox, which is based on a very strong idea tied to music. This, combined with his contagious passion and narrative imagination, led me to form a relationship where I’m involved as a composer, actor, and even a designer (I designed the Boombox, which will be an iconic element of the series). I thank Christian for involving me, and we can’t wait to start production on the series; I’m sure it will surprise many.

-)What do you not like about the world, and what would you change?

I don’t like power being concentrated in the hands of a few people. I don’t like war, and I don’t like the casual way false news is spread. If I could, I’d go back to the 60s: there were wars then too, but at least the music was fantastic.

-)What’s your impression of WILD FILMMAKER?

It’s a space that gives voice to the independent voices of cinema and lets them be known. I would say it’s an oasis in an environment where it’s always very difficult to stand out. Congratulations to you for what you do!