What’s your stage name and where are you from?

I’m from Campania region, in southern Italy, not far from Naples, and as a stage name I use my real one: Fabio Cicala!

What’s the story behind your stage name?

Just my orignal name, I thought it sounded as good as Carlos Santana!

Describe your musical journey in three sentences.

I was cuddled by music in Italy since childhood but just for messing around. Then I dug deeper as a teenager when I discovered Jimi Hendrix, but didn’t take it seriously. Finally, I rediscovered music by coincidence or synchronicity when I emigrated to the UK, and it became a source of healing and inspiration.

Share an interesting experience you had while creating your latest track.

It was a pleasant mistake. In fact, I was playing Careless Whisper by George Michael, and after a few seconds into the song, my fingers and my mind went somewhere else… It was a crush I met on a film set who was hunting me, who gave birth to the blend of musical genres you can hear in The Words I Didn’t Say!

What message do you want to convey through your music?

I hope my listeners feel relaxed, and which they may be able to find their inner strength in order to face life’s challenges. I hope to inspire them to fight for their dreams, to search for their real path and love, no matter how hard and never ending it may seem.

Tell us about a challenge you faced during production and how you overcame it.

I wasn’t satisfied with hearing too much breathing and noises in the track, but they couldn’t be edited excessively without altering the song, so I had to record it again.

If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?

Taking away Tina Turner, who is also my ideal woman for her mesmerizing energy, her elegance, her zest for life, and her inner strength, not to mention her artistic and spiritual path, developing through different genres, from R’n’B, to pop music, up to the Buddhist chants she was digging in her last years… Santana for the spirituality and the human experiences shining through his music, and the richness of his compositions. Also, I truly appreciate the sound, his persistence and self belief which I perceive when I listen to the powerful voice of Teddy Swims.

Where do you see your music taking you in the next year?

I see collaborations with zillion of artists from around the world, exploring the more diverse sounds and music genres, and connecting with fans from different cultures and backgrounds!

What’s the next big step for you as an artist?

I’m working with a vocal coach to hone my voice, and I’m also writing some lyrics. So my next big step would be to record a song where I sing as well… Which will also pay homage to my surname meaning “cicada” in Italian!

Where can we hear/watch your most recent work?

The most complete place is my Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/fabiocicala