Nicola Della Valle aka Niko, the lead singer of Sammarinese band Miodio sat down with Blogilkar for an interview talking about the band’s past, present and future, Sanremo and Eurovision.
It’s finally here, your debut album! Tell us a bit about it.
Avantgarde is a result of six long years of experiences and feelings. It’s an album that includes different faces and changing colours. It’s electro-pop that hides a deep soul, sometimes fragile and delicate, sometimes cutting and aggressive. We have taken care of every little detail and I have to say the result is all that we expected and more. Every detail has been tought carefully and we have worked hard in studio, and Avantgarde became a modern pop album – easy to listen to but not calculated and stupid. The cover sleeve is designed by Andrea Zonzini, a young neo-pop artist who has really captured the essence of our sound. It’s a simple image but a leaves strong impact. It’s exactly what we wanted. I invite all the readers and fans to dive deep into our album – you won’t be disappointed!
It’s not your first release however. You did release an EP earlier, didn’t you? Are there any songs in Avantgarde from it?
It’s true, that first EP included five tracks and four of them are on Avantgarde, too. They are songs that are very dear to us. They still are amongst our favourites. Credo for example is a song that will always remain in our hearts because it contains our five souls. We have managed to form into music the feelings of the period of our beginning.
You have gone a long way from winning San Marino festival: Eurovision, Budva, Romania…. Can you tell us a bit about those experiences?
They have been three marvellous experiences in three very different places. Events and great people that have helped us to grow up in every sense. In Montenegro we have performed just a few meters from the sea with an orchestra next to a castle lighten up, it was really suggestive. The audience was very mixed and our song It’s OK became very popular with the younger crowd… so popular that the day after we heard it on radios along the beach!
Cerbul de Aur takes place in one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, Brasov. In that occasion we have covered the beautiful song by Dan Bittman and Holograf, Dincolo de nori (Romanian Eurovision entry 1994 btw) and I have to say it really went well down with the audience. We knew we could manage well covering that kind of song, it was very easy and a great track was created. It’s a track that has been also included in our album. And Eurovision? I can only say it’s something beyond imaginable! J
One must ask what you think about San Marino’s and Italy’s sudden return to Eurovision. What was your reaction when you heard about it?
It is a great opportunity! It was for us in 2008 and I believe it will also be for the artist who will represent our little republic. We know how much our TV worked to make it happen three years ago; we also know the artist who will do the job in 2011 for San Marino won’t have much to do with our state or Italian language either. Despite that we are thrilled that San Marino will be back in Eurovision. For Italy it’s a bit different. The recent years they have totally ignored the event, letting it be forgotten by the people. It goes without saying Eurovision is an opportunity to make your artists and your music known abroad, to reach new music markets – and I say that from my own experience! Surely in 2011 Italy and it’s artist will have everybody’s attention and we will support for sure our cousins.
The rumour is San Marino is hiring some big international star this time around. What do you think about that if it happens? What do you think in general that for example a Swedish singer sings for Estonia a song written by Americans produced by German? Do you think some nationality should count??
What can I say? Eurovision can and should be an occasion to make not only music but also culture known of the country in question. Unfortunately this event year by year is getting more uniform, just look at how many song there are in English and this also takes down a lot of the speciality of the Eurovision song contest. But on the other hand it’s nice to see “open borders” and always more nations that choose as their entries singers and bands not their own. For example… it would have been interesting if a Sammarinese band would have represented… for example… Switzerland ;-)
Yes indeed. You tried your luck in Switzerland this year. How come?
Switzerland has been always open for everybody; as San Marino RTV was undecided until the end we decided to try this altenative way… with a strong and catchy song like I feel, also included in our album Avantgarde!
Tell us something about Belgrade we don’t know! Something that happened we don’t know, good or bad!
I could tell you so many things… Some censored and unsuitable for minors! But I can tell how we got lost after a party and the whole delegation was preoccupied and looking for us… the day after we had the dress rehearsals and our bodyguard was already ready to call the police to start searching us. We met some girls and followed them to a party at the beach… we returned at 4am wet as dogs as it was raining cats and dogs, too! We really had fun in Belgrade, after all we are a group of friends first, band only after and those two weeks we have had some unforgettable moments!
You have proved that last place can be turned into something positive (who remembers the second to last?) going from one success to another. How did you feel when you didn’t qualify, did you expect it? (I think it was very very unfair!!) And how about when the results were published and you came last with mere 5 points…?
When we did the first interview for Eurovision they asked us: What result would you like to get in Eurovision? and we answered: It is enough for us to have one person get moved when listening our song Complice. In a long run our expectations have gone far beyond and for this we have to thank each and every one who wrote to us and supported us. You don’t need to get A levels to be satisfied for something composed, written or painted. Art is not like that, music is another athing. We got 5 points? So what? Our song Complice remains always in the history of Eurovision and is remembered by those you liked it. I believe this matters much more than five points!
What is your next goal? Making it big in Italy? Getting to Sanremo? Going back to Eurovision for Italy?
We are working on different fronts. We are concentrated on promoting our album Avantgarde in Italy. For the occasion we have prepaired two different sets; one acoustic and the other more elettronic to be able to perform in different venues. A few days ago we finished recording in studio with Viktoria Voronina, ex-singer of Russian pop group Propaganda with whom we are collaborating. Sanremo… maybe. In 2012.
Your new single Rock’n roll robot is a cover of Alberto Camerini from 1981, how that happened?
Rock’n’roll robot is a track with incredible energia. In those years one used/abused a lot of elettric sounds. This one’s one of our favourites, simple but very effective. We have covered it in a modern way mixing elettric sounds with rock sounds. The result is very strong. Live we really have great fun performing it and when we play it people just go crazy. For this reason we have chosen this track and also as the lead single off the album.
What’s planned for 2011 in Miodio’s agenda? Concerts, tour, pr?
2011 has started with a bang. We are getting ready for a great summer, full of shows and concerts. And gigs abroad are not exluded, that would be really great and we have had several invitation, especially from Russia. What to say? You can ask more by writing us at info@miodio.eu or visit our new website www.miodio.eu . Greetings and a sincere thank you to you all.
Niko - Miodio
Thank you for the interview and all the best for the future!
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