The dulcet tones of Italian singing sensation Mario Biondi are currently providing the soundtrack for the latest Peroni Nastro Azzurro ad campaign. Biondi is a multi-platinum selling soul star in his native Italy, and has DJ Norman Jay to thank for a strong and ever-growing following in the UK. We sat down with the soulful crooner himself to talk lyrics, luxury and life.
Q: Your cover of Temptations classic ‘My Girl’ really captures the essence of Italian ‘joie de vivre’. Why do you think Peroni approached you for the advertisement?
Peroni are known to work with people and brands that really capture the essence of Italy, as the brand does itself. I think my Italian heritage played a large part in their selection, as well as the deep, soulful tone of my voice for which I am known for across Italy. The Peroni advert was all about the unique and spontaneous Italian ‘joie de vivre’ that is unmatched by anyone else in the world, and I think that I’ve captured this in the past through a number of my songs.
Q: Do you think the advert has achieved what it set out to do?
Absolutely. We have managed to capture an authentic and beautiful Italian moment which conveys the charm and timeless elegance of an Italian summer. Much of the footage that was used in the final cut was footage that the crew caught off the cuff – things like the girl with rollers in her hair and the breaking lipstick were shots that captured that Italian essence in their own right. I think the soundtrack ties it all in perfectly.
Q: Where does the inspiration for your own music come from?
Me myself and I… I really have few outside influences when it comes to composing my own songs and writing lyrics. My music comes mostly from the mood that is inside my soul at any particular moment – I find that words come together from all sorts of areas.
Q: Your music seems like it is full of thought and colour. Would you say you could describe your music as a series of colours?
White is definitely a colour of my music, for its purity, and for being the colour of the conveying of real feelings. Yellow, too, for the warmness of the lower tones of my music, probably with a bit of black thrown in – capturing the romantic mood of my music (and corresponding with the fact that I usually compose at night!)
Q: How would you describe happiness in three words?
Joy, serenity, children
Q: And finally, what’s your definition of luxury?
Rather than measuring luxury by riches or finery, I take a different perspective and have a different perception of the term – my measure of luxury is more things like the way I feel when I’m in a creative zone, or in love even. This is when I am at my happiest, so I see these as life’s true luxuries.
Watch the Peroni ad here
