Hu: “When I stripped myself of everything (and told the truth)”

In the good and bad luck. As with the eternal promises sealed by a ring, Hu has decided not to abandon his visceral connection with music. To tell the truth, his is not a decision but a need that, in all these years of his apprenticeship, has led her to put all her experiences in his tracks. Lthe beauty of love without labels, of course. But also the judgmental and violent looks of those who, when they were in high school in their beloved Marche, decided to aim it, with repeated bullying. In the good and bad luck Hu (born Federica Ferracuti, born in 1994) wrote everything.
The result, full of breath and courageous landings, is his first album Prime numbers, out tomorrow, Friday 11 March for Warner Music. Inside – in addition to Take care of yourself, the single with which he participated at the last Sanremo Festival together with Highsnob – also a song with Francesca Michielin. And a union in love with the sounds that represent it, from jazz to clubbing.

We start from Sanremo. How did it go?
“It was an incredible experience. Every artist should do this at least once in their life. It’s not just music: it’s how you communicate, how you position yourself, how you plan to reach millions of people. We take it for granted that when we dress one way, the people in front of us understand everything. I have thought a lot about how I communicate who I am ».

And what did he understand?
«That people need simplicity. The more complex one is, the more misunderstood one becomes ».

Were there any reactions that particularly struck you?
«I had a lot of support from a lot of artists. Big and small. I’m still an emerging artist. At my house, in the Marche region, there was a great party: knowing this was the greatest emotion for me. I haven’t had time to go home yet, but I realized it was everyone’s dream. The place where I grew up saw me dreaming ».

Among his many experiences there is also that as a “session player”: he played for Emma on her tour this summer …
“Of the people I worked with (and thankfully I’m using the past tense as I speak to her), they absolutely disagreed. If it had been for them, I would never have had this incredible experience with Emma. They tried to convince me that playing for an artist means becoming a submissive. Obviously I imposed myself because I wanted to do it. And I’ll tell you the truth: if I hadn’t done the tour with Emma I wouldn’t have been able to go up on the stage in Sanremo like that. “

Because?
“We played in huge venues. Four times at the Verona Arena on fifteen total tour dates. When you are there you have a huge responsibility. I was a pianist, I played synths, guitars. Couldn’t go wrong. Imagine missing a note at the Verona Arena in a part with only the piano … a drama (laughs, ed). It can happen, of course: we are human. But I didn’t want to disappoint either Emma or the artists I was working with. For me it was a great test ».

Speaking of contaminations, in his album there is also a featuring with Francesca Michielin. How did you meet?
“We met a year and a half ago on an evening meditation course at the Conservatory. An elective course with free credits. I met her there and not at parties or events: you think that nonsense ».

Did you “find” yourselves immediately?
“On that occasion we exchanged a few words but nothing more. I was convinced he didn’t know who I was. She wrote to me when I did Sanremo Giovani: she supported me a lot. A few months ago, then, we started seeing each other and she came to my small home studio. When I had to close the record, there was this song pending (Trouble, ed). I sent it to her asking for an opinion and saying: “See if you want to do something about it”. And she did it. It was wonderful. because it was a super spontaneous collaboration ».

On his debut album, Prime numbers, says that we are all unique, unrepeatable and indivisible. Do we need to remind us?
“My path has been a lot of winding. I’ve never had the easy way out. I felt wrong for a long time. They said to me: “You have to do this, you have to be like this, you have to make music like this”. At one point I got bored. I understood that I should only do what made me feel good ».

And what happened then?
“I wondered who knows how many times people feel as lost as I have. My troubleshooting key is simple: you only live once and it’s already a miracle we’re here. We are a dot suspended in the universe, in the middle of nowhere. And everything that seems giant to us is actually very small. The record is the story of this journey that talks about love, relationships, self-acceptance ».

Milan plays an important role in this project …
“Absolutely yes. It is the city that has given me everything. I grew up in the hills and the sea with my grandparents: I spent a lot of time with them when I was little. I grew up in the midst of nature, among simple things. Then I arrived in Milan because I dreamed of music. And paradoxically I managed to do it due to an accident… ».

Meaning what?
«In 2015 I had a bad accident with the car. With the money from the insurance I paid for the first year in Milan ».

And how was the arrival in the city?
“Shortly after I arrived, I got lost. I came from a small reality. At first I didn’t even understand the directions of the metro. A disaster. The first few months were a mess. The first parties, many people… I like to define Milan as the discovery of the Internet. Lots of information ».

Source: Vanity Fair

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