Culture How Daniela Pes uses her Italian dialect to make...

How Daniela Pes uses her Italian dialect to make nonsensical music

-

- Advertisment -
ADVERTISEMENT

Daniela Pes, 32, was born in Sardinia, Italy. Growing up in Tempio Pausania, she is fluent in both standard Italian and her Gallurian region’s dialect, Gallurese.

On her debut album, 2023’s ‘SPIRA’, Pes sings in a combination of Italian and Gallurese. She effortlessly moves between them combining idiomatic phrases with word jumbles, choosing lyrics for their sonic satiny feel, over logical semantic placement.

“I never wanted to sing just in English, Italian or my dialect,” Pes tells me. “My biggest dream has always been to write music that could be as universal as possible, to go out the borders and to reach the furthest horizon.”

Without worrying about literal meanings or audiences understanding her on a syntactical level, Pes is able to move more freely within expression. “I found a way to feel free on the stage, feel free in my writing.”

“I am now able to speak and to communicate to English people, Chinese people, Japanese people, French people, all at the same frequency, because the lyrics don’t actually mean anything. Everything is wrong!”

Daniela Pes performing in Groningen
Daniela Pes performing in GroningenEmma Pot

Everything is not wrong though when you listen to Pes. On record, her soft singing voice feels lullaby-like as it calmly ushers you into the myriad swirling synth rhythms. ‘Carme’ is a classic example of her style, slowly building from a gentle refrain until it bursts with Pes’ crackling tones and the music carries you away into a greater spiritual plain.

Live, it’s an even more transformative experience. Pes’ voice is enthralling. As she toys with a complex synth setup, flanked by two more musicians doing the same, the effect is hypnotising. The room draws back and all is left is this forceful Italian dialect connecting you through a sound that feels more evolving than a planned playlist.

The reason for this free-form style is Pes’ background in jazz. From a musical household – her father is a musician, her brothers play piano and drums – Pes fondly remembers recording songs with her family. Graduating from Luigi Canepa Conservatory of Sassari with a degree in jazz singing, Pes spent 10 years immersed in the jazz world.

That didn’t stop her broadening her horizons. “I’ve always loved instrumental music: Israeli music, Arabian music, Armenian musicians, all that music that can use the voice like an instrument.”

Jazz also taught Pes how to improvise vocally. In her performances, while the structure is taken from the tracks she’s released, much like a jazz group performing a standard, there are the opportunities for her and her band to vamp. On a track like ‘Ille Sera’, this might come at the cacophonous finale, or in ‘Làira’ it might be in the chanted sections that sound sampled from a snake charmer.

“It’s not straightforward traditional jazz, but it’s the idea of jazz. It’s the idea of that freedom,” Pes explains of her live shows. “You can go any way you want with your voice without necessarily saying anything that makes sense.”

Even without understanding it, Pes’ haunting voice and captivating stage presence connect with audiences deeply. On stage earlier this year at ESNS – where she was nominated for an MME Award – the international crowd was blown away. Everyone shared in the music’s timelessness melancholy that brings forth spiritual images of pastoral ghost stories.

Daniela Pes performing in Groningen
Daniela Pes performing in GroningenEmma Pot

While Pes’ music is immaculately produced on her album, it’s this approach to free performance that makes her consider herself a stage musician. “I really like staying in the studio and writing, listening, imagining visions. But when I get onto the stage, that’s the moment where I can find myself,” she says.

Yet a long time on tour still takes its toll. Her record is 130 concerts in a year. Now, with a European tour largely behind her – she still has festival dates including the Netherlands’ Best Kept Secret – it’s time to hit the studios and get recording again. “I didn’t get the chance till now to be in my home studio, my peaceful place, to start writing again.” “I really feel the need now, and I can’t wait,” Pes says.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest news

Newly discovered document adds evidence that Shroud of Turin is fake

ADVERTISEMENT The Shroud of Turin is one of the most treasured ancient artefacts, attracting countless tourists to the Italian city - despite the fact that the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin only publicly displays it on special occasions. Also known as the Holy Shroud, the linen cloth bears the faint image of

Original Harry Potter director on reboot series: ‘What’s the point?’

ADVERTISEMENT Chris Columbus, the celebrated American director of both Home Alone films, Mrs. Doubtfire and the first two Harry Potter films, has questioned the need to reboot the series with the upcoming HBO adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s novels. The filmmaker is currently promoting his Netflix film The Thursday Murder Club, which is based on the

Film of the Week: ‘Sorry, Baby’ – A masterful exploration of trauma

ADVERTISEMENT The scariest thing about life’s worst moments is the silence in which they often unfold. The world goes on, night falls, the windows of a suburban house glow as cars drive by. Yet for the person inside, existence has cracked; an irrevocable disconnect between who you once were, and the confused ghost you’ve become. 

From Taylor to Twin Peaks: The most iconic rings in pop culture

ADVERTISEMENT Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have set the internet ablaze with news of their engagement, and all eyes have been on the ring.  According to US reports, Kelce worked with New York designer Kindred Lubeck of Artifex Fine Jewelry to design the ring and since the news of the engagement broke, the designer’s website has
- Advertisement -

165-million-year-old dinosaur with ‘weaponised tail’ found in Morocco

ADVERTISEMENT Scientists have unearthed the remains of a heavily armoured dinosaur, complete with rib spikes, a bony neck collar and a tail that may have doubled as a weapon. The fossil, discovered in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, dates back 165 million years and belongs to a newly identified species of ankylosaur called Spicomellus. And this wasn’t

Why is Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum warning it may have to close?

ADVERTISEMENT Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum, home to the world’s largest collection of works by Vincent van Gogh, has issued an extraordinary warning: without fresh government funding, it may be forced to shut its doors. The museum says a shortfall in state support threatens a €104m renovation plan - and with it the safety of the

Must read

Newly discovered document adds evidence that Shroud of Turin is fake

ADVERTISEMENT The Shroud of Turin is one of the most treasured ancient artefacts, attracting countless tourists to the Italian city - despite the fact that the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin only publicly displays it on special occasions. Also known as the Holy Shroud, the linen cloth bears the faint image of

Original Harry Potter director on reboot series: ‘What’s the point?’

ADVERTISEMENT Chris Columbus, the celebrated American director of both Home Alone films, Mrs. Doubtfire and the first two Harry Potter films, has questioned the need to reboot the series with the upcoming HBO adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s novels. The filmmaker is currently promoting his Netflix film The Thursday Murder Club, which is based on the
- Advertisement -

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you