Candra - About a boy

We catch up with the cantautore livornese to have him tell us about his songs as his second album, “Splendida in croce“, is about to come out: elusive melancholy, surprising tributes and an indie-rock epic with a redemptive streak.

“I can't feel free, I'm naked, I'm tired”: what deeper meaning lies behind this bitter confession placed at the opening of your new album?

It's a line with which I try to explain the feelings you have at the end of a long process of change, one that will certainly prove effective in some ways but that also carries with it, as I've come to realize, a lot of bad habits, often regrets, and above all plenty of mistakes that unfortunately, despite all the effort you put in, can't be fixed. You're left with the idea that you haven't done enough, and you start to grasp the awareness that maybe there's no such thing as enough. In short, the feelings you have at the end of a long journey — personal, professional, whatever it may be — that hasn't borne all the fruit you'd hoped for.

Where does “Torino” come from, instead?

It was born in the first days when I started getting to know the city, where I later moved. I fell in love with it immediately, but at the same time it gave me a strong sense of anguish, I couldn't tell you why. I immediately felt the urge to write about it and I tried for a while, realizing though that I didn't know it well enough yet. I couldn't find the right words, probably because I didn't have them yet. In the end I decided to describe it with a single line that felt right, and from there the song was born.

And the tribute to Daniel Johnston? 

I'll keep it very short because I think that's the right way to talk about Daniel Johnston. He taught me to strip away all the scaffolding; the simplicity with which he handled his own complicated self is what inspired and influenced me the most. Not that I manage it as well as he did, to be clear. “True love will find you in the end”, for example, is a very simple line that, sung by him, becomes a boulder.

“Splendida in croce” is an album that feels a lot like a logbook. So, how would you describe this phase of your personal and artistic life right now?

Yes, it really is a logbook. All things considered, I live a quieter life these days, both personally and artistically, than I did a few years ago; as I said before, I managed to sort out a lot of things, unfortunately at the expense of others. “Splendida in croce” is a calmer, more reflective and well-rounded album compared to the first one, “Bonola boy“, even though the two are directly linked. Let's say it's the conclusion that manages to set right what could be set right.

Tell us about the cover photo…

It was actually taken by a great friend of mine, Valerio Vallini. The people on my right and left are my parents, and it's simply another way of thanking them, on top of a few songs, for everything they've had to do, since I'm still not that good with words. The missing heads represent the fact that, despite everything, I'm the one who still has to grow up, to mature in a lot of ways.

“Songs written to last”: in what sense, and last where?

It seems to me the only reason to write songs. To last in whatever form, to be listened to by anyone who wants to. That's the beautiful thing about a song, the moment when it stops being yours and can belong to anyone. And then to last within whoever listens to it. It's beautiful when it becomes part of someone else's life, the way it happened to me with songs that have stayed with me since I was a kid.

Do you follow the Sanremo Festival? 

I haven't followed the festival for a while and I don't have a strong opinion about it. That said, seeing, for example, Lucio Corsi at the Ariston can only make me happy, it's definitely a good thing, but personally I've never seen it as a milestone to aim for. That said, I still think that once a song is written, it belongs to everyone.

Regardless of all that, what do you think of the current so-called Italian mainstream scene?

I wouldn't know what to say, there's definitely something in there that I like, but I don't think about it much. I think it's because I see it as a world that's very far removed from mine.

Three albums that “changed” your life.

Definitely “In Utero” by Nirvana because it's the real reason I started playing guitar, and everything else came from there. Then “Wow” by Verdena because it completely turned me upside down when it came out. Listening to that record was like opening up a huge range of artistic options for me, as if it had managed to free me from certain weights. And finally “I mirabolanti racconti di Tommi Scerd” by Tommi Scerd: it's the album of a friend I met a few years ago. It's been hugely important to me, because it gave me, and still gives me, the urge to discover new things in the independent music scene.

What will the tour for “Splendida croce” be like? 

I don't have a definite answer yet, unfortunately, but we're starting with the first dates. The idea is to play as much as possible, because live shows are without a doubt the best part of making music.

What exactly is the “rettilario”?

Well, let me start by saying that coming up with titles isn't my strong point, it's something I find difficult. The rettilario was chosen by Francesco Scola, the guy who's worked with me from the start, together with Matteo D'Angelo. Basically it's about a group of people who, out of a survival instinct, end up creating a small, self-sustaining world for themselves, with all the problems that can come with that, first and foremost the inevitable clash with the outside world. The rettilario, in fact, is a small glass case inside a giant concrete building.

(April 19, 2026)

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google