Etta – These Things Are Me

Etta is one of the most interesting voices on the new Italian rock scene. On the occasion of the release of the album “Queste cose sono io” we spoke with her about her relationship with the mainstream, her experiences on X-Factor and Sanremo Giovani, artistic freedom, and the role of music as a tool for social criticism. What emerged was an intense conversation that also touches on depression, disillusionment and the need to stay true to oneself.

From mainstream experience to the search for authenticity

Hi Etta, it's a pleasure to meet you. I stumbled upon your music almost by chance, thanks to a track YouTube recommended to me, and I decided to dig deeper into your discography. What struck me most was the way you use words. Today many artists, especially in the trap scene, sing about success and money as their main goals. You, on the other hand, seem to use a completely different vocabulary. Do you feel this sense of difference from the scene of young Italian musicians?
From this point of view, absolutely yes. Not because I feel better or deeper than others, but because I feel I have completely different needs when I write. I'm not interested in building a winning persona or telling a story of a perfect life. I'm not interested in writing to gain advantages. I'm interested in talking about what makes me uncomfortable, what makes me angry or what I can't understand. I'm interested in helping others, waking up consciences and, above all, staying true to my ideals. That said, I don't think all of today's music is superficial — there are plenty of valid artists out there. But I probably belong to a minority that chooses to expose itself even when that isn't the easiest path.

You've had various experiences in the so-called mainstream world. You took part in Sanremo Giovani and X Factor in 2021, so you saw that world from the inside. What was that experience like?
They were important experiences, because they made me understand a lot of things. From the outside, certain shows seem like the ultimate goal, but living them from within makes you realize how small a part you are in a much bigger journey. Along the way I met wonderful people and learned a great deal, but I also understood that staying true to who you are, fighting for what you believe in, is the only path that will actually lead you to respect yourself. It doesn't matter where you end up, but how you get there. The mainstream doesn't care about an artist's inner life or integrity — it just wants to sell to everyone. Period. Once you end up inside it, you get sucked in, and if you give up who you are for “fame”, you won't even have a soul left.

In some interviews from a few years ago you described your music as “extreme pop”. Can you explain what you meant by that?
When I used to talk about extreme pop years ago, I meant a kind of pop that wasn't afraid to get contaminated. I liked pop melodies, but I wanted to dirty them up with rock, rap, electronics, nu metal, and lyrics far harsher than what's normally associated with pop. It was a way of saying that the form could be accessible while the content could be extreme, both emotionally and musically. In the end I threw myself viscerally into rock — not because pop wasn't for me, quite the opposite, since I still write that way — but because market dynamics insist on slapping a label on every project, just to file you away on some particular shelf.

The meaning of “Queste cose sono io“

Over the years it seems things have changed, your music has evolved. Can you tell us what's changed?
What's changed most is me as a person. Before, I felt more of a need to prove something, to myself, to my family, to others. Now I need to understand more. I know who I am and, above all, who I want to become, I don't need to please anyone and I don't write thinking about how a song will be received. I just write it. That's it. Musically too I feel freer: I don't feel the need to belong to a specific genre. If a track needs a heavy riff, there'll be a heavy riff. Amen.

Your rock style has various influences, perhaps the most obvious being Caparezza, but lately some tracks (“Siamo il silenzio”) have riffs close to Rammstein. Who are your main reference bands?
Caparezza is definitely one of the Italian artists who taught me how much weight words can carry. But I listen to a huge amount of different music. I love rock, punk, nu metal. I love Papa Roach, discovering new bands on the international scene, understanding how much work goes on behind the scenes. But I also admire the aesthetic and artistic language of more pop figures like Olivia Rodrigo or Billie Eilish.

Music, politics and social criticism

With “Scemi e contenti” (2024) you fully capture the defining trait of our society, built on (fake) entertainment and (real) disengagement. Wars and genocides keep piling up amid general indifference, becoming just another TV spectacle. Do you think music can be an effective tool for waking people up?
Not on its own, but a song can change things. Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie taught us that with “We Are The World“. I don't expect to achieve that much, but with my songs I can change one person or help them find the strength to fight for the world. Waking people up is a duty for anyone who has the chance to reach an audience, however small or large. So no, I'm not a big fan of throwaway music.

“Queste cose sono io” (2026), in my view, is a more mature and fully realized work, above all because there's so much autobiography in it. Starting with the title, it's as if you'd decided to bare yourself in front of your audience without pretending or hiding anything about yourself. Was that your goal?
Absolutely. With this record I decided to strip away a lot of masks. There's anger, depression, a sense of inadequacy, contradictions, but also the desire to keep searching for meaning. The title comes precisely from the coexistence of my strengths with my flaws, these things are me. No frills, I don't need to hide, the more honest I am, the more the people who follow me can understand me and see themselves in me. I'm happy with the work both V_ Rus and I did, because he didn't wear any masks in the production either, the sound is raw when it needs to be and gut-wrenching when it needs to dig deeper.

Depression told without filters

With “Tutto fake” you look with disgust at the world of the media, with “Nobel” you do the same with Trump but more broadly with the world of politics, with “Parapappa” with the music industry. Finally, with “Queste cose sono io,” “Non sento niente” and “Mi fa schifo tutto oggi” it's as if you were holding a psychoanalysis session in public, something very courageous that shows everyone your own depression and disillusionment. I think a great many people, of different ages too, will really understand your words, because they speak for a minority of people who no longer want to be “dumb and happy,” but aware and angry. Have you noticed responses along these lines?
As soon as I finished the record I felt a bit anxious waiting for it to come out. I wondered whether people would be able to understand it, even the more delicate themes. Maybe the moment you get feedback is one of the most important moments. Not because you need to measure your worth, I've stopped letting others weigh on me that way, but because it's always a moment when you get criticism (which always helps), but above all a lot of affection. Many people have written to me saying that in certain songs they found words they themselves couldn't say. When you write about depression, disillusionment or distress, you're always afraid of being misunderstood. Instead, there are so many people living with these emotions, of every age! They were just waiting for someone to talk about it without shame. I definitely don't want to romanticize suffering, but I'd simply like to normalize the fact that we can talk about it, that we can suffer. At the live shows this year I've been able to look these people in the eye, watch their tears, hear their screams. I'm proud to have created a community of people who feel free to be who they are and, above all, I'm thrilled to have finally created my own family.

I'm really glad that a young woman like you is so far ahead in understanding the reality around us compared to the false narrative we're fed. I wish you all the best.

(23 August 2026)

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