Ventidue - A number written in destiny

Anita Guarino, known by her stage name Ventidue, won the first edition of the Raccoon Music Award 2025, a contest held in collaboration with OndaRock and RadioRock. During the final, held in Rome at the Monk on 22 June 2025, she came out on top against the other finalists: Apneas & Fosca, Friday Nights, Aspra, Carnevale and Shylock. One of the prizes for first place was an interview on our webzine. So here we are, asking her a few questions about her musical career to date and her upcoming projects.

Hi Anita, and congratulations on the win… Watching you perform, it's clear you have a real passion for music. Can you tell us how it all began?

I always tell this story whenever people ask how my passion for music started. I was six years old when my mother decided that the empty corner by our front door was a genuine affront to good taste. She was torn between an elegant (but deeply boring) china cabinet and a second-hand piano, just to impress guests. The piano won… and from there, one key at a time, I started playing around with it. Then came the lessons, and by the time I was ten I found myself at the conservatory. Almost without realising it, the thing had gotten serious! I'd also loved singing since I was little, though I was honestly terrible at it. I waited until I was 16 to enrol in my first singing school… and that's when everything really took off. It's been a long journey, full of stumbles and satisfactions, but a beautiful one.

You won the contest on the evening of 22 June. A number that brought you luck. Why did you choose it as your stage name?

My family are big fans of numerology. Rather than coming up with some generic stage name, I wanted to carry a piece of family history with me. I like that the meaning stays a bit mysterious, so everyone can read into it whatever they want. So "Ventidue" remains a secret, but also an invitation to interpret.

What are your points of reference in music, both past and contemporary?

I don't have a single poster stuck to my bedroom wall, let's put it that way. I started out as a classical pianist, I studied jazz and pop singing, I went through my rap phase in high school, and I've even listened to the classics of the '40s. I love cross-pollinating, I just can't fixate on one genre. Even the emerging artists I meet these days inspire me a lot. Bottom line: anything that's good music is a great reference point for me.

Your live performances have a huge energy, and your songs sometimes even feel more gripping live than in their studio versions. Have you ever thought about trying a rougher production that preserves that more "wild" approach?

Ever since I started playing with the band, the project has taken a completely new direction. The guys backing me up are true aliens (in a good way): technically incredible and full of ideas. Most of the live arrangements come from them, and they've shown me a rawer, more spontaneous side of my project. On stage I feel free, alive... and yes, that "rawness" is a path that really intrigues me.

Among the songs you've written, is there one you consider particularly significant, or that you feel is more intimately tied to your personal story?

"Schiarirà", without a doubt. It's the song I wrote for my dad, and it marked an important moment in my journey. It taught me that the strongest songs always come from real emotions, lived on your own skin. And being able to turn that inner chaos into music is my form of therapy.

You've tried your hand at major talent shows, from Amici to X Factor, and even Sanremo Giovani: in your opinion, what's the biggest obstacle a talented young artist faces in contexts like these? Is it true there's a certain tendency toward homogenization?

The biggest obstacle for an emerging artist? Not letting yourself be fooled into thinking that the outcome of a talent show truly defines the worth of a project. Talent shows have their own rules, their own tastes, their own trends... and they often don't line up with what you're putting out there. But that doesn't mean your project isn't worthwhile: it just means it's not "standardized" to what they're looking for at that moment. Sometimes you have to come up with creative ways to get noticed, find alternative routes (maybe even more fun ones) to get your music to the right people.

Let's get back to our contest: what did this experience leave you with? When you signed up, did you imagine you could be among the favorites for the final win?

When I signed up, I just wanted to have fun and gain experience with the band, since we'd only just come together as a group. I never could have imagined a journey so full of emotions and encounters. I met musicians, industry experts, so many people who left something with me. Winning with my group was one of the greatest joys. You never forget your first win together... a bit like first love (but a lot less toxic).

Throughout your journey, you've been supported by a band made up of guys who are very close-knit and technically skilled. How did you meet, and how did they take part in arranging the songs?

Around November/December 2024 I felt drained, empty. My project wasn't taking off, it felt like I was shouting into a crowd without anyone hearing me. I needed a shoulder to lean on — actually, a real wall of sound behind me. And that's when they showed up: my musicians, all classmates from Saint Louis (the college of music in Rome she attends, ed.), true monsters (in a good way!). Not just incredibly skilled technically, but with an energy that fits perfectly with mine. I'd always been afraid of not finding people capable of handling my explosiveness on stage... and yet here they are. With them I've finally been able to give the songs new life: they're the heart of the new live arrangements, they've given me breath, strength, and an enthusiasm I hadn't felt in a long time. Sharing those emotions, looking each other in the eye while we play, knowing we're all dreaming the same dream... that's priceless. Before, I used to sing alone over a backing track, now it's like a parallel universe has opened up for me — and I have no intention of going back.

In an era when having an online presence seems almost inseparable from an artistic career, what's your relationship with social media? Do you experience it as a space for expression, or does it feel distant from your way of communicating?

I'm trying to make it part of my creative process. I'll admit: I could do better. But today social media is one of the most direct channels for speaking to the world, you just need to figure out how to use it.

If you could choose, which artist on the Italian music scene would you like to do a feature or collaboration with?

Madame, without even thinking about it. And Leon Faun too. She's pure poetry, he's a sharp mirror of our society. Two different visions, both incredibly powerful. I adore them.

What are your next moves going to be now? Are you already writing new music? Do you have plans to make an album?

You're always writing, you never really stop. I don't want to spoil too much, but I hope to let you hear something new very soon. Stay tuned!

(July 15, 2025)

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