Pino D'Angiò
In recent years, amidst the big sea of disposable music phenomenon, one genre has stood out and it's back to stay: Italo-disco.
Pino D’Angiò. Photo courtesy of the artist.
But behind this wave of revival, there is much more than a simple yearning for the past; there is an insatiable hunger for nostalgia and an irresistible desire to return back to dancing to the rhythms of melodies that marked an era. In this musical renaissance, one figure has stood out, particularly in European and global charts: Pino D'Angiò.
Born Giuseppe Chierchia in Pompeii in 1952, he spent his childhood in the United States due to his father's work. He conquered the Italian stages in the 1980s with his iconic song "Ma quale idea," a hit released in 1979 which sold 2.5 million copies in Italy and 12 million copies worldwide. The following year, Pino D'Angiò was awarded as the best Italian lyricist. His fame far surpassed national borders: over the years, he toured in France, Belgium, Spain, and Germany, as well as in Chile, Colombia, Argentina, and the USA. Recently, thanks to the TikTok phenomenon, his hits have resurfaced among the youngest who seem to be rediscovering the "music of a lifetime ago,” a thing now mainstream but working exceptionally well due to its carefree nature, distancing us from the existential nihilism that envelops our world today.
Pino D'Angiò's comeback is just the tip of the iceberg of a much broader phenomenon: nostalgia has become the driving force behind the modern music market. We are in 2024, and everything seems to be constantly changing; many certainties have been questioned, and this feeling offers a safe harbor, a place where one can cling to memories of better times. And what could be more nostalgic than "mom and dad's music"?
The new generations, raised in an era dominated by streaming and digital, are now turning to the past to find a sense of authenticity and warmth. But this revival of Italo-disco music is also a declaration of rebellion against a music industry that seems more interested in quantity than quality, more oriented towards profit than passion. Music, like the arts in general, should feel like a game, like something authentic that allows us to feel free.
Pino D’Angiò. Photo courtesy of the artist.
"It was always a game, for me. At 26, I won my first Gold Record, hung it at home, and my dad told me 'Yes, nice, but when will you get a real job?'. That sentence has always been stuck in my head, until today," recalls D’Angiò.
In an era where technology didn't dominate human interactions, music was one of the few ways to connect and communicate authentically, and that's why Italo-disco now has more space in our hearts: its lightness is palpable.
Since 2003, Pino D'Angiò has had to leave the stage due to health problems. Over the years, the artist has faced a long series of serious illnesses: two lung tumors, thrombosis in the lower limbs, a heart attack, cardiac arrest, and a sarcoma. He underwent six throat operations that severely damaged his vocal cords, and today he sings with only one vocal cord. But despite this, the stage of the Ariston, which hosts the prestigious Sanremo festival, saw him dancing this year and lighting his iconic cigarette between his lips, keeping generations glued to the screen and leaving them hungry for more. He’s a call for hope.
So, while the world around us may seem decadent and hopeless, there is still a place where we can find joy and liberation: on the dance floor. And in this funkadelic renaissance, we can find not only a refuge from reality but also a promise of a future where music will continue to be the means to escape from the monotony of daily life.
