Snippets from Locus
Her heart belongs to Bari, her mind is American. This girl smiles as she sings, plays instruments, and keeps the rhythm, all on her own. This is how Serena Brancale describes herself in the song "Sta Uagnedd," rigorously sung in her native dialect from Bari. A deep connection to the southern Italian roots and the ability to blend jazzy, nu-soul, and funky grooves encapsulate the essence of Serena's artistic identity, and she showcased all of this in her latest show in Fasano.
The warm, local atmosphere of Piazza Ciaia in Fasano—a small city in the heart of Valle D'Itria—was the perfect setting for Brancale's concert. The charming white limestone buildings of the old town provided a beautiful backdrop for the mingling of sounds of the singer’s gig, part of the lineup of the Locus Festival. Marking its 20th edition this year, the Locus Festival is renowned for highlighting the beautiful Apulian landscapes and boroughs with evocative musical events featuring national, international, and local artists. Serena Brancale herself has a long-standing bond with the festival, having performed several times over the years—first as a supporting emerging artist and now as the main act of the night.
The blend of tradition and innovation that characterizes the Locus Festival’s core values, as well as the location of Piazza Ciaia, is also reflected in Brancale’s musical personality. The concert started with one of her latest hits, "La Zia," an ironic and playful track in dialect that is gaining a lot of popularity. With its Mediterranean and arabesque rhythms, the song served as a perfect introduction to the singer’s unique music style. The tune also features Italian producer Dropkick_m, who has been accompanying Serena on her Baccalà Tour, enriching the show with his incredible talent as a finger-drummer.
The manipulation of sounds and the use of technological instruments are indeed a peculiarity of the singer’s performances. Standing in front of her personal set, consisting of a keyboard, a drum pad, and a loop station, Serena alternated between songs performed with her band and solo pieces where she played and experimented with her station of magic music toys.
A highlight of the concert was when she demonstrated how a loop station works, improvising a song dedicated to Fasano by layering harmonizations and beats created on the spot. By blending African beats, American grooves, Latin and Brazilian rhythms with her Mediterranean musical heritage, Serena Brancale displayed her incredible talent for mixing genres and cultures. As she reiterated throughout the concert, her musical roots belong to jazz. Her grandfather, who played Pino Daniele in his car, and her South American mother, who owned a music school, introduced her to the genre. She studied classical music and graduated in Jazz singing at the Niccolò Piccinni Conservatoire in Bari. For years, she navigated a niche musical world, attracting the attention and esteem of Sir Quincy Jones, who praised her cover of the Neapolitan classic "Je So Pazzo." As she recounted on several occasions, being a niche performer hasn’t always been easy, as the music market is not very welcoming when it comes to unconventional sounds such as those of nu-soul and jazz.
She was also reluctant to compromise to appeal to the general public. However, she eventually found her personal dimension by experimenting with sounds, resulting in her biggest hit, “Baccalà.” The song, which she used to close her concert in Fasano, went viral on TikTok in early 2024 and brought her mainstream popularity. The track blends electronic drumming, baile funk, and pop, but its success lies in its ironic lyrics and the use of iconic bad words typical of the Bari dialect.
But, as always happens, amplified success brings criticism. Those who admired her for her classy jazz tunes accused her of corrupting the genre with vulgar cursing. On the other hand, most of the new fans who got to know her thanks to “Baccalà” are unaware of her musical roots and repertoire. The press and the music industry, at the same time, struggle to categorize her, as if music can only be soul or pop, rock or trap. They often ask her to define her genre.
Ten years into her career, she can finally claim that she is just playing Serena Brancale; her own genre. Which is not jazz, it’s not soul, and it’s not pop; it is the result of her deep passion for music in all its fluid forms, her influences and her studies, and last but not least, her bond with her beloved homeland, Bari. The concert in Fasano demonstrated that Serena is an all-around singer and multi-instrumentalist, a one-of-a-kind artist who proves that art and music are not black and white. Attending one of her shows is a beautiful and entertaining journey through the many forms and nuances that music can take. For those who haven’t yet discovered her music, her concerts are a perfect occasion to be surprised by the incredible talent of an artist who beautifully merges the old and the new, tradition and innovation, classicism and extravaganza.
