il pop e lo spirito: intervista a Gaia

On November 20, 2024 the Italian popstar, Gaia, was interviewed by Nur Al Habash during this year’s edition of Milano Music Week. The wonderful event was titled “Il pop e lo spirito: intervista a Gaia” and it took place at the stunning Sforza Castle in Sala Viscontea. It was an event where artists and fans came together to listen to Gaia’s perspective on the pop genre and what it means to be a popstar while still maintaining your heritage and upbringing.

It was a beautiful conversation where Gaia shed light on her multicultural upbringing, being that she is both Italian and Brazilian. She spoke about how her Brazilian heritage has played a big role in her identity and how it is also reflected in her music. Gaia also has several songs released where she sings in Portuguese. She reflected on the community of Brazilians in Italy and expressed how the growth of the Brazilian community in Italy makes you feel less alone, that you are not the only one facing certain challenges that not everyone can relate to. This is a stunning way to further reinforce how music can truly bring a community together, regardless of your connection to a group.

Gaia also spoke about the importance of staying true to yourself. This is definitely reflected in her music, as she is not afraid to be herself and bring “all the parts” of her in her songs and in her art. She also said that there is the little girl in her that wants to be pop girl. That as an artist, yes she can release songs that are less “pop” but every now and then she needs nice light and pop track.

Another important point that the popstar brought to light is how pop should not be viewed as something bad. At the end of the day, if something is pop, it means that mass amounts of people are receiving the message, and are enjoying the message.

Later on into the interview, Nur asked a beautiful question: “When does pop achieve its message?” Gaia responded saying that pop music accomplishes its mission when the artist’s messages are received by as many people as possible. She shared that the job of pop music is not easy considering that you need to try to connect with everyone while still being yourself. Therefore, it is a very complicated process. Doing the “odd” or “weird” thing is a much simpler method, but creating art with the goal of reaching the masses is much more difficult. For her, pop is an opportunity to have her multicultural roots reach more people. Pop should not be minimized as a genre that is simply done by many when it is so much more than that.

Another very interesting topic that was brought up was the topic of the “summer song.” Nur Al Habash introduced the topic by making the connection of how in Italy there is always the expected summer hit. In Gaia’s opinion, summer songs give you the “instant gratification of the memory from the end of summer, you with your friends.” She mentions how music has the ability to bring you back to a certain place and make you remember a specific memory. For her, the summer hit, could be a way to return back to that memory and think about what happened that summer. She believes that through that summer song that became the song you played so often, “You brought home a beautiful memory of that historical moment.” Gaia expressed that if these songs are able to reach so many people it is because they have the power to do so.

Pop music becomes popular for a reason, and this should not be viewed as “less than.”

Alessia Solci

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