Serena Brancale will be competing at the Sanremo 2025 Festival with the song entitled Anema and core.
Serena, from her debut to date, has conquered the public and criticism with her incredible artistic personality.
Polystrumerist, performer and composer, over the years he has combined his passion for soul, R&B and jazz with a marked propensity for experimentation and contamination.
To “float” presented to Sanremo Festival in 2015, With his music he attracted the attention of renowned exponents of Italian jazz and important international producers of the caliber of Quincy Jones.
Here's what he told us before his participation in the Festival.
The interview
Serena, let's start from the title of your song: Anema and Core. What is the meaning behind this choice?
I wanted to keep the title in Neapolitan because Anema and Core is an expression that represents me.
When I speak, people often tell me: “You are anema and core”, because I always put my heart in what I do. In addition, I wanted to pay homage to Pino Daniele, an artist who inspired me a lot and who taught me how important it is to write in his own language, in his dialect.
He gave dignity to the Neapolitan in Italian music, and I try to do the same with the Bari area.
Since I left Puglia, I have understood even more how precious it was for me, a bit like it happens with love stories remotely: only when you move away you see the beauty of what you have always had close.
This song is my declaration of love for music and my land. For me anema and core is a way of life, not just a feeling. I grew up in a family that has always put my heart in everything he did, and this song brings with him precisely this spirit.
In your artistic path, dialect has acquired an increasingly central role. How do you live it?
Writing in Bari for me is a way of remaining tied to my roots. The dialect is truth, it is pure expression.
When I make up, I never start from English or Italian, but from my dialect, which is my most instinctive language.
I remember that Quincy Jones, listening to a song of mine, thought I was singing in Neapolitan! Instead it was Bari. It was a great recognition for me.
During the evening of the covers you will duet with Alessandra Amoroso on If I Ain't Got You by Alicia Keys. How did this choice come about?
When you have to choose a cover you have to find a song that represents you. Anema and Core tells my firmer, gypsy and folk part, while if i ain't Got You highlights my soul and gospel side.
In addition, for Alessandra this song has a special value: she sang it to the audition for friends.
We didn't know each other in person, but we immediately found ourselves in tune. Singing together this piece was natural and beautiful. She was generous, she said to me: “This is your moment, I'm here to support you.” It is not a obvious thing in our environment.
In recent years you have explored several musical genres. How would you define your music today?
I like to think that it does not belong to a single genre, but that it is World Music. Music must not be a cage, I want to be able to sing a jazz piece, then write a sauce or pinch. I have always admired artists like Jovanotti, who have been able to reinvent themselves without being pigeonholed in a single label. For this reason, after ten years, return to Sanremo with a song that represents me authenticly is fundamental for me.
Does this participation in Sanremo score a new chapter for you?
Absolutely yes. Today I have a different awareness than the beginning. Before I hid some parts of me, I favored the most “authorial” side and I left the lightest, pop and festive in the shade. But now I want to show everything, because it's part of me. I understood that the artist must not be afraid to express himself at 360 degrees.
The evening of the covers
During the evening of the Serena covers, one of the most loved singers of the Italian music scene will be accompanied on the Ariston stage by Alessandra Amoroson. The two artists, united by a great artistic esteem and a strong attachment to their land, will sing together “if i ain't Got You”, an iconic song by Alicia Keys.
During the course of the event, the artist will bring a song on stage that celebrates the most authentic essence of love, a pure feeling that is expressed without reserve. In a world where feelings are often filtered, hidden or masked for fear of being judged, this song reminds us that loving really means showing ourselves for what you are, without shame or fear, getting bare by giving yourself completely to another person.
“The Anema and Core title recalls a typical Neapolitan expression, as well as being a tribute to one of the artists who inspired me most, Pino Daniele. A few simple, instinctive, belly, but powerful words, “says the artist.
The tour
On June 7th he will bring his music on the stage of the Cavea Auditorium Parco della Musica, for a special live.
Web & Social
www.instagram.com/serenabrancale/
www.tiktok.com/@serenabrancaletoFial
