But how much is “XXversa” Tiziano Ferro’s deluxe?

Having reached the end of listening to the deluxe version of “Sono un grande”, which will be released on Friday, some questions arise: “And now? What if this was the real Tiziano Ferro?”. Because you have the feeling that these new tracks are the beginning of a transformation, they are a window into a new world, rather than a continuation of his last album. He does “Perdono” 2.0, pimped with Lazza, excites with Ariete on a piece that investigates family cracks, continues to collaborate with the rap world, sends “fuck the fasci” together with Ditonellapiaga, moves on hot r&b rhythms: it’s as if in the role of Peter Pan in “Hook”, played by a now grown up Robin Williams, no longer a child from Neverland, Ferro had found a new happy thought, and also a little “XXverso”, to fly again. He opens his arms and dives in, totally not caring what happens.

“I’m a great”, released in October 2025, was an album of human and work changes, as the artist himself told us in a long interview. This deluxe however is something different. It’s almost a separate world. On the album he chose to be a single voice, while here Tiziano wants to play more with the music, dropping further weights. And he decides to do so by opening the circle, through new and unexpected collaborations. “Superstar”which we already know, with Giorgiais a well-written pop song, which is in fact doing very well on the radio. Among its folds it has different facets and interpretations, which is why it is interesting. It’s not obvious: it’s about what happens when the spotlight goes out and a star is left alone to waste away.

“Happy halfway” with Shiva ideally follows another collaboration between the two, “Bacio di Giuda”, contained in the rapper’s album “Vangelo”. Here they sing: “For us who were born alone it is easier to lie to each other than to trust.” The acoustic guitar cuts through the urban production, giving the piece an essential melancholy that seems to keep the two protagonists glued together, despite being separated by a generational and experience gap. Then there is “XXdono” with Lazzawhich is in fact a pimped-out “Forgiveness”. A way to introduce one of Ferro’s most famous songs to the new generations, without distorting it. Rather, “widening” it. And that’s exactly what happens. If the latter could not be overturned, with “Perverso” of 2003 everything changes and we arrive at the new “XXverse” with Totonellapiaga. A funk piece with Tiziano singing “play funk, play Wu-Tang” and in which he lets himself go completely: “I’m a lost father, I say what I think”, to the point of openly saying “fuck the fascis”. It is the most shocking moment of the project.

“I dreamed of you” with Ariesalready present in “Sono un grande” with Ferro’s voice alone, remains one of the emotionally strongest songs on the album. It is dedicated to the difficult relationship with his mother and focuses entirely on vulnerability. And it is significant that the Latina artist decided to share such a difficult piece, one of those that he had confided to us that he didn’t even know if he would be able to sing live, with a new generation artist who has a very strong sensitivity in the narration of feelings. Their collaboration has the flavor of a sweet sharing of the burden. In “In Naples” Tiziano says he has hit rock bottom and adds that he has no longer had remorse “since November last year”. He doesn’t try to pose: he simply puts the rubble on the table and tries to sing and dance on it. “Unique” it’s not the classic sappy ballad you might expect. It is an energetic, vital song, dedicated to one of the two sons. The production, however, is a little less convincing than other moments of the project. The “perverse” nature of this deluxe is Ferro’s attempt to sabotage, in part, the image we have idealized of him in recent years. He had already tried this in the past. But this time it seems like the first spark of a short circuit, of a new fire.