Maneskin, a reunion between waiting and strategy
Rumors and rumors about the Maneskin reunion have been circulating for months. It was August 23, 2024, more than a year ago, when at the end of the tour linked to the album “Rush!” Damiano David, Victoria De Angelis, Thomas Raggi and Ethan Torchio, the four members of the Roman rock band, greeted the fans by announcing an indefinite break on social media: «We will preserve every memory, every feeling. You will always be with us. We can’t wait to get back on stage, where we will feel the energy again and hug each other again. See you soon,” the four wrote in the post. Since then the group’s activities were frozenwhile its members dedicated themselves to their respective solo projects. The bassist Victoria De Angelis he inaugurated his career from djalso performing on the stages of large festivals such as Sziget in Budapest. The drummer Ethan Torchio he composed the soundtrack of the film “Every thought flies” by Alice Ambrogiwhile the guitarist Thomas Raggi has collected guest appearances on the concert stages of rock stars such as Tom Morello and Patti Smith. Damiano Davidthe singer, released the album “Funny little fears” in May and will be busy with the related world tour until late December, which recently also took place in Italy.
The reunion under Damiano’s stage
And precisely on the occasion of one of the Italian dates of David’s tour, last October 11th in Rome, an event once again sparked interest around the band: the sudden appearance of Victoria, Thomas and Ethan under the stage of the Palazzo dello Sport. Not like three ordinary fans, but like three special friends. A powerful image, the diffusion of which was not left to chance: the clip of the arrival of the three was promptly provided by the press office, making the rounds of editorial offices and social media. An episode that came a few days after an ambiguous speech made by Damiano David during a concert at the Roundhouse in London. It was last September 28th when the singer, before singing his “Perfect life”, explaining the reasons for his solo breakthrough to the 4 thousand spectators of the London arena, explained: «One day something broke and I no longer felt happy. I didn’t understand why. I was in a successful band that toured incredibly well. This record helped me understand what was wrong: My life was perfect, but it was someone else’s idea of perfection, not mine.». In subsequent concerts, such as the one on October 7 at the Forum in Milan, the singer tried to correct his aim: «I couldn’t be understood, but this feeling had nothing to do with the other members».
The ambiguities
As reconstructed by AdnKronos, however, beyond the appearance of the three under the singer’s stage, the story on stage in Rome became even more ambiguous. Before singing “Perfect life” Damiano David said on the microphone: «I lived a dream, I lived a beautiful fairy tale with three other boys who I love very much». And again: «It was the best thing life could give me for most of this time. But unfortunately we grow, we change, priorities become different and something inside me is broken». At the end of the show Victoria, Thomas and Ethan underlined their closeness to the singer by posting videos and photos of the concert on their respective personal social channels accompanied by the emoticon of little hearts. As always in the Manesin world, ambiguity is part of the charm and strategy.
The budgets
Each element appears designed to keep the “Maneskin” brand alive even while its components travel separate paths. A brand which, as revealed by Open, inevitably experienced the consequences of the stop. If with the band still together in 2023 the company that managed their music rights, the Maneskin Empire srlhad climbed the music rankings in Italy to first place with a turnover of 18.663 million euros, in 2024 business has more than halved, with takings of 8.5 million euros, thus losing over 10 million euros in revenues in a year. The company closed with a profit of 423,507 euros, a third of the profit of 1.419 million euros received the previous year before the separation between Damiano, Victoria and the rest of the band.
The conditions for the reunion
Only they know what’s really cooking in the pot. Damiano David will be busy with his solo tour until December 16th, when the “Funny little fears world tour” will end in Washington, DC, in the USA. In an interview given last June to the New Musical Express, Damiano spoke about his future: «I’m not already working on a new solo album – I’m not Superman! But I will definitely do another one.” There could also be a film on the horizon: “Many people ask me this… I might even give in.” And about the Maneskins? the singer’s doors remain open, but under one clear condition: «PTo get back together we must all be well rested. And above all, it must start from an authentic urgency, from something we really feel. It doesn’t have to feel like work, but a shared desire. Only then will it make sense to return to the studio». In short, the right conditions will be needed for the return: first of all, time to catch your breath, recharge your energy and feel the authentic desire to make music together again. Only then can something real be born, not a product imposed by external pressure. The impression is that the four are building their return with the same care with which they built their ascent years ago, one step at a time, between symbols and studied silences, without ever granting certainty but always leaving open the possibility that something is boiling beneath the surface. A Maneskin reunion today would be more than a musical event: it would be a gesture of reconciliation with themselves and with the myth they created. And if it really does arrive, it won’t be because the public demands it, but because the four will once again feel like they have something to say together, a spark that no hype can manufacture.
