Olly: “I don’t sing for the hype, I do it to get to people”

With “Balorda Nostalgia”, Olly left his mark in this Sanremo 2025. Not only with the victory. On the evening of the covers he presented De André’s “Il Pescatore” with Goran Bregović and Wedding & Funeral Band: “I was almost more excited At times to sing the cover that my song in the race, in some ways. It was just a good time for our city, Genoa, and for our people “. In this interview (the complete version is on video) reflects on sharing, pressure, the future and explains its conception of music.

Your song starts from a feeling of solitude and nostalgia, but was this a Sanremo in the sign of sharing?

“Balorda nostalgia” is certainly a dip inside loneliness, but like all sensations, being quite transverse, they combine many people. Then, in general, I am a person who when it comes to music is pleased to share it with my people, with people interested in being part of my trip. So, it was simply a consequence: all the things that have happened these days, extra results, like the sung by the balcony, for me it was like writing a message tomorrow.

Have you wondered why the song you wrote, which is still a personal song between reality and even a little dream, somehow entered so much in people’s lives?

I can’t answer why.

In the sense that the fact that such a subjective song also becomes somehow objective, is perhaps in reality a result that often happens in very subjective songs. The truth is that when I write, I probably use images that are yes my personal, but that can photograph the lives of other people, because I also take a lot from the stories of others. And this allows, I imagine, to identify with my sentences. We do not save lives, in the sense that I tell stories and sometimes the stories like, sometimes not.

You have presented very emotional, strong performances, you can see that you wanted to download something. How difficult it is to the age you have, to come to Sanremo and also manage all the pressures on “Vittoria, to go all the way, possible candidate to arrive on the podium etc”?

I am the son of this historical moment, more than other cast participants, given the age I have.

There is talent, there is objective skill and there is also the moment when an artist is discovered, in which he begins at will more. I must say that I have felt this thing about the “favorite” for months and I have always tried to deflate the bubble as much as possible instead of being inside and widening it. For me all that is hype, as they say, is of infinite sadness, in the sense that when I came to me and I am told in the interviews that my song is one of the best, I always said that it is not going to tell me. I can understand the comment, because however there are those who listened to it in advance, together with all the others, but in the end my meter of comparison will always be people, it will always be people. And until I perform on that stage it is useless for me to say what I think of this situation. Then managing the pressure is difficult, I don’t want to hide it. I am a narcissistic person surely, I look at myself in the mirror, if I pass near a car I mirror myself and put my hair in place, that yes. But it will never be heard from me that I have the best song, that I am very strong to do what I do, because I simply don’t do it for that. I do it for me, to get to people.

Is Sanremo for you almost a stage of your tour?

Sanremo was absolutely a stage of this tour, with all the respect obviously for the stage of the Festival, because it was the only way I could feel comfortable, to bring myself. There are those who like the fact that I sing almost shouting my songs, and there are those who complain about this because they would like more technicality. In the end I think the fact of having 29 artists in the race is precisely beauty, there is a bit of everything. I am this, so those who are fine, well, to those who are not good can listen to someone else.

From Genoese, who grew up with the songwriting, singing Fabrizio De André on the evening of the covers, what emotion was it?

It was incredible.

It was a new world. Together with Goran Bregović we brought a version of “Il Pescatore” rethought in our own way. It was a wonderful experience, from the first moment we thought about it, until I performed. And I also obviously have to do a mention to Bresh, because he did a beautiful job with Cristiano De André too: he was very exciting. And it was a weight that it is I who know what it means to have on that stage. I was almost more excited to sing the cover than my song in the race, in some ways.

Does the future create “paranoia”, citing your song?

I will always have the paranoia. Certainly coming to Sanremo, it also involves increasing the catchment area so much, of users of their music, many people who instantly become an artist for what is the idea he has, in a week of television. What I hope is that over time only people who want to be truly close to what we do want to remain. Not because I want them to be “ollycenthotes” in their life, because everyone has their own life, I simply have to be a humble companion of their days. So, they do it because they keep us and not because we talk about my arms, not because we talk about the way I dress, the way I commit myself, but for my songs. I simply want that.

The Rockol video interviews are made at the Tenco club, in collaboration with Evolution and Scf.