Sethu: “My album is the exorcism of a dark period”
Rays of sunshine filtering through the clouds. Sethuthe artist from Savona known to the general public thanks to his participation in the Sanremo Festival 2023, has published “All the colors of the dark”his first album produced by his ever-present twin and producer Jiz. After the spotlight at the Ariston he also performed as an opening act for artists such as Pinguini Tattici Nucleari, Sfera Ebbasta, Geolier and Massimo Pericolo, but it didn't chase away the ghosts. The eleven tracks of the album tell and share all the nuances of this period between lights and shadows, satisfactions and defeats, deep darkness and new light. A light that could be found, perhaps, only through music. “The album is a great exorcism of a bad moment. He comes from a dark period post Sanremo. The Festival was actually the best experience of my life – explains Sethu – but when everything went off, even the lights at the Ariston, and the summer tour ended, I had to deal with myself, and with some issues that I had let settle inside me. I had mental health issues and went back to therapy. Some tracks are open wounds, they speak of issues that still exist.”
“All the Colors of Darkness” explores the different nuances of Sethu's artistic universe also on a musical level, not just in terms of content: in addition to careful attention to the dark aesthetic taken from the imagery of horror films of the Seventies, the album is full of research, quotes and dynamism. The influences of hardcore punk meet breakbeat, pop and film soundtracks, while the lyrics welcome lyrical quotes that take inspiration from films. “It's a great musical tribute to everything we like and more. It is the most unified work that my brother and I have done from a thematic point of view, musically it is very varied – he continues – within the dark period that I experienced, but in general within any dark period, there are many colors and facets: there is the angrier Sethu of “Sottopressione”, a piece inspired by punk, then there is the more poignant, ballad-like one of “Too tired”, but there is also the hopeful and aware one. The the album is without feats also for this reason, it is a very personal album that wants to make a pointexplaining in a profound way what moves me musically.”
Then he thinks back to his journey: “Sanremo was a personal success for me. But you pointed out to me that you can't solve certain problems with goals. You have to solve certain problems a priori, “successes” are just anaesthetics – Sethu recalls – and in fact to arrive at this project I took time to understand and understand myself. I have asked myself several times: why am I making music? I started from the bedroom and started again from the bedroom. I produced this album again in my bedroom with my brother precisely to remove the “performance” dimension from the music. I found the answer to that “why do I do it” in letting off steam, in telling myself.” She talks about herself, but not only. “It's a record that certainly has generational traits. In “Too tired”, for example, there is a plurality. I'm talking about myself who, however, am like many others – admits Sethu – and the greatest satisfaction is when I receive messages in which fans thank me or tell me that they found themselves in the songs. All this goes beyond music, it is something deeper. Feeling less alone, through art, is wonderful”.
The project has an energy to be released on stage. “This is an album designed for live performances. It is an outlet that I care a lot about, it is the dimension in which I believe and I hope that my music can reach the highest and most energetic peaks – concludes Sethu – Today a lot of music comes out, live shows are essential to impress the audience. I like to “lose control” on stage. I remember the strength of the concerts of DSA Commando, they changed me, they kept me glued to their performance for the entire duration of the live. That's exactly what I want to convey.”