Born and raised in a very musical household – as a daughter of a musician father and dancer mother – it’s not at all surprising to find that Alessia Labate has, since the age of 12, been on her own journey in and through the entertainment world. Having first appeared on Italian talent show Io Canto, she later went on to take part in The Voice of Italy, aged 17. From there, she attended a prestigious song-writing school to help hone her craft and released her debut single in January 2019. Having just unveiled the video to her latest track “Conversations With Myself”, PopWrapped caught up with Alessia to talk artistic influences and her thoughts on social media.

You started out your professional career at an early age; what was it like to be on television?

It was a super cool experience: I got the opportunity to grow as an artist and as a person so much. Despite what people might think “Io Canto” was a healthy place: the kids were protected and treated really well. It was way different at “The Voice Of Italy”: the adults’ world is much more competitive and harsh.

How do you think your sound and style has evolved and developed from song to song?

I’m definitely getting better at singing, writing, expressing myself with my voice and editing my vocals, and you can hear that in my music. I think that for a singer/songwriter the vocal abilities matter a lot when writing too, at least I noticed that with me: the more I get better at singing, the more diverse melodies I can write, the more I can explore different worlds. I started with EDM/pop music but now I’m also experimenting outside of my comfort zone, so you better follow me on Instagram to stay up to date.

In general, who or what most inspires the music you make?

My life, my feelings and my dreams. I keep it positive because I tend to be pretty negative sometimes, and I don’t really enjoy it. I hope I can inspire people to choose to be positive even when they feel down, that’s my goal.

Tell me about “Conversations With Myself.”

I wrote the song over a year ago during my first trip to the HaHaHa studios in Bucharest. I was really happy about making my first trips abroad to make music at that time and I was starting to develop the healthy habit of talking to myself and being a little kinder. We wrote it so quickly and naturally that we kept the demo vocals cause the emotion was there already. R I V I E R A re-produced the song a couple months ago, and my managers were so in love with it we decided to put it out as a joint single. They really gave another dimension to the song, making it even better.

Is there a particular concept or story to its video? 

Yes: the director Mattia Giordano after listening to the song came up with the idea for the video and I think it’s a nice take on its meaning. It’s basically me fighting with my ego, we scream at each other, throw things around, walk away and ignore each other but then it all ends in a hug, because loving yourself for who you are is what really matters and it’s the hardest thing to do.

You’re a rather gifted songwriter, having collaborated on song-writing sessions with some big names, but which of the songs you’ve written, or co-written might you say you’re most proud of – aside from your own?

That’s a good question! Probably the one I regret giving away is “Part Time Lover” by Gabriele Esposito, but the one I’m the most proud of is “Stay” by Guy Arthur. “Cupid” by Magnus too.

What, to you, makes a song truly great and memorable, and if you had to choose a song to be the greatest ever written, so far, which would you pick and why? 

I think a great song hits you with its simplicity. From lyrics to production everything has to be balanced in order to come through. Right now, the best song that comes to my mind is “Symphony” by Zara Larsson, written by the one and only Ina Wroldsen. 

How have you been handling the lockdowns and restrictions in place due to the CoronaVirus pandemic? Did you perhaps have any tour plans you had to cancel and how have you been keeping busy and creative over the last year or so? 

I didn’t have any tour planned but I had to cancel my first trip overseas. I had planned to meet with my mate Troy Samson in Vancouver to finally work together in person. I started doing online sessions in 2019 so I was more than ready for the lockdown, and it wasn’t that bad tbh. I kept on making music, earning money, releasing music and doing everything I had to do, but I was also neglecting my health A LOT: I would spend entire days working at the computer not eating or washing myself and I would forget about my daily medications for several days; that had bad consequences of course, but I learned my lesson and I know my health comes first. 

With vaccines now available and being given to the population, how optimistic are you about the year ahead and what are you most looking forward to once some semblance of normality resumes?

I actively do not think about the future at the moment; I just wanna enjoy the amazing opportunities available to me right now. But yeah, I can’t wait to get my vaccine and travel again.

How important is and has social media been for you, particularly this year, with face-to-face and artist to crowd interactions being so restricted? Are the likes of Twitter and Facebook sites you use regularly or do you prefer to find other ways to interact with your audience? 

Social media is everything for my generation. I can live without Instagram for a while, but I can’t imagine a world where it doesn’t exist. I use it to connect with my fans and to find clients and collaborators, even in my area. I wasn’t too brave with trying new social media stuff to be honest, I’m a little lazy when it comes to that because I’m a nerd and I get sucked into excitement and I can’t do it right now because I’m really focused on my job and my music.

Aside from this new single and the video, what else do you have in store for 2021? What are your key goals and objectives and what can fans expect to see and hear from you?

I’m finishing my first EP and the first track will be out veeery soon. I’m not putting too much pressure on myself – I wanna enjoy the process. 

Check out the video for “Conversations With Myself” below and for more information on Alessia Labate, give her page a like on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.