Interview

Babble & Beat - 3 words you would NOT use to describe your band Belladonna are:

Dani - NOT conceited, NOT corrupt, NOT innocent!

Babble & Beat - In what ways has your success in Italy (& Europe in general) been different from your success in the United States?

Dani - Here in Italy the majority of people seem to only be interested in bands that they see on TV, that they hear on commercial radio, that music magazines rave about - they only love you when they perceive you to be famous. It doesn’t even matter what the music sounds like as long as they think you are a star! It’s a sorry state of affairs.

In the States we’ve discovered that people can actually LOVE new, unsigned bands too, and that they don’t care at all whether you are famous or not. They love music, as opposed to fame.

Babble & Beat - That's one big reason why we started this magazine. We only care about the music... we couldn't care less how popular the musicians are. We want all great music to get a fair chance at exposure.

You’ve performed at many festivals. What have been some festival highlights for you so far?

Dani - The DarkFest in Bologna was totally great, playing before The 69 Eyes was a real thrill! We have just been approached to take part to a massive event in London (UK) in the autumn, but until it’s 100% confirmed we’d rather not say too much about it... but rest assured that Babble & Beat will be the first to know!!!

Babble & Beat - We really appreciate that, Dani!

Your debut CD, ‘Metaphysical Attraction’, is fantastic and has been a big success! Are you guys currently working on new music? If so, can you tell us a bit about it and when it will be released?

Dani - Wow, thanks SO MUCH for your nice words on our album!! Yes, me and Luana are always constantly writing songs, and it’s now so exciting to write and record new music knowing that there’s an audience out there waiting for it!

We’re planning on releasing new material possibly in early 2008. The new songs are still totally rocknoir, very dramatic, sensual, and romantic. We are absolutely excited about them and we can’t wait to record them and put them out!!

Babble & Beat - Your MySpace Blogs are very interesting! Do you find writing Blogs tedious or do you enjoy doing them? Any subjects taboo?

Dani - Again, thanks so much for your kind words! Yes, we enjoy very much writing the Blogs and no subject is taboo in them, just like in our music.

Luana has found a way of expressing through her Blog posts many things that could not possibly be expressed in the same detailed and extended fashion in our lyrics.

The awesome response her posts get, like pushing our Blog to the Top 10 of the "MySpace Most Viewed Music Blogs" every time she publishes something, has been a real surprise to us!

Normally on MySpace most comments are of the "Thanks for the add" / "You are great" variety, but on Luana’s Blog everyone express his or her point of view with long, deep and informed comments, sometimes even short essays, all showing a command of the written word that is seldom seen anywhere else on MySpace!

Luana’s Blogs have really become a place where the virtual world of MySpace becomes truly real, and where people are not afraid to interconnect on a deeper level.

Babble & Beat - Black Swan, a "thriller noir," was written, directed and edited by Belladonna. Where did you get your inspiration for it?

Dani - Just like in our songwriting we don’t really get our inspiration from anywhere in particular, we just try to create what we’d love to watch or listen to, and - I know this sounds clichéd but it’s just true - the best place to draw inspiration from is from within ourselves, and that is actually the best part of any creative activity. Trying to replicate the sound or vibe of whatever is cool at the moment is not even being creative, it’s just doing an imitation what others are doing. We’re not into that.

Babble & Beat - I love how you answered that!

We know that you are a big Kate Bush fan. What other musicians do you, and the rest of Belladonna, most look up to?

Dani - Too many to mention!! We especially love music from the Seventies, an era that we of course didn’t live but that has left so much amazing recorded music for us to marvel to. I mean, how many records of the last 25 years can even compare to something like Led Zeppelin IV?

Rock’n’roll seems to be mostly pre-packaged teen angst nowadays, and we don’t connect with that at all. We love to hear great musicians recording great songs sang by great singers with great lyrics, and in today’s era of computer-fixed music we don’t hear much of that. So yes, Led Zeppelin, early Bowie, Stevie Nicks, John Lennon,... The same names the whole music-loving world looks up to!!

Juicy Tidbits Section

This is where we ask personal questions for the fans. Yeah, they're often stupid questions. We like reading the answers though!

Babble & Beat - You’ve started a fashion trend. What is it?

Dani - Rocknoir!! The rocknoir revolution has only just started!! Come to www.belladonna.tv and join us!! :-)

Babble & Beat - What kinds of jobs did you have before Belladonna?

Dani - I’ve always somehow survived doing music: even when I was a very young kid I used to give guitar lessons to kids even older than me! But of course every now and then I’d have to resort to the odd job, some decent ones and many indecent ones... with a few ones bordering on the illegal! Nothing I would like to see mentioned in print, that’s for sure! :-)

Babble & Beat - Please name something else you are really good at.

Dani - If there’s one thing I think I am good at it is cooking! How very Italian of me!!

Babble & Beat - What was the name of the last band you saw live and how was the show?

Dani - The White Stripes. Jack White is awesome, one of the very few musicians that is keeping the flame of rock’n’roll alive, in my opinion.

In Closing

Babble & Beat - Thanks so much for your time, Dani!

Dani - Thanks to you!

Official Belladonna
- Listen to music clips, view blogs and watch Black Swan trailer here!