Written by: Tom Danny P. | Photo: Delacroix / Sony Music
Italy, not particularly know for their international talent of rock… Well, Måneskin changed it all, in a heartbeat.
The Italian rock band formed in Rome in 2016. Made of vocalist Damiano David, bassist Victoria De Angelis, guitarist Thomas Raggi, and drummer Ethan Torchio, the band rose to prominence after finishing second in the eleventh season of the Italian talent show X Factor in 2017. Since then, it’s been a hunt for the next big thing. Say hi to the Eurovision Song Contest of 2021. They gained international recognition after winning the ESC 2021 for Italy with the song “Zitti e buoni”. With three studio albums, Il ballo della vita (2018), Teatro d’ira: Vol. I (2021), and Rush! (2023), and multiple chart-topping singles, Måneskin has sold an estimated 40 million copies worldwide and received numerous certifications and awards.
At the Grammys and a crazy band opening!
They received their first nomination in the Best New Artist category at the 2023 Grammy Awards. What a journey! Last year, they opened for Rolling Stones, caught a Grammy nomination and even performed for more than 70.000 people in Italy, as a homecoming concert. We are kinda stunned by the boom they’ve caused. Not to mention that they are themselves, fully. Haters be haters and it’ll always be like that.
So why Måneskin?
After they applied to a local music contest for bands on the rise, called Pulse. They needed a name, an official name. So – on their brainstorming night, all band members asked De Angelis to toss out some Danish words, as she’s half Danish. She came up with the word “Måneskin”, meaning “Moonlight” and they had found their name for the future.
The contest itself was a turning point for the youngsters as they started writing their own songs and later participated in more contests and won priczes along the way. From this point on, they started to really focus on the music, on the band, on what they could acheive togheter.
A rebellious attitude from the start
So, the picture above says it all. And we love it. They’re themselves and they are just that, proudly. Don’t let anyone bring you down, that’s what we’re thinking. When they were in school, it was the same thing, De Angelis had her hair all about and they were all “Punk”.
Maybe that’s what blew away the people behind X-Factor in 2017, because not only were they a band of character and personality. Literally, Damiano was doing a pole dance on the X-Factor show, dressed in a thong and heels, and pulled it off like nobody else would. Imagine one of your friends, doing just that, on a stage. It takes guts and so much more to be present on stage like that. You need to be a perfomer! A rebellious performer!
It’s awesome to watch the four young italians of Måneskin grow and grow, and we can’t wait for what’s next. From all of us, best of luck on your continued incredible journey.
