Q&A: Fil Bo Riva Brings A Groove With New Track "Solo"

Q&AMusic

Jul 12

☆ BY ASTRID ORTEGA ☆

BERLIN-BASED, ITALIAN ARTIST Fil Bo Riva brings a groovy sound with strong vocals to create the unique style that makes his music special.

Filippo Bonamici knows his way around making something sound balanced between instrumentals and vocals. His vocals are rough, raspy and always standing out in a way you’ll get obsessed with. In his new single, “Solo,” his vocals flow smoothly along the instrumentals and are a bit more calm than other songs of his but equally grabbing.

“Solo” is Fil Bo Riva’s second release since his debut album, Beautiful Sadness, that stands true to its title. “Solo” grazes on the scenario many of us had, being alone during the pandemic. For Bonamici during this time he took the chance to rediscover the art of making music with whatever he wanted or could get his hands on. Truthfully, the song didn’t start off as a song about being alone and how it could benefit you. It started off as a song about a breakup but overtime and as he worked on the song, “Solo” became about how being alone can lead to many positives. Being alone is okay and accepting that is a step that should be recognized.

Hear his new single, “Solo,” and read down below to get to know Fil Bo Riva.

LUNA: How are you doing these days? How is the summer treating you?

FIL BO RIVA: Good thank you! I've been out in the streets, meeting friends and just doing stuff with people lately. Life is slowly coming back here in Berlin - at least for now, so I'm trying to enjoy it, get some inspiration and some fresh air. I've been in the studio a lot over the last year so I missed being outside!

LUNA: Congrats on the release of “Solo”! Can you share a favorite memory from the making of the track?

FIL BO RIVA: It was a process. The idea for the song came to me in winter 2019, just after I finished promoting my first album, Beautiful Sadness. Then a few months later the first Covid lockdown started and I sat down to work on the song again. Finally this year I finished the song fully and here it is now.

LUNA: Like many of us, you have used the past year of isolation to create and reflect. What positive impact do you think quarantine has had on your music?

FIL BO RIVA: I think it had a very good impact simply because I had 100% of my time for creating, crafting, producing and writing songs. Time had been something I was missing a lot over the last years, since "the music" actually started being a real job.

LUNA: What’s your favorite lyric from “Solo”?

FIL BO RIVA: "It's easy to let go, but you gotta have a plan" because it was one of the first lyrics that came to me when writing the song and it somehow made everything else come easily.

LUNA: Describe your current music in three words.

FIL BO RIVA: I - DON'T - KNOW…. :S

LUNA: Sonically, what’s an element you’ve gotten to explore with new music?

FIL BO RIVA: I might sound strange, but I've been using autotune on all my new songs while recording, just for the vibe and style. Mostly when I mix and finish the songs I turn it off, but it's just a very good instrument and it’s fun.

LUNA: The music video is really well made and has such a cool feel to it. What was the making of this all like?

FIL BO RIVA: Thank you very much! I'm lucky to have a very good team and people working with me. It was a lot of fun making the video, it took two days and it was pretty cold while we shot it, especially the water scenes. But hey, I love the result and I'd do it again.

LUNA: Who have you been listening to lately?

FIL BO RIVA: I've been playing some Jaden Smith songs on repeat lately, especially his new single “BYE”.

LUNA: With “Solo” out, what’s next for you?

FIL BO RIVA: I'm working on a lot of new tracks, soooo I guess new releases and a new album sometime soon hopefully!

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