Getting to know Michele Bravi has been like traveling through his past and present, even catching a glimpse of his future, which in a sense gets to be also a bit ours. Because Michele is an artist who practices his art authentically, always sharing pieces of himself with all of us. In an interview for our March Cover Story, we discovered his roots in cinema and music, solid foundations of a passion that began with trips to the cinema with his grandmother and evenings with the family’s always-on red radio.

Michele then shared his experience on the set of “Finally Dawn” by Saverio Costanzo, a curtain on complex yet everyday themes such as courage, self-discovery, and redemption. Reflections that enriched his emotional baggage and also inspired his music. His latest singles, “odio” and “per me sei importante”, precede an album that promises to be broader and more complex than ever.

Michele gave us a reflection on honesty, love, and conflict that gives us food for thought and prompts us to (re)evaluate the meaning of feelings we all find ourselves experiencing in life. In a conversation that is a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, we had the fortune of getting to know an artist in a new and intimate way.

What’s your first cinema memory? And your first music memory?

My grandma in the afternoon would take me to a movie theater that doesn’t exist anymore. She was the one who taught me the beauty of diving into stories in all their shapes. She was also the one who would keep the little red radio in the living room turned on all day long. It was too important for both her and me to populate our house of stories.

You’re in the cast of Saverio Costanzo’s new movie “Finally Dawn”, which premiered last September at Venice Film Festival, and currently out in theaters. How was it? What was your first day on set like?

It was great to give body and voice to Saverio Costanzo’s writing. I think Saverio is one of the greatest masters of Italian cinema, and to enter in small steps on one of his sets has been a dream.

The movie talks about courage and the search for identity. How does your character and the story in general face this theme and what did you personally learn from this experience?

My character is part of a parterre of human beings who use masks as a way to fit into the mechanisms of a decadent society. In him, though, there’s a spectacular component and the mask is not only a way to hide and lie but also to play.

“Into the mechanisms of a decadent society”

One of the main themes of the movie is “the redemption of the simple and naïve ones”, quoting the director. How much of yourself is there in this story and your character?

This movie tells a lot about us. The fact that it’s all set in the 1950s makes the metaphor way more heartbreaking. It’s about what we have done and what is yet to be done.

Moving to your music, instead, you’ve recently released two singles, “odio” (hate) and “per me sei importante” (you’re important to me). “odio” expresses a deep contrast between two key feelings that we all experience in our lives, with which sooner or later we all have to deal with: love and hate. What’s the inspiration behind this song? What does the conflict between love and hate represent to you?

I’ve tried to give voice to that moment in a relationship where dysfunctionality also brings to the inability to verbalize. Everything seems a continuous swing between love and hate but, deep down, we know that it’s actually all about needs, insecurities, possession, and other things that have nothing to do with love.

The lyrics convey great emotional complexity and inner conflict. Do you think there can be moments where love and hate can coexist or influence each other in real life?

Absolutely not. I think love has no limits and the authenticity of the feeling involves the absence of conflict.

Under a certain point of view, “per me sei importante” is linked to “odio”, exploring an emotional duality, a state of mind that’s halfway between uncertainty and desire. How did you balance these contrasting emotions while writing the song, to capture the complexity of human relationships?

Both songs are part of a concept that, within the record in its entirety, will have a complete evolution. When the whole album will be available, this nuance will be clearer.

Speaking of the album, we don’t have much information: can you tell us something more about it? Is there any particular featuring or element that makes it unique? How is this one different from your previous work?

This record has been written and arranged by me and no one else, which has given me the possibility to meet more urban worlds with which I didn’t think I could communicate. It has a stronger musical complexity because, unlike other times, it’s not unidirectional.

How can you balance music and acting? How do they come into play in your creative process?

I think they’re both an incredible exercise of empathy. Two different vocabularies to tell the same stories.

Writing songs, as well as acting, helps discover and analyze parts of yourself that wouldn’t otherwise come out. What’s the latest thing you’ve learned about yourself thanks to your work?

That the body has the same ability to chant tales as the soul and the eyes.

Very often, or almost always, it takes loneliness, a moment of recollection to give voice to what, quietly, we’ve got hidden inside. What relationship do you have with loneliness? Is it something you look for, from time to time, because you want to, or is it a “compulsory step” that your work requires?

I’m crazy in love with loneliness, but I don’t like the extremely gothic image of writers who star at the full moon in a dusty room. Writing is also lonely but not only that, it can also be encounter, gathering.

“I’m crazy in love with loneliness…”

What do you do to re-center and find balance when you feel like you have lost it? Is there a routine or a particular activity you devote yourself to?

I meditate and travel.

The best “fuck you” of your life?

The ones I said as a joke.

Your biggest act of rebellion?

When I didn’t grant the confidence of a “fuck you” to someone who doesn’t deserve it.

What about your biggest fear?

To lose adherence to reality.

Is music your “home”? What (else) is home for you?

Music is part of the home, but the main room is made of the people I love.

What makes you feel safe? And what makes you feel self-confident?

Love.

Photos & Video by Johnny Carrano.

Grooming by Sofia Caspani.

Styling by Anna Pastore.

Styling assistant Sara Dozio.

Thanks to Pastore Studio.

Total Look: Antonio Marras.