Global phenomena and award winning classical/pop crossover singer Giorgia Fumanti has a voice that captures the essence of a kaleidoscope, the pieces of light, love and the stars reflected through a multitude of mirrors, with their design endlessly changing. The music she sings is her genesis and forever her destination, along with her family, her children and her out-worldly aura.
Coming from a small medieval village in Italy and a close bond with her grandmother, Giorgia found her true self in music as her external heartbeat. Her poetic words and hauntingly soulful voice are an ode to the universe. Her talent was always present, suspended in the air until she was sixteen. In church she found the ability to pluck those ethereal notes from the abyss and make them into a tangible form giving voice to our deepest emotions.
Giorgia has performed all over the world and has to date 13 studio albums including her recently released “Cinema Collection”, which includes some of the most recognizable film songs in the history of motion pictures. She has worked with some of the most iconic artists in the world including Jose Carreras and Michael Bolton. She has over 25 million streams and has performed with some of the worlds top orchestras in places like London’s Royal, Albert Hall, the Beijing Olympics, Greece‘s Athen’s Arena and in New York City’s Times Square.
In a recent conversation with Giorgia she talked about her music, her meditation and her beloved children and family…..
I heard you had a lot of kids. All over the place.
I know. It was always a part of my dreams. Music and kids were part of my plan and dreams.
Isn’t it so nice when you get to have your dream in life?
Yes, and my dreams were pretty much difficult to achieve. I’m still working on them. But many things really became reality, and it is very beautiful. Knowing where I started, it’s impressive.
Yes, you came from a little small town. What made you think that you could sing and pursue a career?
I know. I come from a very small village in Italy. Nobody was an artist in my family apart from my grandmother. The only grandmother I met. She used to sing for me every night. Especially when I was very little, and I went into the hospital. It was her way to calm me and make me sleep. It was a special bond and a special time. Very private. It was just between me and her. As I was growing up she was living with us. It was just our little secret. I was a very shy little girl. I was actually too sensitive, and I was wondering what can I actually do. I was too delicate, too emotional. Very easy to cry. I thought the world was sometimes too tough for who I was. I wanted to be a social worker. I wanted help to become a good lawyer. To have kids. Finally, when I was 16 and a half I was close to the church, it was one of the few places that I could feel more myself. I heard that the choir needed young people. So I said okay, I will hide in the back and I will pretend just to keep my presence. At night the conductor said he wanted to hear this new girl alone and he tried to reproduce the same sound as the piano. This little tropical voice came out and everybody was very surprised. I was surprised. And then 3 months later I was the soloist for the choir. It was so easy for me to hear a melody and reproduce it. But I didn’t know until that day. I was very shy in life, but when I was on stage, I had this voice that was bigger than me. So, I really had to work on finding a balance between these two parts of me. I came from a very simple family. They were not really hoping I would become an artist because they were afraid for me to be starving. Everything happened in a very strange way. Without even knowing what was really happening.
Like a destiny.
Yes, and finally when I was 23 I started to havedifficulty in trying to be what I wanted. I was trying to please everybody, but I was an artist and I was sensitive. Instead of thinking I was weak, I just needed to see myself and find my strength instead of trying to be someone else. Through yoga and meditation and a lot of research and a lot of fate in general. Fate was always something very strong in me. I started this journey to try find who I really was and to honor that person. I wanted to just be myself. So, this journey started when I was 23 and brought me too many challenges to use my voice, because I was happy when I was singing. I almost lost my voice because I was starting Opera because I had this extension like a classical singer but I didn’t want to do Opera. So even to try to study that was almost destroying my gift. It was really like research and a journey of who I was. I tried to accept myself instead of change too much. So, it was a long journey that finally brought me to meet the right person after many doors closed. And finally, I left Italy in 2002. I was 27. I recorded a demo for a very important Italian singer and finally I met Maurice Velenosi. He was one of the first people to get me to trust myself and respect myself. And 22 years later we are still together.
Boy does he love you. I’ll tell you that.
I am the artist and he is the mind. I needed him for sure to help me bring this dream to reality. He always respected me and we fight a lot. We have discussions, you know I’m Italian. But we created many of my dreams. We made many of my dreams real. We still have a lot to do.
If you could do anything in your life right now, if I said to you Georgia where do you want to perform? What kind of songs do you want to perform? What would you answer me?
I love songs with beautiful melodies and inspiring lyrics. I need to fly when I sing. And I want the audience to fly with me. I’m very open to every kind of style but I prefer to be very uplifting. I was pretty lucky, as I have sung in all of the continents like Antarctica. So my dream is not to sing there. It really is my dream to keep doing what I am already doing and attracting other people to our team. To attract people like you to help us bring our music to many other people. That is my dream. Because I really know what I do comes from my heart. After 22 years it’s even stronger today. The passion is still strong and the ego is less. I’m almost 50 and I think women have a lot of pressure on all levels. I just want to live my passion and share it with the audience.
The music industry is hard. And I asked you that question because I have this group that I represent called THE AMERICAN RELICS. One of the girls in there was a classically trained opera star. She sang all over the world. And then she went to rock and roll. She’s doing very well too by the way.
You know the style that I do I feel so free. I just finished recording a video clip of Calling You. It’s such an iconic song. It’s more for pop but I did it and I love it. I did record The Show Must Go On from Queen. I just love it because I always need to find a way to do it from who I am and actually I love it. So I really love these kind of different collaborations .I’m very open. I love all style of music. I love this idea of mixing styles in my way.
I would like to see you do something very commercial. Because once you do something that’s commercial and it’s a hit you could do anything you want and people will love it. The whole thing is getting your name out there.
If you have suggestions, we are very open. I can try with pleasure.
I also want you to do one of Randy Edelman’s songs so that he will collaborate with you. When I first started repping him nobody knew who he was. And now he’s doing Carnegie Hall. So I want the same for you.
Me too. I’m more ready than before definitely. As I told you I will be 50 in February and I feel so much better now my family is complete. It was a journey. I have biological, I had miscarriages, I adopted, I Foster. So, it was a lot. During all these years we were busy with the music,
but I was busy creating my family and now that’s done. I feel much stronger in terms of confidence. And the true reason why I’m singing is because I trust it and I trust the people will feel it.
You do have something about you. Something haunting that people just want more of it. A very unique voice. And the way you present yourself is almost mysterious.
I am an introvert by nature, but when I get on stage something happens. My heart open so big and my voice is easier and stronger because I believe it. It is a journey that I’m still going through but it’s getting better. I just need to have beautiful people that understand me and respect me and who I am and together there are so many things that can be accomplished.
I agree with you a million percent. I’m going to try get you in some places where you will be noticed. Maurice says that you have a big gay following. So do I actually. I want to try to get you in some of those gay places because when you have a gay audience you pretty much have the respect of all audiences. So, I want to do that for you. But in the meantime, with so many kids how do you even find time to sing? Like even do laundry?
We really are a good team me and Maurice. Sometimes I have some help but most of the time I really love to be with my kids myself. I work so hard to have them and it was not an easy Journey. Miscarriages and adoptions and fostering are really challenging experiences, but I really wanted them so much that I really want to enjoy all parts of it. I missed my mother so much when I was little because she was working hard. My grandmother was the singer for me, and I didn’t want the music to remove the time from my kids. And vice versa. Until now I am lucky because they travel with me. We are going to China in December. They are all coming with me. Up to now I’m really lucky because I can use my career like tourism for my kids. My kids have school yes, but they also have a lot of free time from school. I’m really lucky because my voice is so natural it will never leave me. I have a good style of life in the sense of I have one drink. A little boring okay. I don’t like coffee or alcohol but that’s good for my voice. It was awful after seeing a wonderful artist like Whitney Houston or Celine Dion which unfortunately had wonderful voices but also problems. I am very lucky because it’s easy for me to sing. And I’m getting better with the age and experience. I always inspired myself to play Barbra Streisand. She has a wonderful voice, so I’ve managed pretty well. My motherhood and my singing career.
Do any of your children sing?
Yes, my second one has a very pretty voice. My first one is more into dance. The little boy he loves singing. All of them have come on stage with me at certain points. I just like to show them to trust themselves and you can stand in front of so many people and be you. You are perfect as you are, but I don’t want them to become singers. I want them to find their own talent in life.
The majority of women have to struggle between motherhood and working. I’m very lucky because in my case I had the luxury to bring them on stage.
Cinema Collection Deluxe Edition By Giorgia Fumanti Now Available On All Digital Platforms:
Now available on all digital platforms:
https://srgils.lnk.to/gfdeluxe
Get physical CD at https://www.giorgiafumanti.com