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Italian singer creates a more-relaxed vibe
By John Benson
It’s not too often Cleveland finds itself in the same sentence as Rome and Paris; however, in the mind of international singing sensation Patrizio Buanne, the three cities are connected.
“Being a European, America is the entertainment capital of the world,” said Buanne, calling from Boston. “Maybe when Americans come to Europe, they want to see the Coliseum and Eiffel Tower. For me, because maybe I’m a musician, America is all about the music. America invented rock ’n’ roll music, and therefore I want to go [to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame] to follow the history and see the guitars and clothes.”
Buanne hopes to return to the Rock Hall when he performs Sept. 23 show at Playhouse-Square’s Ohio Theatre. The 33-year-old Italian singer is touring his latest effort “Patrizio,” which was just released in America but has been available around the world for more than a year. It already reached platinum status in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and South Africa.
When it came time to record “Patrizio,” his third studio effort, Buanne decided to change things up a bit. Included were obligatory Italian songs such as “Never Never Never,” “Estate,” and “Tu vuo’ fa l’ammericano,” but he also decided to venture into the pop world with new tunes “Why Did You Have To Be?,” “This Kiss Tonight” and his self-penned “Solo Tu [My Baby].”
Known as an adult contemporary singer, Buanne was looking to spice things up. Take, for instance, the latter track.
“What I’m hoping to do with that song is to basically get people on their feet, shake their ass and have a good time,” Buanne said. “People always think Italian music is only ‘Volari’ and ‘O sole Mio.’ Here we have a song ‘Solo Tu [My Baby]’ that is like a mambo, salsa, Latin kind of track. It has some sexy lyrics. It’s a great up-tempo song.”
In a nutshell, Buanne is taking his tie off in hopes of attracting a younger, hipper crowd. Actually, this explains why he views this tour as being an up-close-and-personal experience.
“The concert is almost like MTV Unplugged, just get close to Patrizio for a relaxed and chill-out vibe, but we are plugged in and using all different sort of instruments,” Buanne said. “It’s just to create the vibe of saying, ‘Look, Patrizio is not just the guy that comes in an immaculately dressed suit with the orchestra and everything is stiff.’ This time, we want to be a bit edgy and personal. So just have a good time.”
When it’s pointed out the audience may come dressed too casual or relaxed, Buanne explains his desired dress code.
“I don’t want to see people in sneaker and sports shoes looking like they just came out of the gym,” Buanne said. “I’d say put your favorite shirt on and don’t feel uncomfortable with wearing a tie. Put on some nice jeans, comfortable shoes and a nice shirt. It’s a very chill-out kind of romantic thing.”
Finally, when looking at comparisons to Buanne, quite a few names come to mind, including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Harry Connick Jr., Michael Buble, Ricky Martin and Julio Iglesias.