Jaz caught up with Berlin-based singer-songwriter Giorgio De Palo for the third RepostExchange podcast. Having picked their track ‘Eclipse’, they chatted about making music videos, Guns N' Roses, and leaving Berlin.
Tell us about yourself!
My name is Giorgio, I’m from Rome, Italy. I’m 26 years old and living in Berlin right now for four years, but not for long because I’m going to leave Berlin for the next chapter.
What brought you to Berlin?
Because of music. It started because of music school here and I was not so happy about it so I quit the school to continue music on my own as a singer-songwriter playing around bars in Berlin trying to find my sound, trying to develop, meeting people, collaborate and learn mainly. And finally, I made it now to release my first EP, it came out in May 2019. So, I’m happy about it, this first big step.
Can you describe your sound for us?
It’s really hard for me to explain it, but I would say since I’m a guitarist mainly and a songwriter so it comes all from guitar playing and the singing. Eclipse sounds a bit Spanish, especially the intro of the song, which is pretty long, thirty seconds, I guess. It was a risk, but I was like, why not? Let’s do it, sounds good!
How do you re-create your sound on stage?
It’s pretty different because right now, we’re playing songs with another guitarist who uses an electric guitar with lots of reverb and delays to create that kind of atmosphere, but we don’t have a beat. The beat comes mainly from my guitar playing since I’m always hitting the strings and I would like to start using a stompbox with my foot to give that kick a bit more, but it’s still in the development phase. Live, I don’t play too much, I started playing a lot this year doing some gigs on my own and some gigs with the band, we’re also a full band sometimes, it always changes.
How long have you been making music?
I started when I was 16, when I got my first guitar. I fell in love with music from the very beginning. One year later, I tried to sing and it was really awful. It took me a long, long time to learn a bit how to sing and there’s still a lot to do. I took vocal lessons for years and it’s a long way to be a good singer. When I was 18, I started to write songs and it slowly started to develop from there.
When you first started songwriting, what did you write about?
When you’re 16, 17, it’s the first time you start understanding things and becoming more aware of the world. So, since all these kind of thoughts are new, it just comes and develops into the music. It was pretty general, there was not something I was writing about. Also, about my dream to become a musician, I was also writing about that. My second song was about that, I remember.
Has there been an evolution in your songwriting?
The songs now are probably better than before – they were just experiments. Trying to put ideas down and trying to make something out of it and now I’ve a clear view about how to approach the songwriting process. It changes over time and you learn how to do certain things better, how to break the tension, how to release.
Do you produce the music yourself, or do you work with a producer?
On the first EP, I worked with a producer, but I would say all the tracks, we co-produced together. I was always next to him.
What software do you use?
I used Logic. I would like to move sooner or later to Ableton, but right now I’m comfortable with Logic, so I continue to use that.
How did you find out about RepostExchange?
Honestly, I really can’t remember! I think it was at the very beginning, it was pretty new and because then I saw it develop over time because it was before my first single. Maybe on Instagram or something.
Where do you get inspiration from for your music videos?
The first time was a struggle because I wanted to create a story for the first single that I released, ‘Rails’ and it just came up somehow. The second one was something that was clearly part of me because the place where I recorded the second music video of the song ‘Vivid Dream’ and just went there with my iPhone and something to stabilize the picture. Just did it on my own there in one day and then I cut it, edited it and that’s it. I’m pretty happy with the results.
Who are your musical influences?
It’s changed over time. I started music probably because of Guns N’ Roses and my first concert was Slash. But then I was more influenced by other bands and songwriters like John Mayer, Jeff Buckley. And later on, here in Berlin especially by songwriters like Fink and Matt Corby. I would say these are my main influences at the moment.
Who did the artwork for your EP ‘First Waves’?
I worked with a designer, a friend of mine in Berlin. We developed the concept together. It didn’t come directly out, took a while and then we were really happy about the results, especially me. The EP came out on 29th April.
You’re moving to Lisbon, what’s the music scene like there?
I’ve haven’t discovered, I don’t know yet. I hope there is enough, I plan to play a bit more in the streets, but let’s see. It’s going to be a surprise! I just need a change. Maybe I’m going to come back one day in Berlin, who knows?
Follow Giorgio De Palo on SoundCloud @GiorgioDePaloMusic, Instagram @GiorgioDePaloMusic and Facebook @GiorgioDePaloMusic.
Want more? Sign up at RepostExchange.com
This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
Connect with SoundCloud
