Author: Marco Marini

Among the artists competing at the next Sanremo Festival, from 7 to 11 February 2023, is – for the first time – Rosa Chemical. Rapper with an iconoclastic verve, imposed by strokes of syncopated sounds and abrasive lyrics, channelled into tracks with millions of streams such as the gold disc Polka, Britney, London and TikTok (together with Radical). But he is also a chameleonic performer, determined to challenge the prevailing machismo – according to him – in Italian music with flamboyant looks, including discoloration, glitter and marked make-up, a (former) Gucci model, a skilful polemicist (he has attacked ‘political correctness’, as it merely bans certain words or flaunts support for the LGBT cause, deluding itself into believing it is curbing homophobia), intent, however, on confronting the general public, recently reached thanks to his duet with Tananai on the stage of Sanremo 72, on the night of the covers.

Rosa Chemical, nom de plume of Manuel Franco Rocati, is all of that and more, and so it is rather complicated to account for his many facets, both artistic and personal; we have tried, asking a few questions to the 24-year-old singer, originally from Grugliasco, from Turin area, who described himself, in an interview with Repubblica, as ‘a sort of an alien’.

“I think I’m one of the few in Italy who does what he wants, without worrying about the judgement of the public and colleagues”

An album (with an added deluxe edition was later added), an EP, featuring – among others – Gué Pequeno, Ernia, Tananai, Gianna Nannini, a series of viral hits on Spotify and YouTube… A song, or more than one, to which you are particularly attached, which you think fully expresses your artistic signature.

Definitely Boheme, written for a person who does not know she is the protagonist and will never find out, who made me experience intense emotions. There never was a story between us, but the feelings I felt inspired the right words to write one of the most beautiful songs of my career so far. It is also the first song I worked on with Bdope after a few nights of transgression and rock’n’roll. I have a pleasant memory of that track.

An alien (like the one in your single) lands in Italy and encounters Rosa Chemical: how would you describe your music to him?

It’s too difficult to describe my music without shooting myself in the foot, my art contains a lot of bipolarity; there are those who call it versatile and those who say I do everything, but I think I’m one of the few in Italy who does what he wants, without worrying about the judgement of the public and colleagues.

In some interviews, you have railed against the machismo that the rap scene is still imbued with and the hypocrisy of political correctness. From these points of view, what is the state of the art of the Italian music scene in 2022?

Critical, nothing has changed since the last interview where I spoke about it. Fortunately, I’m back to save the country once again.

“Fashion has always been my obsession, another possibility, besides art and music, to tell people who look at me that I have style, that I am different”

You have posed and walked the runway for Gucci, collaborated with Danilo Paura, you are a ‘super fan of handbags’ and prefer ‘flashy accessories’. What is your relationship with fashion, in the broadest sense of the word?

Fashion has always been my obsession, another possibility, besides art and music, to tell people who look at me that I have style, that I am different. I’ve always tried to take the rules and break them to my heart’s content, ever since the days when I felt like gabber and looked for the most stylish Australian blouses, or, in my metal phase, I wanted the longest studs, the coolest trench coats, the blackest eyeshadows; now I go from moments of feeling feminine, and so I look for a Valentino bag or a Prada jacket, to others when I feel more masculine and wear ‘full’ Saint Laurent or go for the Maison Margiela look. I am a lover of everything that brings innovation.

What can we expect in the future from an artist who has made eclecticism, of esthetic funambulism (also) his trademark?

I have always advised people not to expect anything from me, as I only do what I feel like, really. All I can tell you is that lately, I’ve been feeling very shiny! 😉

Credits

Talent Rosa Chemical

Editor in Chief Federico Poletti

Text Marco Marini

Photographer Kali Yuga

Stylist Simone Folli

Ph. assistants Letizia Montanari, Matia Chiodo

Stylist assistants Nadia Mistri, Melania Musci

Grooming Mara Bottoni

Opening image: Rosa Chemical wears total look Dolce&Gabbana, earrings Radà, handpiece Myril Jewels, boots Sonora

New York-based model and actor, Ryan Cooper radiates energy. Always with a smile on his face, beard stubble, sculpted muscles (this is shown in the Manintown editorial, rich in sensuality) suggesting a scrupulous devotion to working out (he launched the wellness program that bears his name in 2019), he will participate in the upcoming dramedy “You Are Not Alone”, after several roles in series and films such as “Rough Night”, “Eye Candy”, “Confess”, and many jobs between men’s magazines and relevant brands, especially in the United States (A|X Armani Exchange and Boss, to name a few). However, his life was far from the bright lights of New York a few years ago.

Born 36 years ago in Papua New Guinea to missionary parents, he was an ordinary man working in the construction industry. In 2008, as soon as he landed on the East Coast, he had the great opportunity to work for the DKNY Jeans Spring/Summer 2008 campaign with the top model Behati Prinsloo. Ryan has rapidly gone from modelling to TV or film sets ever since, gratified because “every role leaves me with new skills or something more about myself, which is all you could wish for”, and equally pleased about his modelling job as it helps him “feel comfortable on film”.

“Each role teaches me a new skill set or something about myself which is all I can wish for”

As reported by the website Deadline, you will be featured in the film “You Are Not Alone” and you will begin filming in Texas soon. What can you reveal about this project?

This is a beautiful true story of writer Cindy McCreery’s experience with her brother as she cared for him during his cancer and bladder removal surgeries. I will be working opposite Jasmine Batchelor (“The Surrogate”) and director Andrew Shea.
This feels like one of the most challenging roles to date as it means honoring a real human experience but also keeping myself fully in the story. There is a lot of physical pain and awkwardness to this movie but the underlying arch is a family coming together to heal parts of its past during a traumatic time for my character AJ. I can’t wait for the world to see it.

You made your big screen debut in the comedy “Rough Night” (2017) with a first-rate female cast (Scarlett Johansson, Zoë Kravitz, Demi Moore, Jillian Bell). What are your memories of the set?

Working with such wonderful stars was incredible. I got to experience first hand how they are human beings before actors and learned so much from them. Scarlett was so inviting to play in the scenes, Jillian was so encouraging and Kate McKinnon was one of the kindest co-stars ever.

“We are all humans struggling with things that are real for us”

Are there any roles or genres you haven’t been offered so far and you would like to play?

I’ve been fortunate to play villains and heroes, sing as a rock star and then torture people. I find it really fun getting to dabble in the spectrum of characters.
I am loving these really truthful heartfelt movies I’ve been able to work on and will be producing more. The world needs movies that change us and help us to think after we walk out of the theater. But I’d really love to do something with more stunts and maybe dancing (my current ability is alone in the living room). Each role teaches me a new skill set or something about myself which is all I can wish for.

As a fitness enthusiast, you channel your passion into the “CooperFit” program which is dedicated to wellness as a whole, from working out to meditation. What are your thoughts about it?

CooperFit was built after observation and working closely with clients and realizing that our physical barriers or goal neglection is directly related to our mental wellbeing. I love helping someone lose weight or put on muscle, but if I can help a relationship to be more peaceful, or support a life goal being achieved, that can be even more rewarding for a client in the long term. My tagline “Heart and health” is because they are intertwined and influence each other greatly.

“I remember working with Peter Lindbergh and he just had the calmest kind way of getting the shot there was no drama just peace”

Before and while acting, you worked at the highest level as a model, debuting in a campaign for DKNY Jeans in 2008 and then appearing in editorials and ads of major fashion labels and magazines (including A|X Armani Exchange, Trussardi, Boss, Esquire, L’Officiel Hommes). Is there any experience, among those mentioned or not, that has marked you for a particular reason?

The fashion industry was so foreign to me when I entered it. I was a builder by trade and hard work was easy for me so fashion felt very easy in terms of physical labor. I think the hardest thing in modeling was all the travel and loneliness of being on the road. I feel very privileged that I got to fly to nice locations and shoot, or meet really artistic people. But as a whole it’s only grounded my understanding that we are all humans struggling with things that are real for us, it doesn’t matter the industry. And we have a choice to engage in and grow or hide from and others. There is always an egoic, kind, combative or collaborative way to approach any job or person or the way we see ourselves.

Being in front of the lens as a model has helped me feel comfortable on film. Likewise, being in film has given me more appreciation for the times I get to work in fashion. I feel life is all about learning from one and feeding it into all aspects of life. I remember working with Peter Lindbergh and he just had the calmest kind way of getting the shot there was no drama just peace, that really made me want to pass that feeling forward to others I work with.

What are you currently working on? What do you wish for the future in your professional and personal life?

Currently I will be filming until the end of July on “You are not Alone”. Then I hope to have a little holiday with my daughter.
I’m also producing a few other projects in various stages of development and I always enjoy working with my one-to-one clients in the CooperFit program which I can do remotely. 

Credits

Talent Ryan Cooper 

Photographer Dean Isidro

Art Director Paul Lamb

Stylist Gregory Wein

Stylist assistant Brianna Klouda

Grooming Michael Moreno

Photo retouch Jay Arora

Project coordinator Giorgio Ammirabile

Opening image: hydro boost gel moisturizer Cardon, ‘De Los Santos’ Eau de Parfum Byredo, 18K yellow gold Ball & Wire necklace, sterling silver/18K yellow gold mixed metal necklace, 18K yellow gold bracelets and 18K solid bar yellow gold/ruby bracelet Title of Work, silk shirt Musika

7 is a number with numerous, particularly important meanings for Luca Marzano, a.k.a. Aka 7even, a 21-year-old from Campania among the rising stars of the Italian urban- pop scene. Indeed, the number refers to a painful episode in his past – the week he spent in a coma due to encephalitis when he was seven – which he managed to turn into an element of strength and hope. Not so coincidentally, his autobiography that came out last year is titled “7 vite“.

In short, he’s a multi-faceted artist who has managed to convey his desire for redemption into music: admitted to the final stage of Amici in 2020, it was precisely during the talent show that he recorded his first hit, “Mi manchi“. After the end of the TV show, Aka 7even published his self-titled album which included the song “Loca“, a triple platinum-certified smash hit that also has a Spanish version. Then 2021 was an annus mirabilis for the singer-songwriter: he won the “Best Italian Act” Award at the MTV EMAs, and was selected for the 2022 edition of the Sanremo Festival, where he participated with the song “Perfetta così“.

His main influences include Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber and The Weeknd, but his signature style is actually quite personal (he defines his music as “versatile, with strong American influences on a topline and production level”), the result of his “wandering among different genres and styles”.

Credits

Talent Aka 7even

Editor in Chief Federico Poletti

Text Marco Marini

Photographer Filippo Thiella

Stylist Simone Folli

Photographer assistant Andrea Lenzi

Stylist assistant Nadia Mistri

Grooming Cecilia Olmedi

Opening image: jacket Moschino

Born in 1990 and originally from Abruzzo, Giacomo Ferrara is one of the most talented and charismatic actors of his generation. He became known – and loved – as the gangster Alberto “Spadino” Anacleti, one of major characters of the film “Suburra“, and above all for the first three seasons of the successful TV show of the same name. Speaking of Spadino, he says, “I will always carry him with me, he has become part of Italian pop culture and this is confirmed in what people write me, from how they show their affection they feel for him”.

He took part among others in Netflix series “Suburra”, “Il permesso – 48 ore fuori”, “Guarda in alto”, “Ghiaccio”

Before his popularity thanks to the Netflix series (“A wonderful parenthesis on my journey, which began in 2015 and ended last year”), he had already proved his skills with the role of Angelo in “Il permesso – 48 ore fuori“, which earned him the Guglielmo Biraghi Award at the Nastri D’Argento 2017 edition.

He also took part in the fairy- tale film “Guarda in alto” (where Teco experiences surreal adventures on the rooftops of Rome), the fantasy film “Non mi uccidere“, the Sky miniseries “Alfredino – Una storia italiana” and most recently “Ghiaccio“, the debut film by the singer and songwriter Fabrizio Moro (in tandem with Alessio De Leonardis) where he depicts a young man from the suburbs seeking redemption from a troubled life, to say the least, in boxing. In his own words, it is “A love story in which I play Giorgio, an extremely introverted boy always messing up. This is where the coach Massimo (Vinicio Marchioni, an extraordinary partner in the adventure) comes in and tries to bring him back to a better path through sport”.

He “Enjoys working on a role with his whole self, completely identifying with it”

To prepare for the part, he had to undergo intense training because “Our challenge was to make the boxing scenes believable, so I endured very demanding sessions. I trained nine times a week, I gained muscle and followed a strict diet”.
So far we have mentioned different stories and genres, yet his visceral and sometimes “extreme” acting stands out in the well- known Spadino (a borderline criminal torn by conflicting feelings, a daily life of violence and oppression, repressed sexuality and the obsession to get revenge on a family that only considers him a hothead) to the peculiar Ago, a drug addict with pink hair and a friend to the protagonist in Non mi uccidere. Indeed, Giacomo “Enjoys working on a role with his whole self, completely identifying with it”, but he points out that, “regardless of how charismatic or ‘strange’ a character might be, it is essential to find stories that have a reason to be told, that go straight to the heart, just like Ghiaccio”.

Credits

Talent Giacomo Ferrara

Editor in Chief Federico Poletti

Photographer Davide Musto

Stylist Alfredo Fabrizio

Photographer assistant Valentina Ciampaglia

Stylist assistant Chiara Polci

Hair Alessandro Rocchi @simonebelliagency

Make-up Charlotte Hardy @simonebelliagency

Location Coho Loft Roma

Opening image: total look 424