Adriana Spuria
Italian singer-songwriter Adriana Spuria invites us into the artistic universe of Stendhal, a captivating single inspired by beauty, emotion, and the timeless connection between music, literature, and visual art.
1. Your new single Stendhal is filled with references to great artists such as Renoir, Cézanne, Monet, Rodin, Celan, and the Mona Lisa. What inspired you to weave these artistic and literary influences into the song, and what do they represent for you?
I’ve always thought that music and visual arts speak the same emotional language, so I wanted to sing those names not as decoration but as images capable of evoking precise atmospheres. Renoir or Monet for me are about light and tactility, Cézanne is hidden structure, Rodin is sculpted eros and Celan is the shadow of memory: putting them together builds a sensory narrative that accompanies the feeling without overpowering it. In practice, each reference works like a color or a note: it helps the listener enter that world without explanations.
2. The title refers to the famous “Stendhal Syndrome,” the overwhelming emotional reaction to beauty. How did this concept influence the writing and emotional direction of the song?
The Stendhal syndrome is the emotional key of the song: It tells the experience of total enchantment, that moment when beauty overwhelms words and remains pure. The line “Because your beauty doesn’t need anything said” is the heart of that gesture. The idea was to convey not so much an explanation of wonder, but its destabilizing and at the same time reassuring power.
3. Musically, Stendhal combines elegant arrangements with cinematic atmospheres, blending live instruments and modern programming. How did you and Gae Capitano approach the production to create this distinctive soundscape?
I am the composer of the song; Gae Capitano is the author of the lyrics.
He sent me the lyrics and i composed the harmony with the guitar and the piano and the melody by singing over the harmony and it. So, this was the emotional core: first the melody and the voice, then i and Gae built the arrangement as if painting a canvas, layering real and digital elements. Gae and I alternated sessions with acoustic instruments — strings, piano, treated guitars — and moments of programming to add texture, always leaving space for vocal breathing. The goal was to create a balance where the orchestral elegance supports the imagination of the lyrics without becoming overblown.
4. The chorus suggests that true beauty doesn’t need to be explained—it simply exists and captivates. What message or feeling do you hope listeners will take away from this song after hearing it for the first time?
I hope listeners are left with a feeling of lucid wonder and a question: what is the beauty? When i sing “You are the transparent thread on which the universe hangs” i give my answer, beauty is not a matter of narcissism of, beauty deals with life, with the joy of harmony, all the universe turns around beauty, it ‘about equilibrium. So not a superficial matter of narcissism, it’s the wise and soft ability to let themselves be touched by beauty without immediately defining it. I want the listener to feel the urge to pause, to look longer, and maybe to return to those lines that don’t explain everything but spark something. Ultimately, the song is an invitation to stay inside the enchantment, even when it makes your head spin.
5. Throughout your career, you’ve explored many genres, from jazz, blues, and folk to pop, house, and dance, while always maintaining your identity as a songwriter. How have these diverse musical experiences shaped the artist you are today?
I think it was a creative need of mine to explore. Above all, I’ve always been a listener who ranges from classical to rock, from fusion to nu-soul, from country to funk to pop; consequently, it felt natural to create and produce different musical worlds.
6. Looking beyond the release of Stendhal, what are your plans for the coming months? Can fans expect more new music, live performances, or perhaps another larger project in the near future?
Of course my fans can expect new music, new live shows, and a new album very soon. In fact, there will be a surprise very soon — a new single in August — but I don’t want to say anything more…