When, last February, he made his first appearance on The Voice Senior 2024, the famous Rai 1 talent show hosted by Antonella Clerici, Vittorio Centrone, alias Lemuri Il Visionario, 60 years old, left everyone speechless. It is impossible not to be fascinated by the voice, the magnetic gaze and the refined and refined style of this very talented and charismatic artist.
To the tune of “Heroes”, by David Bowie, won over the public and the coaches, in particular Loredana Bertè, who did not hesitate to express his desire to have him on the team. And Vittorio, with Loredana's team, reached the final thanks to his singing skills, his bold and rock style, but also thanks to his long artistic history, which over the years has made him a sought-after singer-songwriter, a poet-dreamer of our time.
Vittorio Centrone began his artistic journey when, as a boy, he joined the group “Futuritms”, as keyboardist and author. In those years he lived in Pordenone, the city where he moved from Molfetta (Bari) still a child, together with his family. In 1999 his first solo CD entitled “Useless things”. This was followed by participation in the Sanremo Festival, as the author of the song “I don't know who you are”, sung by Verdiana. But the crucial moment of her career came in 2004, when she was the male voice of the highly successful international dance hit “Dragostea Din Tei”, brought to success by the Romanian singer Haiducii.
In 2011 the work "Lemuri il Visionario" was born, which sees him as the protagonist in the role of a bizarre dreamer musician. The opera becomes a show and is performed in Italy, the United States, Canada and France. Vittorio, who also lived in other Italian and European cities to follow his passion, today lives and works in Rome together with his wife Lucia. In the capital, he was recently the protagonist of several concerts, all sold out, in which artists participated who shared the experience of The Voice Senior 2024 with him.
Lemurs - as he himself explained on several occasions - is a nickname given to him by a friend of his when he was a boy, due to his large glasses, which gave him the appearance of a lemur, the little monkey with circled eyes, typical of Madagascar . We contacted him for you and, Vittorio, with great availability and humility, but above all with the profound sensitivity that his blue heart contains, granted us this intense interview.
Vittorio, the video clip for your single “Niente da dire” was recently released, a hymn to life that sees you as the protagonist along the streets, bridges and suggestive places of Budapest. When are words not needed?
«Every time an emotion touches us deep inside, to put it in Lemuri's words, our blue heart. In those moments words are superfluous and can only impoverish what we feel. Therefore, in its most intense moments, life should only be observed with the amazed eyes of a child and there is really nothing to say."
Since you were a child you have lived in different cities: from your Molfetta, to Pordenone, Bologna, London, Milan, Budapest, Rome. Among these, is there a place that you feel is more yours, that manages more than others to make your imagination fly?
«I certainly feel a particular bond with Puglia and Molfetta because, however little I lived there, the memories of the sensations, smells and flavors of my childhood and adolescence have remained indelible. My parents were both teachers, so we spent every summer there until I came of age. Apart from this, places become important for the friendships and human relationships that every period of our life gives us. It's really true that life is the art of meeting."
What remained of Lemuri as a child and how have your dreams changed over the years?
«I would say that almost everything is left. I have always strongly wanted that child to remain alive inside me and what could be different is only the fruit of the experience of lived life. The dreams have always remained the same and it is the fortune of those who have the privilege of living pursuing a great passion."
It is said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. What lies behind the intense blue of your gaze and in the center of your blue heart?
«Love, passion, amazement, empathy towards others, thanks for everything beautiful and ugly that life offers because every trial, even painful, is an opportunity to understand something about oneself and evolve».
You studied Philosophy, a mental and cultural education that probably gave a proactive boost to your artistic growth as a sought-after, "niche" pop-rock singer-songwriter. How do your songs come about?
«In reality I only took six philosophy exams before interrupting to dedicate myself professionally to music, but in any case philosophical thought has certainly influenced my way of being. Philosophy is nothing more than a comparison and dialogue with other people who have tried to give meaning to their existence before us. My songs certainly arise from experiences, thoughts and poetic visions of what strikes me and happens to me. The luck of being an artist lies precisely in transforming these channels into something concrete and shareable with other people."
Your sophisticated look, which mixes rock style with nineteenth-century dandy style, does not go unnoticed. Do you personally choose the clothes you wear?
«My style combines two of my great aesthetic passions: the decadent dandyism of the nineteenth century and the tribality of the American Indians. It wasn't easy to find clothes that fully represented me because the modern world mainly identifies men with a sporty or ordinary look. Luckily, years ago I presented my project to a Friulian fashion house called Cleofe Finati by Archetipo and they accepted it with enthusiasm. Since that day, their creations color my world perfectly together with other clothing items found by me and an artist called Laura Mantovi."
Your world is permeated by an aura of spirituality that is reflected in everything you communicate through voice, piano, gestures, drawing, theatricality. How visionary is Lemuri today compared to the past?
«Lemuri has always been a traveler of the dimension of lucid dreaming, in words more understandable than daydreaming. With time and experience I could say that today the ability to tell these visions has improved. The task of every artist is to become a magician capable of transporting his audience into his own parallel dimension, at least for the duration of the show."
Your artistic story, told in a comic created by Giulio De Vita, has been brought to the stage. Your way of expressing yourself often meets theatre, in the sense that your concerts are real shows, in which music and singing are combined with theatricality. If you were offered a part in a film, what role would you like to play?
«That of Lemuri the Visionary. Jokes aside, my and Giulio's dream when we started collaborating on this project has always been to make it the subject of a film and therefore we don't put limits on providence...".
You believe in the power of love and in the revolution that melancholy generates, understood as a moment of inner growth. What are the other "forces" that stimulate your artistic streak and color your life?
«The fundamental ones of fantasy and imagination. In this historical period, in which the god of money and materialism reign, only beauty and imagination can be a lifeline."
At the Blind Auditions of The Voice Senior you made your debut with the song “Heroes” by David Bowie. Who were the "heroes" or idols that inspired you in the past? Are they the same as today?
«Definitely David Bowie and Peter Gabriel. Yes, unfortunately, they still remained the same."
What emotions did The Voice Senior give you?
«Above all that of being able to be myself fully in front of a truly vast television audience. It wasn't easy to make the public understand an artistic project that has lasted twenty years in just a few minutes, but I think I succeeded."
I would see you very well in a duet with Loredana Bertè, who rejoiced after hearing you for the first time, exclaiming: "I've been waiting for you for a lifetime!". Have you already received any interesting proposals from her or others?
«In this period many situations are arising that I cannot yet reveal. The only thing I can say is that there are ongoing negotiations to do concerts during the summer and I can't wait to get started."
You were the male voice of the famous song “Dragostea Din Tei” and you have written songs for other singers, including Annalisa Minetti and Verdiana. Who would you like to write for today?
«I'll mention some performers at random: Loredana Bertè, Malika Ayane and Marco Mengoni».
What other dreams would you like to realize?
«In addition to participating in the Sanremo Festival and giving a concert at the Verona Arena, there would be the option of living to be 500 years old, but unfortunately, at the moment, it seems impossible».
(Photo: Vittorio Centrone, Facebook Page)
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