«There is a crack inside everything: that’s where the light comes in», Leonard Cohen sang it in Anthem in 1992, and the singer-songwriter Eman (stage name of Emanuele Aceto, originally from Catanzaro) starts again from this image for his latest song “Luce dalle crepe” released on April 22nd on the Mazinga label. He starts again, precisely, because he returns with a single three years after his last EP “Distratto” from 2023, and he does so with a glimpse of light in the darkness, through a text that talks about pain as the only possible form of rebirth, in a society subjected to performance where suffering often equals failure.
“Light from cracks” arrives after three years. What happened during this period?
«Many important things happened, especially personal ones: I became a father, and this changed everything. Even on an artistic and work level I have made choices that have led me down a more complicated path, that of independence. They have been intense, sometimes difficult years. Personal events, even the most painful ones, had a huge impact. In the end we are our songs: music is what we are.”
Why did you choose to expose yourself so much?
«Because I want to be honest with my art and with the public. I never wanted to be anything other than who I am. Music, for me, is recognition: when someone finds themselves in what they listen to, they are no longer alone. If I can make the listener feel less alone, then I’ve done my job well.”
What was the moment you realized that you weren’t just “making music” but saying something needed for others too?
«I understood that you don’t have to be perfect to send a message, as long as you say something that’s true for you. In fact, the new album will be different from the previous ones: it is more open to the human being, with all its nuances, including pain and happiness.”
What is “light” for you?
«Light can be many things. Man, in himself, tends towards the light, tends to get up again. Every day, in a certain sense, we start again. The problem is that today many tend to run away from pain. Instead, I believe it needs to be addressed. We live in an era in which every difficulty has undergone a “quick fix”, but this risks anesthetizing emotions. Pain is part of being human and must be experienced, not avoided. If you try to look for the light, sooner or later you will find it.”
When you sing “I don’t know how to escape from pain” it means going through it, staying inside it. How is this expressed in a society that tends to avoid suffering?
«We run away from many things: pain, anxiety, fears, but they are part of being human. I understood that running away is useless: it is better to recognize what you feel and face it, reaching emotional maturity.”
In your artistic career you have often written introspective songs associated with pain or suffering, such as “Insane” or “Amen”. If they took away your pain, do you think you would also lose a part of your artistic identity?
«I don’t know who I would be without who I am. Sometimes I imagine myself different, but today the song also talks about this: not looking for another self, but working on who you are.”
How do we find light in the world we live in?
«The song starts from “I don’t know”, but leaves open the possibility that there is a way. Light is recognizing what is real, trusting your conscience and listening to your humanity.”
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