A sentimental ballad for guitar and voice, full of nostalgia, brought theThe singer-songwriter from Reggio, Domenico Lione, aka Lio, 26 years old, on the podium of the Castrocaro Festival that just ended. With “For the last time” the artist won second place and the Tim Critics’ Award at the 66th edition of the historic festival for emerging voices, which in the past launched names of the caliber of Giuni Russo, Zucchero, Eros Ramazzotti and Silvia Salemi. A piece full of poetic metaphors on time and seasons, to narrate the end of an important relationship.
«“For the Last Time” revolves around the kind of feelings you feel when a relationship with a person ends – Lio tells us – And even though you know that the best thing would be to let go, you want to relive it over and over again even though you know it’s painful. It’s the song I identify with the most, full of that feeling that new me more than others.”
A former medical student with a background in basketball and recent experience in five-a-side football, in Castrocaro Lione performed live for the first time everand chose the event, excluding the possibility of talent shows and other musical competitions. “I saw the direction taken by the Isola degli Artisti record label to give the festival the visibility and attention it once had, and so I decided to try with a song written a month before the start of the selections. After the first online screening, I and other guys did a second selection right in Castrocaro, where masterclasses promoted by the label were held. Forty-nine of us reached the semifinals in Rome, in front of the jury chaired by Beppe Vessicchio, and on August 15 they told us that ten of us had been selected.” “To think that I got there with an acoustic piece, without any production behind it, is truly satisfying,” he adds.
Like the other finalists, Lio promoted “For the Last Time” through social media, with a reel whose interactions would have influenced 30% of the final judgement.. Although he is the son of musicians, he only started dedicating himself to music during the lockdown period. «With the arrival of Covid, living in a house full of instruments, I started playing and having an increasingly close relationship with music, also discovering that I could sing. I understood that playing offered me an escape from the problems of that period and, from the feedback of those who listened to me, I realized that I could continue on this path. I thus realized that my dream was more music than medicine and a path of troubled choices began, but in which in the end this passion that I have been cultivating for two and a half years prevailed. And living off music is the most beautiful thing there is».
Thanks to Castrocaro’s strong push, Lio is working towards the goal of offering the festival song and his other songs, still unreleased, on digital platforms.
