Souvenir is the seventh solo studio album by Italian singer-songwriter Emma Marrone, released by Universal Music Italy and Capitol Records on 13 October 2023.[2]
| Souvenir | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 13 October 2023 | |||
| Recorded | 2021–2023 | |||
| Genre | Pop[1] | |||
| Length | 28:31 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Emma chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Souvenir | ||||
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The album peaked at number one on Italian Albums Chart, becoming the singer fifth album to achieve it, being certified platinum by FIMI. In 2024 the album was reiussed including the song "Apnea", which competed at the 74th Sanremo Music Festival.
Composition and conception
editThe album is composed of nine tracks, six of which were written by the singer herself, with the collaboration of songwriters and producers, such as Davide Simonetta, Francesco "Katoo" Catitti, Drillionaire, Federica Abbate, Nesli, Franco126, Andrea Bonomo and Takagi & Ketra.[3][4] The album also featured two collaboration with Italian rappers Lazza and Tony Effe of Dark Polo Gang.[5]
The album's tracks deal with different personal and social issues, such as the death of her father from leukemia, feminism and the relationship with social networks.[6][7][8] The singer told about the meaning of the project:[9]
"Souvenir is all that is left of this long journey. It is the snapshot, still in space and time, of another chapter of my life. It collects the images, the colors, the emotions felt and experienced in these last years. The production of the record brings with it all the acoustic baggage of my better part. It plays with contemporary electronic sounds without distorting what has been built so far. It puts sound research at the service of my new expressive nuances, to create something new while remaining true to myself. 9 stories, 9 songs, 9 pieces of a puzzle representing all my facets. At the end of this whole journey, there remains a great longing for life and revenge. The desire to come out of deep sleep. To break free from a malaise and a state of non-acceptance. Of always looking for the silver lining. This record is just the beginning of something new. It has awakened in me the desire to sing and write many more things, which I will find a way and time to say"
— Emma on Souvenir
In an interview with All Music Italia, Emma told that this is the first chapter of a larger project, in which she hopes "there will be many feats with women in Italian music,"[10] also stating that she has written new tracks with Paolo Antonacci and Davide Simonetta.[11]
Artwork
editIn an interview with Vanity Fair Italia, the singer told about the choice of the album cover, which is associated with feminism and the perception of femininity:[12]
I have always been accused of being unfeminine because I prefer cargo pants to skinny jeans, but that's because women are always bound to a standard ideal. On the cover of Souvenir, on the other hand, there is me with a racing car, an image usually associated with men. Instead it matches me a lot, because I am the one who drives 700 kilometers alone even without stopping
Critical reception
editAlessandro Alicandri of TV Sorrisi e Canzoni considered the album among the best of the artist's career and called it "a beautiful pop album," as she "simultaneously reset and then rebuilt her way of making music; [...] presenting herself again." Alicandri wrote that the tracks have "diverse musical natures" with dance-rock, electro-pop and Latin influences. About the two collaborations, the journalist described the one with Lazza as "a hypnotic track that exudes the naturalness of their meeting," while the one with Tony Effe believed that "it comes across almost as a bonus track" although it "poses a curious and open look at new territories.[1] Writing for Corriere della Sera, Andrea Laffranchi defined the project as "autobiographical and full of memories."[13]
Fabio Fiume of All Music Italia affirmed that the singer brings a "small" but "thoughtful and precious" project, in which "a new expressive delicacy" is evident and that "embraces new sounds, renews herself, remains true to herself without appearing static." This fact has happened, according to the journalist, due to the reshaping of the voice, which becomes "a well-rooted presence that has not really gone away." Fiume appreciated the collaboration with Lazza, which "does not sound like a commercial operation but like a sensible exchange between two friends," and Intervallo, a song that "gives authentic emotions" and in which Emma "manages to talk to her recently deceased father without falling [... ] into spectacularizations of grief"; Fiume also stressed that Ogni volta è così "would have deserved its own place in an album."[14] Marco De Crescenzo of Newsic.it pointed out that the singer is "less blustery, less rough and impatient" than previous projects, with a newfound balance "inner, vocal and also musical."[15]
Commercial performance
editSouvenir debuted at No. 1 of the Italian Albums Chart, becoming Emma's fifth number one album and the third by a woman to achieve that result in 2023.[16]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Iniziamo dalla fine" |
| d.whale | 3:13 |
| 2. | "Amore cane" (featuring Lazza) |
|
| 3:26 |
| 3. | "Mezzo mondo" |
|
| 3:34 |
| 4. | "Intervallo" |
| Katoo | 3:27 |
| 5. | "Sentimentale" |
|
| 2:56 |
| 6. | "Carne viva" |
|
| 3:12 |
| 7. | "Capelli corti" |
| Katoo | 3:15 |
| 8. | "Indaco" |
|
| 3:07 |
| 9. | "Taxi sulla Luna" (featuring Tony Effe) |
| Takagi & Ketra | 2:23 |
| Total length: | 28:33 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Apnea" |
| Boverod | 3:00 |
| Total length: | 31:34 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Femme fatale" |
| JVLI, Starchild | 3:10 |
| Total length: | 34:44 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Apnea" |
| Boverod | 3:00 |
| 2. | "Hangover" (featuring Baby Gang) | 2:50 | ||
| 3. | "Vita lenta" | 2:10 | ||
| 4. | "Pretaporter" | 3:23 | ||
| 5. | "French Riviera" | 3:17 | ||
| 6. | "Lacrime" | 2:42 | ||
| 7. | "Femme fatale" |
| JVLI, Starchild | 3:10 |
| 8. | "Centomila" | 3:07 | ||
| 9. | "Iniziamo dalla fine" |
| d.whale | 3:13 |
| 10. | "Amore cane" (featuring Lazza) |
|
| 3:25 |
| 11. | "Mezzo mondo" |
|
| 3:34 |
| 12. | "Intervallo" |
| Katoo | 3:26 |
| 13. | "Sentimentale" |
|
| 2:56 |
| 14. | "Carne viva" |
|
| 3:12 |
| 15. | "Capelli corti" |
| Katoo | 3:15 |
| 16. | "Indaco" |
|
| 3:07 |
| 17. | "Taxi sulla Luna" (featuring Tony Effe) |
| Takagi & Ketra | 2:23 |
| Total length: | 52:10 | |||
Charts
editWeekly charts
edit| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[17] | 1 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] | 56 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (2023) | Position |
|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[19] | 92 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[20] | Platinum | 50,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b Alicandri, Alessandro (12 October 2023). ""Souvenir" di Emma è un album di vita vera". TV Sorrisi e Canzoni (in Italian). Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ Romano, Rosarianna (28 August 2023). ""Souvenir", esce il nuovo album di Emma Marrone. L'annuncio della cantante ai fan". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ D'Agata, Maria Letizia (12 October 2023). "Musica: esce 'Souvenir', il nuovo viaggio-regalo di Emma Marrone". Agenzia Giornalistica Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ "Emma racconta brano per brano le nove canzoni del suo nuovo disco, "Souvenir". Svelati anche i gli autori". All Music Italia (in Italian). 12 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ Danielli, Silvia (12 October 2023). "Intervista a Emma: Souvenir e il dolore che ti spinge a migliorarti. L'urban e un quaderno speciale". Billboard Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ Conti, Andrea (13 October 2023). "Emma a FQMagazine: "Quando ho perso mio papà pensavo "non lo posso più abbracciare", ora so che le persone che sono andate via ci ascoltano. La rabbia ha fatto posto alla dolcezza"". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ "Emma Marrone, un album di 'Souvenir' della vita". La Repubblica (in Italian). 13 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ Gradi, Stefano (20 October 2023). "Emma, un "Souvenir" che è una risposta al dolore". TV Sorrisi e Canzoni (in Italian). Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ De Crescenzo, Marco (12 October 2023). "Intervista - Emma "Souvenir" è un disco dove depongo le armi". Newsic.it (in Italian). Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ Salerno, Alvise (12 October 2023). "Emma Marrone, "Souvenir" è il primo capitolo di un progetto più ampio. "Alle donne chiedo più empatia"". All Music Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ Dondoni, Luca (13 October 2023). "Lezioni d'amore, Emma torna con "Souvenir"". La Stampa (in Italian). Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ Colosimo, Valentina (12 October 2023). "Emma Marrone: "La morte di mio padre mi ha cambiata"". Vanity Fair Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ Laffranchi, Andrea (13 October 2023). "Emma Marrone: "Ora canto i miei dolori e smetto di avere paura"". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ Fiume, Fabio (12 October 2023). "Emma: un "Souvenir" di quelli che non dimentichi e che conservi per una vita". All Music Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ De Crescenzo, Marco (13 October 2023). "Recensione: EMMA - "Souvenir" [Traccia per traccia]". Newsic.it (in Italian). Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ Muraro, Alberto (20 October 2023). "Emma prima in FIMI: ecco perché il 2023 è un anno eccezionale per le artiste italiane". All Music Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 42 (dal 13.10.2023 al 19.10.2023)" [Album - Weekly ranking WK 42 (from 13.10.2023 to 19.10.2023)] (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Emma – Souvenir". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ "Classifica annuale 2023 (dal 30.12.2022 al 28.12.2023)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ "Italian album certifications – Emma – Souvenir" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 24 June 2024. Select "2024" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Souvenir" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".