Måneskin

2015–2016: Formation

Members Damiano David, Victoria De Angelis, and Thomas Raggi first met each other as students during their high school days in Rome, with Ethan Torchio from nearby Frosinone soon joining them when they inquired on Facebook in a "Musicians Wanted" advert for a drummer to complete the line-up. Although the band's origins can be traced to 2015, it was officially formed in 2016 when the members had to choose the band's name because they had decided to register for Pulse, a local music contest for emerging bands. While brainstorming, De Angelis, who is half Danish, was asked by her bandmates to toss out some Danish words, and they agreed on Måneskin ('moonlight'), although its meaning is not related to the band itself.

Musical style and influences

According to Damiano David, the group is "a translation of the music of the past into modernity". Måneskin's music has been classified as pop rock, alternative rock, glam rock, hard rock and funk rock. Their music style changed from a pop rock sound with funk influences on their first studio album, to hard rock on their second studio album, as heard in "Zitti e buoni". Their look and sound have been compared to 1970s rock music. The band members have cited various musical and fashion influences, including Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Nirvana, Perry Farrell, Radiohead, Franz Ferdinand, David Bowie, Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, Gentle Giant, the Rolling Stones, the Doors, Arctic Monkeys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, IDLES, Harry Styles, Bruno Mars,...

GOSSIP

"Gossip" is a song by Italian rock band Måneskin featuring American guitarist Tom Morello. It was released on 13 January 2023 as the fourth single from their third studio album Rush! (2023).

Critical reception

The song was positively received by music critics, appreciating the instrumental intervention of Tom Morello and the orientation to hard rock sounds. Will Richards of NME called the song's sounds "rock'n'roll with rough guitars and a driving beat"; similarly Abby Jones of Consequence wrote that the sounds are in continuity with the band's "catchy, danceable rock," calling Morello's solo "emphatic."

Music video

The music video for the song, directed by Tommaso Ottomano, was released on 13 January 2023, the same day the single was released.

Beggin'

"Beggin'" is a song composed by Bob Gaudio and Peggy Farina and first released as a single by American band the Four Seasons in 1967. Initially charting at number 16 on the US Billboard chart, the song became popular in the Northern soul scene in the United Kingdom in the 1970s.

It has been covered multiple times, with versions by Norwegian hip-hop duo Madcon and Italian rock band Måneskin topping music charts in Europe and beyond. The Four Seasons' version was remixed in 2007 by French DJ Pilooski and re-released as a single, reaching number 32 on the UK Singles Chart, commercially outperforming the band's original release in the UK.

Måneskin cover

Italian rock band Måneskin performed a cover of the song during the eleventh season of X Factor Italia, where the group was coached by Manuel Agnelli. A studio version of the song later appeared on their debut extended play Chosen, released in 2017. Their cover largely follows the structure of the Madcon version, including the rap verse. Although it was not released as a single, it peaked at number 39 on the Italian Singles Chart and in 2018 received a gold certification by FIMI in their native country.

Other cover versions

The Four Seasons' original version did not chart in the United Kingdom. Instead, psychedelic pop band Timebox had a minor hit with their Michael Aldred production of the song, peaking at number 38 in 1968.

Chosen

"Chosen" is the debut single by Italian group Måneskin. It was released on 24 November 2017 by Sony Music and was included in their debut EP with the same name.

Music video

The music video for "Chosen", directed by Trilathera, premiered on 13 December 2017 via Måneskin's official YouTube channel.

Fear for Nobody

"Fear for Nobody" is a song by Italian group Måneskin. It was included in their debut album Il ballo della vita and released as a single on 11 January 2019 by Sony Music.

Music video

The music video for "Fear for Nobody", directed by Qwerty, premiered on 18 January 2019 via Måneskin's YouTube channel.

SUPERMODEL

"Supermodel" is a song by Italian rock band Måneskin. It was released on 13 May 2022 through Epic Records and Sony Music, as the second single of their third studio album, Rush! (2023).

It was written by Måneskin members Damiano David, Victoria De Angelis, Thomas Raggi and Ethan Torchio, alongside Justin Tranter and the song's producers Max Martin, Rami Yacoub and Sylvester Sivertsen. It is a California-inspired pop rock track with a grunge intro.

Background and development

Following Måneskin's win at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Zitti e buoni", the band achieved global success. In February 2022, they moved to Los Angeles to record their third studio album. In the city, they met many people obsessed with an idea of "celebrity" status or trying really hard to dress up for parties. According to the group's frontman, Damiano David, the band members were thinking that this obsession with status and appearance must be an exaggeration made by TV and movies, but it turned out to be real. This caused them to wonder whether or not these types of people are happy, leading to the creation of a fictional character called "Supermodel".

Music and lyrics

"Supermodel" is a pop rock song, that starts with a grunge intro, compared to Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (1991). Music critics noted that the track has a California sound to it, while Dominika Pawłowska from Eska Rock likened it to the sound of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Following the intro, Damiano starts singing with "sultry" vocals, backed-up by fast-paced rhythm, and Victoria De Angelis' "three-dimensional" bass, whilst the chorus has been described as "adrenaline-pumping" by Panorama's Gabriele Antonucci. Bria McNeal of Nylon opined that the track is "catchy"; while Jenesaispop's Paul Bacon noted that its "2000's-sounding guitars" are reminiscent of Maroon 5. Writing for Rockol, Claudio Cabona opined that "Supermodel" is a "mix...

Critical reception

Julien Goncalves of Pure Charts called the song "electric", while Kerrang!'s Emily Carter described it as "glistening". Writing for NME, Sam Moore dubbed the track "lively". In an article published in Gazzetta del Sud, it was opined that "'Supermodel', with a typically Californian sound and a contagious modern rock groove, is the new, extraordinary proof of maturation by a band in unstoppable evolution, which continues from time to time to define its own inimitable rock n' roll identity." On the similar note, a writer from the HuffPost dubbed the song's characteristics, as proof of Måneskin's maturation. Doris Daga of Vogue Scandinavia said that it is a "perfect track to get the party started". In an Elle article, the song's title has been...

Release and commercial performance

Måneskin announced the release of "Supermodel" on 4 May 2022 through their social media. On the next day, they shared a video containing the song's snippet and the music video's behind-the-scenes content, with the caption "Fancy a party?". The band continued teasing the single in the following days with various pictures and videos on Instagram, one clip featuring the song's first verse with footage of David eating fruits and drinking champagne in a bathtub. "Supermodel" was released for digital download and streaming on 13 May, it was also sent to Italian airplay, through Epic Records and Sony Music. On 17 May, Arista Records sent the single to the US alternative radio stations. Commercially, "Supermodel" landed at number 11 in Italy and...