Fabiana Palladino has published one of the most elegant pop albums of 2024. ‘Fabiana Palladino’, a work influenced by the 80s pop of Prince and Janet Jackson, but that has the contemporary aura of Jai Paul – who has participated in the production -, is a debut that seems to come from nowhere, but that has been in the making for years, and its songs have conquered people as influential as Robyn or Lorde, who have recommended them on their networks without anyone asking them to.
It is impossible to talk about Fabiana Palladino without mentioning her father, Pino Palladino, a renowned session musician who has played – and continues to play – with the greats, from Elton John to The Who. The bass you hear on Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus’ ‘II Most Wanted’ is played by him. Fabiana has also made a career in that discipline for years and, for example, has gone on tour with Jessie Ware, but now the time has come for her to be the protagonist.
It’s not easy to go from being just another member of a band to becoming the star of the recording studio, but Fabiana’s material is solid and her album is one of the best of the year. Fabiana will present it in Spain this October on two dates, on the 19th at the Sala Clamores in Madrid, and on the 21st at Razzmatazz 3 in Barcelona. We spoke with Fabiana about her album, the 10-year span since we first heard her music, and also about her passion for Lady Gaga.
How has this last year been for you?
It’s been a crazy year. My life has changed drastically after releasing the album, a four-year effort. I had played for other artists before, so it’s very nice to be able to talk about my own music. Releasing an album, doing a promotional campaign, shooting music videos… it has been very special. But the most special thing has been playing live and meeting people in person.
You talk about campaigns… Have you sent your album to the Grammys? I’ve been looking at the GoldDerby list, but you’re not there.
I think so, my label has submitted the album to several categories. I’m very bad at remembering the names of the nominations, but one I think is Best Pop Album, another Best Pop Duo for ‘I Care’ with Jai Paul, and another Record with Best Sound Engineering. This one surprised me a lot, I don’t really understand why the album was sent to this category.
Because? Don’t you think your album has good sound engineering?
(Laughs) Okay! The sound engineering of the album has been done by very talented people. It just hasn’t been a priority for me. Honestly, I would be very happy to be nominated in any category. I didn’t even imagine that the label would propose it…
I would tell you that, when you listen to the album, one of the first things that catches your attention is how well produced it is, if not the first thing, on a technical level.
In fact, production is the part of the process that has taken the longest to complete. The songs were written quickly, but the production has taken a lot of time and effort. It has been a long process to find the right engineers and find the perfect mix to arrive at the current sound.
The first time we talked about you was in 2014. Back then you were releasing your single ‘For You’ with Sampha. Your album came out 10 years later. What has happened?
It’s been a mix of things. Basically, I didn’t want to release anything that didn’t convince me completely. Around the time of ‘For You’, I could have released more music and signed a record deal, but it wasn’t the right time; The material did not convince me enough. Also, at that time I was already making a living playing for other artists as a session musician, and that part of my life has been very valuable too, for many years. I’ve had to give that up to make the album I wanted to make, and that’s also been hard, in part.
Aren’t you one of those artists who write songs in 5 or 10 minutes?
I have written songs in a very short time, while others have taken me years. In general, I’m a slow person, who needs time to process things, but since I’ve released the album, I feel like everything is flowing at a faster pace, and I’m comfortable with it. I’m trying not to stop. Now I’m writing, creating music and making decisions faster than before.
There are not too many cases of artists who become known and take 10 years to publish their debut. Koreless comes to mind, to give a recent example. Weren’t you afraid that people would forget about you with all the new music coming out every week?
It’s something that has worried me, yes. Nowadays there is a lot of music coming out, and it seems that people want news quickly, to consume it quickly and then move on to the next thing. It’s one of the reasons I’ve felt self-conscious about releasing my music in the past, feeling like I can’t keep up. However, the response to my album has been very positive; I think people appreciate that I took my time to create it without rushing. At the same time, I also notice that people who appreciate my music want more. I feel the pressure, no artist can ignore it: the public always wants more than what you have to offer. I’m trying to go faster, but always taking care that this pressure doesn’t affect my music.
«Nowadays there is a lot of music coming out, it is one of the reasons why it took me so long to publish my album, the fact that I feel like I can’t keep up with the rhythm»
What is the chronology of the album’s composition? Which song do you write first, and which last?,
It has been a process of more or less four years. Before that I wrote some loose songs. The first one I composed for the album was ‘Stay with Me Through the Night’, I had that one for years. I always knew I wanted to put it on an album and, in the end, it ended up influencing the sound of the rest of the songs. Back in January 2020, the plan was to release an EP on Paul Institute that included that song and two others that I had finished. However, for different reasons, the EP was put in a drawer and it was decided to release an album directly. That’s when the album process started to take shape. I wrote many songs that year, and the last one was the one that opens the album, ‘Closer’, which took me ten minutes to write. I don’t know why she went out alone.
I was going to ask you about it, the percussions are tremendous. What is this song about?
‘Closer’ talks about the uncertainty and confusion that can be experienced in a romantic context, of not knowing what you feel and what the other person feels. Relationships can be very complex. It is a universal feeling. I wanted for ‘Closer’ to capture an atmospheric and intense sound. At the same time, in the composition there is a play of tension and relaxation, because the percussions hit hard but the chords provide softness. I’ve been inspired by my favorite R&B songs, from Aaliyah, Timbaland, people like that. Although I don’t think it sounds like their music at all, that was the intention.
Man, ‘In the Fire’ sounds a lot like Aaliyah, although ‘Closer’ reminds me a little of Alexander O’Neal’s late night R&B. The whole album, actually. It makes sense because Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis were your producers and you’re wearing a Janet Jackson t-shirt in the promotional images.
Without a doubt, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis have had a huge influence on my work. In fact, I don’t know why I haven’t mentioned them when talking to you about ‘Closer’. They are so influential that I forget to mention them because I almost take them for granted. They are in the very DNA of the album. In fact, a crazy thing has happened, that Jimmy Jam has heard the album, I don’t know how, and he has been commenting on some of my Instagram posts. I haven’t given credit… does this person I admire so much really listen to my music? For me he is such a mysterious figure… It is incredible that he supports my album.
What exactly has Jai Paul contributed to the album? Because you produce it entirely, but he has done things too.
I produced the album, but Jai Paul had a lot to do with the sound of the percussions and the programming. The drums of ‘In the Fire’ or ‘Can You Look in the Mirror?’ They sound the way they sound because Jai Paul has created them based on what I was looking for. He has also participated in the sound of the voice and certain instruments; They are elements that we have created together, but under their direction and influence.
‘I Care’ is your best song, right? It seems that way to me… Tell me something that people don’t know about her.
Well, I mentioned it briefly when it came out, but ‘I Care’ was inspired by the Motown duets I listened to when I was little, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Diana Ross, people like that. They no longer do romantic duets of this style, in which each performer sings their side of the story, and I wanted to do my own version of that, but I didn’t want to write a love song and that’s it, but I wanted to get into the grays. , talk about that moment when you’re not sure the song is going anywhere.
«I am a crazy fan of Lady Gaga, I admire her because she is a brave artist who has many facets»
Right now a romantic duet like the ones you mention is positioned at number 1 globally. What do you think of ‘Die with a Smile’?
I’ve been obsessed with the song since the first moment I heard it. Although I am a crazy Lady Gaga fan and I like everything she does. I think it improves day after day. Of course, Bruno Mars is also brilliant as a pop singer. ‘Die with a Smile’ has a very classic structure and composition and uses very traditional tricks and turns that are not so popular anymore. It’s difficult to make a song in this style and not sound old-fashioned, but they manage to bring it to our time. Also, I love the production of ‘Die with a Smile’ because it sounds like a band but at the same time has a lot of packaging. And above all I like that Gaga and Bruno don’t shy away from sounding as melodramatic as possible.
Listening to your music I would have said that you are more of a Bruno fan. Lady Gaga’s production style is the complete opposite of yours. What is your favorite album of hers?
It’s true that Gaga makes very different music than what I make, but I listen to a lot of artists who don’t make anything similar to my music. I have to say that I love ‘Joanne’, at the time it seemed like a very interesting path for Gaga because it showed that not only is she a quirky pop star, but also that the influence of country is authentic to her story. What I like most about Gaga is that she has very different facets and she is not afraid to give herself to any of them, she is a brave artist. You would never have said at the time of ‘The Fame’ that I would end up releasing jazz albums with Tony Bennett or like the one he just released, ‘Harlequin’. I really admire these types of artists who work hard and do whatever they want. I’m really looking forward to hearing the new album that Gaga is preparing.
Lorde and Robyn have recommended your music online, why do you think they like your music?
I find it incredible that these two artists like my music. I think they must hear something in it that is interesting to them, it could be the composition, I can’t tell you. I admire both of them very much and it seems incredible to me that they not only like what I do but that they have also made the effort to share it with people, through their networks. It’s strong.
Your father, Pino Palladino, has played with the greats. What do you think of your album?
He loves it. My parents have always supported me a lot. Obviously many of my influences come from the music they listened to, so it makes sense that my father likes it. In addition, he plays on several songs on the album. He is very clear and, if he doesn’t like something, he won’t get involved in it.
As a child you met a lot of people, from Eternal to Simon & Garfunkel. Can you tell me another similar story?
When I was a little girl my father went to play with D’Angelo. I’m talking to you about the 2000s, from the ‘Vooodo’ era. My father spent a lot of time on tour and we only saw him traveling. At that time, D’Angelo was playing at Radio City Hall in New York and presenting a very theatrical and sinister show. At least, for an 11 or 12 year old girl, it was. I have a very vivid memory of seeing that concert and I still remember it as something special. Not many 12-year-olds get to see a D’Angelo concert…
