The Metro-Mediterranean Musician

We live for our Metro-Mediterranean moments - those times during our busy day that we close our eyes and daydream of the Mediterranean. There's often music in the background, and more often than not, it's that of the renowned Italian musician Paolo Conte.

Conte is an Italian singer, composer, pianist, and lawyer most known for his grainy and resonant voice. Born in the northern Italian city of Asti, Conte grew up listening to jazz and blues, and their influence can be felt throughout his discography. Conte’s songs are often full of sentiment and melancholy, and are melodic roller coasters that effortlessly fuse seemingly disparate genres with restless lyrics and genius rhymes. Listening to Conte is an emotional experience and you can’t help but construct imaginary worlds from his music.

One of our favorite songs is Un gelato al limon (A lemon gelato). It's a love ballad where Conte, despondent due to the passing summer spent in the city and not at the sea, shows his love that a Mediterranean way of life exists in the city if you let yourself dream. It's an apt parallel to our Metro-Mediterranean mindset.

A documentary on Conte's life titled “Paolo Conte, via con me (It’s wonderful)” is opening in cinemas soon. In honor of the occasion, we wanted to use this space to introduce you to Conte and his work if you are not already familiar. Conte's music is very close to our hearts as it embodies our interpretation of the Metro-Mediterranean mindset.