Who is Anthony Lazaro?
I’m a singer-songwriter from Italy living in Hamburg and singing in English trying to navigate the seas between acoustic and electronic, with the heart beating for the great crooners of the past and an eye set on the current indie folk and R&B scene. According to my fans my songs help relaxation: which, I guess, is good. After years of playing and songwriting “undercover” I made my first jump in the music scene two years ago, in the summer of 2018 with “Dry Away” and my first splash (literally!) with the song “Coffee Cup,” already covered 200 times and very popular among lovers and coffee lovers around the world. A long trail of music numbers suspended between jazz, folk and R&B. Someone defined “Gravity” one the most relaxing songs ever.
What gives you the Christmas feels?
I’m an early Xmas tree adopter. Meaning that I adopt Xmas trees very early, normally during
mid-late November. That also means I have to adapt, due to the tendency of Xmas trees to take up half of my living room space. I also like to organize a party where people have to bring with them the worst possible thing ever. It must be cheap and horrible and the gifts are distributed randomly: Germans call it the Trash Wichteln.
What to expect from the EP
Very Xmas-y vibes, of course. Apart from the little bump of “I Won’t Be Here,” a folk number with stomps and hollers and trumpeters made for when the mulled wine has started to seriously flow.
The rest is chill, warm and cozy Xmas-ness: the slapstick love story of “Xmas is Here,” the elation of “A Minute to Midnight” and the lo-fi chill of “Santa for Hire.” Plus, a duet cover of the
classic “What Are You Doing New Years’ Eve?”
What will the mix be?
All songs are original, except for one cover. I wanted to see what could happen adapting my
songwriting style to a more Xmas-y narrative.
What are you drawing from for inspiration on the record?
During this crazy year I think we need Xmas more than ever: that’s why, after two years of
procrastination, I’ve decided to take the plunge and create a full album set under the mistletoe.
During Decembers, all Decembers, the classic Xmas tunes (especially the jazzier ones) become a constant soundtrack for 30 days non-stop: I guess that’s been a huge influence too :)
How has this differed from creating a non-holiday music?
I normally try to experiment a lot with genres and moods: blend my main influences with indie
electronic, some indie dance, play around with moody, bittersweet forms of folk. For this album I
had to set some borders to my creativity, and, of course, find a way to mix my normal narrative
styles with the Xmas world. That didn’t prevent me to experiment a little bit, anyway: hence the
fast-paced folk of “I Won’t Be Here” and the very chill/lo-fi downbeat of “Santa for Hire.”
- Since these are original holiday song, how was the writing process different?
I guess, first of all you need to be sure that, melodically, the mood fits the Xmas tone. It must be
very melodic, mellow, maybe even a little bit sugary. Then you have to find the right story for it:
there are so many Xmas songs out there it can become difficult to write something new: I really
hope I was able to do that.
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