Today, singer-songwriter Andrea Ramolo shares “Italian Summer” – the second single from her forthcoming album Quarantine Dream. “This new song is a fresh and catchy bit of musical escapism to the Italian summer I’ve been so longing for while stuck amidst all these restrictions,” says Andrea. “It’s a daydream of a song with a great big chorus that is hopeful and nostalgic while tickling the senses and inviting everyone to dance.” The song is accompanied by a vivid new video directed by Joanna Glezakos. The track is also treated to a pop-dance mix from multiple JUNO-award winning producer, DJ, and president of HI-Bias Records Nick Fiorucci. Listen here. Both versions are OUT NOW!
“Italian Summer” is the follow-up to the lead single “DUST” which was accompanied by an absolutely stunning video directed by Nikki Ormerod. The single garnered coverage from the likes of Addicted Magazine, Aesthetic Magazine, American Songwriter, Amplify, Canadian Beats, CBC Radio One, Great Dark Wonder, and many more. Both of the songs are from Andrea’s forthcoming album Quarantine Dream due out this fall on October 22, 2021. The album is produced by Sarah MacDougall and features a collection of 10 new songs, including co-writes with Kinnie Starr, Hill Kourkoutis, and Madison Violet. Stay tuned for more about the new album at http://www.andrearamolo.com/.
“I wanted to find a positive, upbeat space for my longing and all the things I miss about being overseas,” says Andrea. “Like all the songs off the new record, this is just one of the many dreams that helped carry me through the isolation and loneliness over the past 17 months. Italian Summer is a good dream though… a bright dream. It smells of the sea and of all the things I love about Italy. I am a first-generation settler in this country. Both of my parents immigrated here from Italy in the 60’s and I have such a deep love for the place and simply for the way I feel when I’m over there. I thought I’d write my voyage there in the form of a song and invite listeners on the trip.”
What’s The Story about Andrea Ramolo?
Born in Toronto to Italian immigrants, Andrea Ramolo comes from a close famiglia with strong female role models, her mom (who beat cancer twice), and Nonnas who celebrated and encouraged hard work, strength, and perseverance. The triple-threat began her journey into the arts as a dancer and actor, until she ventured into music in 2008 with the release of her album, Thank You For The Ride, which she supported with close to 200 shows across Canada.
Her 2011 follow-up, The Shadows and the Cracks led to her first Canadian Folk Music Awards nomination. Andrea then partnered with her friend Cindy Doire to form Scarlett Jane and spent the next five years touring behind two folk albums for distributor Warner Music Canada, 2012’s Stranger and 2015’s eponymously-titled offering. Stranger earned them two more CFMA nominations.
Along the way, Andrea also contributed to projects by Tom Wilson’s Lee Harvey Osmond, where she met Cowboy Junkies’ Michael Timmins, who would go on to produce her next two solo albums, starting with the stellar NUDA (Italian for ‘naked’). The album emerged out of a deep depression following a romantic breakup with Tom and shifted her artistic path to something raw, dark, cool, understated and melancholy. Taking a break from lyrical catharsis, she then dove into an album honouring songs by Leonard Cohen, appropriately titled Homage, which earned her another CFMA nomination in 2020.
When the pandemic struck, first overseas. Italy declared a state of emergency and the world watched in horror as the death toll rapidly climbed. Heartbroken by what Andrea saw in her family’s homeland, where she has explored her heritage and built up a music following, Andrea wrote and released her first original Italian-language song, “Una Lettera,” to raise funds for the Red Cross’ Italy Covid-19 Response Appeal.
Photo by: Jen Squires
