What have you been up to in the past 12 months, and what are your plans for the immediate future?
Hello everyone. We have done many things this year: we played in the film "EX", directed by FAUSTO BRIZZI, which is being distributed in Spain, France, the UK and it's going to be distributed soon in South America, Australia and China; we've recorded the promo of the album "SIEDI E ASCOLTA" in Italy, the new CD album "LINGUAGGIO UNIVERSALE" (inside the book "ISTRUZIONE, CHIAVE DELLO SVILUPPO") the book of the RITA LEVI MONTALCINI FOUNDATION (Nobel Prize for Medicine)... We really have done so many things, and now we are working on a project called "CRESCERE INSIEME L'ARTE PER", which is dedicated to the schoolchildren of Italy and every school interested around the world! We are building a network of artists who will be working together with the schoolchildren. The artist composes a song with the help of the students and brings them in a concert. It's really going to be a big event for the Italian schools, with students from all over Italy and abroad. We are starting from L'Aquila, Abruzzo...We'd like to have international schools to collaborate with the Italian schools and sing along with them. They can also write poems or lyrics with many different languages... We thought of organizing a meeting in Italy with delegations from other countries.
You represented Italy in the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest. How did it feel to represent your country at such a large event? Representing Italy in the ESC had been a wonderful experience. We would like to repeat it, but the national television station, RAI TV, is not interested in the contest. At least, I think so...!!
If Italy ever made a come-back to the Contest, would you consider of entering the national selection to represent Italy again? Of course! YES!
Is it true that you showed interest in representing San Marino in 2008, and if so, what type of a song were you thinking of entering with? We would like to participate with San Marino, but TV SAN MARINO sent the nice group MIODIO, who live in San Marino. We had submitted the song "BETWEEN HEAVEN AND ROSE", inspired by men of peace, with music by Younis Tawfik, and lyrics by Fabio Ricci.
What is your opinion regarding the decision of the Italian broadcaster RAI to stop entering the Eurovision? I think it's a matter of money. It would be too expensive for RAI TV to organize such a big event if Italy wins the contest. I very much regret of this: RAI TV is a bit "much" on the Festival of Sanremo, which wants to export abroad, but does not want to import such a large international event like the ESC, which is too bad, because our love for the ESC is so high that we would also represent a foreign nation!!
Do you feel that the new voting system and the recent success in 2009 of countries that performed poorly in the 2000s (such as France and the UK) would encourage RAI to consider entering again? We hope so!
Would you ever enter the Sanremo Music Festival again?
We have some thoughts about it, but it's not a priority for us.
What made you enter the Eurovision Song Contest? Was it always the plan after winning the Sanremo Festival, or did RAI contact you? Our producer, Carmen Di Domenico, went to the head of RAI Mr. Maffucci and asked him with insistence to let us participate in the ESC. RAI thought about it and then agreed!
What is your overall opinion of the calibre of artists entering the Junior Eurovision Song Contest this year? Very high I think. And above all, we wish that it's going to maintain the creativity consistent with their age. We do not like "phenomena", the juniors should keep pure their freedom of expression.
Do you think Junior Eurovision is a good platform of showing young performers and talent?
I think it's a good opportunity. Children must meet, talk, laugh, love, play together and mix together in a great universal language of music.
Would you ever consider writing a song as a country’s entry for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest?
Absolutely YES! Indeed, I would like the text to be written by schoolchildren and the music composed by us.
What advice would you give to the young people who are about to perform at the Contest in November? To have fun playing the music, make friendships with many people and even if they don't end up in the first place, they should know that they will be equally successful, because they are the future of the world, they have it in their hands.
Which country or countries do you feel has the best chance of winning this year?
Which nation? I tell you with a smile: the United Nation of Children in Music. We wait for you in info@jalisse.it - www.myspace.com/jalisseduo and GOOD LUCK to everybody from Alessandra e Fabio and JALISSE!
as of November 1st, oikotimes.com begins the presentation of all 13 official videos from the 2009 JESC participating countries, in a special review by Fabio and Alessandra (Jalisse), stay tuned!
