Singer/songwriter Tony Ferrari is working his way back into the solo scene with some new music on the horizon.
The new music comes on the heels of his release of his take on Mac Ayre's "Easy," which has gained a lot of traction on Youtube.
Recently, Rock Life caught up with the busy artist, who was happy to talk about what he's been working on.
Q: So you are working on some new music?
Tony Ferrari: Yes, yes! I'm making it. That's all I know!
Q: I saw that you've been working on some of it in Nashville?
TF: Yeah, I've done a lot of stuff in Nashville. I was kind of splitting time there for a couple of years in 2016 and 2017. I was there all of the time. I do a lot of writing for other people as well, so it was mostly that and occasionally writing for me, but over the last year or so I've been writing a ton with my close group of people in L.A.. I feel like I really got onto something that I've been looking for for a long time. So I've mostly been out here now.
Q: As you said, you've done a lot of writing for other people as well as for yourself, but what is it about what you're writing now that feels different for you?
TF: I feel like I can be way more honest. When writing for other people, it's a hard balance to find because you want to be honest, but you also have to figure out would someone else say this. Is this certain thing out of the realm. It's like wow, that's kind of real and maybe it's too much! So for me I realized that I was suddenly writing for myself and I hadn't even been thinking about it, but it was truly my story and a lot about my family and relationships and things like that and I said, okay, these are my songs. It's really gratifying because I don't have to screen it at all. I write what I want to write, which is really amazing and I hadn't been doing that for myself in awhile. It's nice to just sit down without any boundaries.
Q: And what is the plan for getting it out there?
TF: So I have a couple of singles lined up. I have a bunch of songs ready and like getting videos done and all that stuff so I'm hoping that my first single should be out this Summer. So I'm pretty stoked!
Q: You had the "Easy" cover video come out and it's been going over really well. Have you been happy with the reaction to it?
TF: Yes, thank you! It feels really good because like I said, I hadn't really put out anything in such a long time so it was cool just in the amount of people who were like, oh you're back! It was really exciting and very motivating. It made me want to keep things moving.
Q: With the work you've done for Disney and the others, do you find it hard to take a step back and move over to your own music or is the transition relatively easy?
TF: Actually yes, it does feel pretty easy. It's really cool to have both because it depends on what the situation is. Sometimes when you're working for another artist and writing with them it can be a lot of fun. What I like to do is just be open and honest and when you're in a room and you get to pull that out of other people, it's pretty cool and fun to see. However, a lot of the time I'm writing stuff for an artist who isn't in the room and it's kind of a shot in the dark because you just never really know if they're going to like it or if you're meeting the expectation and those situations can really burn you out.
So I think it's really important to kind of have that balance. Sometimes I'm going to be playing shows and I don't have to write everyday and you get to kind of recharge the batteries in that sense. Then there's also things that I can't really do with my music and the style that I consider mine, but with the other work I get to write in all kinds of genres and styles. One day it's a track for Disney and the next it's for another artist who is drastically different and that's really cool too.
Q: It seems like soundtrack work could be incredibly difficult just in the fact that what you are writing for is so specific and there's not much room for experimentation.
TF: Oh my god yes, every time! And most of the time they tell you what they want and you make something exactly like that and you're so proud and it's like, nah, that isn't really what we're looking for. So yeah, that can be hard, but I do really enjoy it. It's a lot of fun to see how it all comes together.
I just worked on the new High School Musical, which I'm extremely stroked about! It's for the new Disney streaming platform and it's going to be a series now. That was really a lot of fun because it is such a music-driven program so they knew what they wanted, but they were really open to creativity.
Q: You started out young writing poetry and that kind of evolved into songwriting. Do you feel that's something that really helped shape your style and help your music stand out lyrically? Your songs tend to have a lot of emotion in them.
TF: Awesome, thank you! Yeah, I do think that. I try to bring it in because that was my first experience of creating something and I think it's a big part of who I am as a person in a creative way. Especially lately because I've spent so much time writing that I've figured out what I love and what I want to do and that has become a big part of it. All of the visual lyrics are something that I love and that basically is poetry: painting a picture with words. So yeah, I definitely consciously incorporate that.
Q: And do you have any live dates coming up?
TF: I'm looking right now to just get this first couple of songs out before I do anything else. I'm really excited because it is a new style for me and is breaking away from things a bit. It's incorporating where I came from, with the acoustic guitar and the singer/songwriter vibe, but it's a lot more produced. I've always been influenced by hip hop and I've kind of brought in that. So it's definitely going to change the live show. I'm just starting to get that ready and I'm pretty excited about it.
Q: What's most important for you out on the stage?
TF: The connection with the audience I think. Just to look out and see people singing along and just feeling the show. I want them to always be feeling something because I think that we lose that a lot now with all of the phones and everything. Live shows feel like one of the last genuine things out there.
Q: And what is your favorite thing about having a chance to do this?
TF: I think putting emotion into a song that I thought that only I was feeling and then realizing that other people feel it too.
Q: That universal connection.
TF: Exactly! That's what it is all about.