The Silence Between Us, a rising metal band, has released a new single. The track, titled “Your Absence,” addresses the serious issue of suicide prevention. Join us as we go behind the scenes with Chiara Zanøn to discuss the new single, the message she hopes to convey, and other interesting topics related to music and society.
Hello, Chiara! Wonderful to chat with you, as always. How is 2023 treating you so far? And how is Kirara doing?
Wohoo what a pleasure to be with FemMetal! Kirara is fine. Sleeping, eating and being cuddled all day is top quality life for any kitten. Her brother Blast is even lazier ahah! I’m fine too. This year started with a lot of news and I’m super happy about how things are going.
Glad to hear that! You kicked off 2023 with a new single ‘Your Absence’ addressing a very important topic. Would you like to tell our readers what your single is about?
This is definitely a song we care so much about. All the band members, as well as many people every year, experienced the loss of a loved one who committed suicide. We wanted to stand from the perspective of the ones left behind, the ones who feel the sorrow, the helplessness and the remorse for not having been able to do more, to understand enough. This is the natural part of processing that extreme act. But along with this, we tried to highlight as hard as we could that there is hope too. None of us is completely alone, even when we really think we are. There’s always another path to choose, we don’t necessarily have to follow the obscure one ‘cause there’s always the possibility to ask for help. We have to take that chance and also remind people we’re worried about that this possibility exists.
Brilliant way to address this topic. What reaction has ‘Your Absence’ received from the fans so far?
Oh, we didn’t expect so much feedback from the audience. I think many people shared a similar experience so many empathized easily with the mood of the song. I think they also liked the artistic growth we did in the last 3 years.
This is a new fun and nerdy thing I love to do in interviews since I last interviewed you! I will set a scenario in an alternate universe with new rules and see how you’d react to the different situations. Ready?
Of course!
In a universe where you are the queen of a country, what would be the first law you’d make?
It’s very difficult to answer. Maybe that every act of kindness would be rewarded with 1 €. Just to see the result of it.
Nice idea. In a universe where pets can speak, what would your cats’ opinions about your music be?
Kirara: “Pleeease less blast beats!”. Blast: “Blast beats are perfectly fine, turn up the bass!”. I’m completely sure.
hahahaha! In a universe where you can make your music in a way that it would be a medicine or treatment for one disease, what disease would your music be the medicine for?
For any disease which implies asthenia ahah!
In a universe where money does not exist, but instead, people pay for things by making other people laugh, how rich would you be considered?
I LOVE to make people laugh, I’d be a multimillionaire!
In a universe where the senses of taste and hearing are mixed up together, what food would you imagine your music would taste like?
Wasabi! Doesn’t fit everybody but when you discover and like it, you can’t live without it.
What would your song be in a universe where a theme song plays whenever you wake up announcing the start of your day?
The exact same song I always listen to when I’m sleepy but I have to go to work. You’re not ready to hear this from me, but it’s Jolyne Theme by Samuel Kim from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures “Stone Ocean”.
Thank you for playing, Chiara! I hope you enjoyed this!
We live in an era where social media has become essential for musicians to reach fans and promote their music. In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of social media having all that power in the music industry?
The main pro is that, as a musician, you can easily make your music listened to even by very far people and you can discover music from all over the world as a listener. You can follow artists you discover all along their path, being in touch with also a “daily” element that makes you feel closer to them. However, since social media work with money, it is also true that often the most popular songs/artists are not necessarily the best ones. Furthermore, I think that it is often difficult to distinguish natural and genuine personalities from built-up ones. You’re just looking at a screen, who knows how’s the person behind it. Built-up artists have always existed, but I think there’s a real risk of becoming one of them even when you start as a spontaneous one since you have to continuously care about numbers, stats, what your audience likes, what keeps people’s attention high… so many things that shouldn’t be part of creating art. It is impossible not to be influenced by them!
Thank you for sharing your insight! You are one-quarter of The Silence Between Us. Can you tell us who the other members of TSBU are, and for each of them, what is one quality you love about them?
Federico, the singer: he had a pretty high number of difficulties in his life but he’s never lost his goodness. Riccardo, the drummer: he always gives 1000% for the band and he has a hidden sweetness I personally find adorable. Salvatore, the guitarist: he’s my boyfriend, I’m not objective! However, I think his main quality is his totally peculiar way of being in balance between his rational and his emotional part.
Thank you for giving us this interview, Chiara. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I hope you enjoyed my company! I love you all! Thanks FemMetal for being always so nice 🙂
Being a feminist has been normalized as an irregularity through our patriarchal society, so I'd rather be called a "decent human" than a "feminist man". I breathe Metal and Rock and have a screwed-up sense of humour.
