I met Andrea last year at a themed night at Bistro Árbol in Puerto del Carmen. His understated style, versatility and clear voice made the evening even more enjoyable. I undoubtedly had to catch up with him, sooner or later. Here is the result:
Do you have a stage name?
No, I just go by my name: Andrea.
Where are you from originally, Andrea?
I’m from the north of Italy, Genova.
And how long have you lived in Lanzarote?
I arrived in Lanzarote in March 2008 and never left!
What brought you to the island in the first place?
I needed a change of air and to find a quieter place where the quality of life was better, so after a holiday with my wife in the Canary Islands in 2005 we decided to give Lanzarote a go…
What do you like about the island?
We liked the volcanic landscape, many people find it too arid, but we loved it!!!!
What is your favourite place in Lanzarote?
The north of the island in general, especially Arrieta, the Playa de la Garita. For lunch we like two places which we are very loyal to: Bistro Árbol in Puerto del Carmen which is a vegetarian/vegan restaurant, the best on the island for elegance and quality; and Da Bubi Ristorante Pizzeria in Costa Teguise, because they make us a very good buckwheat pizza…. very tasty!!!
Mmmm, I love Bistro Árbol myself but I had never heard of the Pizzeria… I’ll have to try it sometime! Now, back to business. Tell us, Andrea, what do you sing?
I sing almost all genres, mostly 60s songs because I have a lot of pop and rock’n roll from that era. But I also sing swing, pop, country, dance, soul, ballads…It’d be quicker to tell you what I’ll never sing but I don’t want to be mean, hahaha.
Hahaha, that’s a good one. So, who would be your idol?
You could say that I started singing because in 1978 my mother bought me an Elvis Presley LP at a flea market and I immediately fell in love with his style, he is my idol. Then I fell in love with the whole musical history of the United States and later also the United Kingdom, I love English as a language in music, I find it very musical!
How would you describe your concerts & your music to someone who has never heard you?
This is a complicated question… I would describe myself as singing with my heart and soul. I love it so much that sometimes I overdo it and sing a lot and much more than I should but that’s just me: when I sing, I never look at the clock…
They say time flies when you are having fun!
Exactly! I think my repertoire is for everyone… music of all times and I hope you hear my music as I feel it. For someone who has never heard me I think my songs are enjoyable and, even if I don’t play any instruments in my performances, I always choose the highest quality backing tracks so that the sound is as true as possible.
Believe me, it shows! Where might people know you from?
I have performed in many places over the last 13 years but certainly one place that stands out for its popularity and beauty is the Marea Terraza Lounge Bar in Playa Blanca. There is an atmosphere that can hardly be matched in other places, its remarkable location makes it unique on the island.
Before the Pandemic I was singing from Monday to Sunday without a break, singing in hotels like Princesa Yaiza, Fariones, La Geria, Gran Meliá Salinas, Meliá Volcán, Las Costas, Rubicon Palace, etc. and also a few bars like Marea Terraza, Café Terraza and more.
Wow, you are a busy man! Are you doing concerts online at the moment?
No, at the moment I’m not singing online. These types of gigs are not my cup of tea. I have seen many of these concerts but I was always disappointed by the sound, which is a fundamental element to enjoy a musical event.
I see. Do you have any special projects in the near future?
I’m thinking about developing a different show that will include a screen but I’m still thinking about this project. At the moment I’m working on a new release “Dance for Brazil” with an American song writer and an Italian musician friend of mine. I was quite successful in Brazil in the 90s, becoming number 1 in the charts in 1994/95 singing dance version of songs from the 60s like “Ho Carol”, “The Time of My Life” and many more. In those days I did have a stage name: Andrew Sixty.
Very appropriate! How can our readers keep up to date with your concerts and news?
Simply by visiting my Facebook page: Andrea & The Stamps “Andrew Sixty”.
Tell us something that your fans might not know about you (yet)…
My hobby is just music, doing this miracle to the best of my ability. Also, my wife and I are vegetarians, we love animals in fact we have 6 cats and 1 puppy -1 kitten left us in January and it was really sad (Ah, sorry to hear that!). Then the usual: we like to travel, especially to the USA.
Well, you certainly seem to have your hands full! Thank you very much for your time, Andrea & the best of luck in the future with any of your projects.
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