Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Valentina Marino

Valentina Marino is an artist who should be on everybody’s radar. An up-and-coming talent, Valentina has connected with listeners around the world with her relatable lyrics and unmatched vulnerability. Pop Culturalist caught up with Valentina to learn more about her, her career, and her new release.

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
Valentina: I have always loved singing. I started jumping on tables at family dinners and recording myself on a tape recorder when I was three. Since then, it’s turned into a lifelong obsession.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Valentina: I have to say my own determination and my own vision of what music would lead me to.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Valentina: The first time I sang at the iconic Porgy and Bess in Vienna, Austria, and the first tour in Florida for the release of my album In the Name of Love. Also, that time when I dedicated “Take Five” to my dad at my graduation recital.

PC: Quarantine Covers is out now. What can fans expect from the release?
Valentina: I am expecting my fans to absolutely love it! I want them to get used to my ongoing pop and cross over into new music projects. It’s a wonderful jump from the land of jazz into this new territory, and a prelude to my soon-to-be-released East 75th album, a collection of all original pop, rock, and folk compositions.

PC: How did you decide what songs you wanted to reinterpret? Which was your favorite? Which was the most challenging?
Valentina: All of the songs on this album narrate the cycles of love and life. They talk about breakups, new love, ends and beginning, disillusions, and positive surprises. My two equally favorite songs were “Somebody That I Used to Know” and “No Roots”. The most challenging to re-arrange and re-interpret was “Consider Me Gone”.

PC: As we look ahead to 2021, what does the year hold for you?
Valentina: The release of East 75th, new tours, new songwriting adventures, lots of traveling around the world, and lots of good sharing with my beloved ones.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Valentina: Metallica.

PC: First album you bought?
Valentina: Ella & Louis.

PC: First concert you attended?
Valentina: Madonna in Rome!

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Valentina: Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. Listening to it was a paranormal experience. It’s a hymn to life, something that can lift your spirits up in one second and remind you that there’s nothing more magical and miraculous than music.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Valentina: Madison Square Garden! Any venue with an audience who is there to embrace my performance is equally important, no matter how big or notorious.

PC: A must-have on the road?
Valentina: Good food, good company, and a joyful heart.

To keep up with Valentina, follow her on Instagram and Spotify.