Nina Zilli-Finley: "The Wrong One? The Summer Hit Riding the Beach Boys Wave. Our Underdog Song, Without Stereotypes and..." - Interview with Affaritaliani

“The Wrong One”? The Finley-Nina Zilli Summer 2025 Duet is on the Air.

How did your collaboration come about? "From a WhatsApp message I sent her in February or March in the middle of the night - I think it was a Friday or Saturday night - she must have said to herself 'Who is this?' There was this track we had worked on in the studio and we were very convinced that she could say yes, because the sounds and a whole series of things married perfectly with her vocals and her way of interpreting the songs", explains Pedro (Marco Pedretti, The Voice ) telling Affaritaliani.it how this song was born, which gives a 60s flavor , but, listening to it and listening to it again, you also hear other ingredients that span time and emotions.

Yes, because the song, released in recent days, is conquering the radio and the hearts of the musical people for its romantic vein, combined with a rhythm that transmits the desire to sing and dance under the skies and stars of summer. Maybe on August evenings on the beach in front of a bonfire, rather than in an open-air disco by the sea...

A musical cocktail that convinced Nina Zilli first of all...

"Surf, all the Californian music that followed... in my apprenticeship I was also part of those years. Then they (Finley' ndr ) exploded and I watched them from under the stages. It's all music that I've always loved. I would have said yes to this collaboration even without having heard the song", underlines the singer from Piacenza.

"I don't think so, but... you couldn't say no to us with this song, because it was perfect for setting up this collaboration. The vision we had for this piece then turned into reality, we got along well in the studio. And I think that this harmony that was created can be felt and seen by enjoying the video clip" , concludes Pedro.

Why can this song be a candidate for the summer hit of 2025?

“Because… it’s the wrong one,” Nina Zilli promptly replies.

"Because it's different from the others and actually... it's the right one", smiles Pedro. "It's genuine compared to other products, it's a timeless song. Even though we followed this more vintage, 60s musical trend, this choice helps the song to be not 'instant', but broader. Not only summery, even if surfing takes you directly to that type of 'California and beach ' imagery"

"And then we tried not to follow standards, use stereotypes or magic formulas. And this is probably the strength of the song, being different and ' underdog '. So starting at a disadvantage, as we always liked, in history the great comebacks are always more exciting", says Ka (Carmine Ruggiero)

"It wouldn't be bad to start with favorites every now and then. It's cool in storytelling, though...", Pedro laughs.

" Revenge of the Nerds ," jokes Nina Zilli, citing a cult film from the 80s, amidst general laughter.

Among the songs that most inspired 'Quello sbagliato', is there any one that stands out?

"Different. The most mainstream and identifiable thing of that genre is the Beach Boys. We grew up watching movies that drew from surf music a whole bunch of things," Pedro explains.

"I remember when there was only a little bit of musical arrangement, but the lyrics were still missing, we were thinking of the Beach Boys, the intro to the film ' Look Who's Talking ' where there's 'I Get Around' - Dani (Danilo Calvio) underlines - At a certain point we came up with 'But let's also add some Ska, maybe even some trumpets '. Then it wasn't done, but we were still thinking of that whole world"

What are your favorite summer hits?

"I could have several for different reasons. Maybe they are not real catchphrases... One above all is Tonino Carotone and his 'Me Cago En El Amor' ('It's a difficult world And intense life Happiness at times And an uncertain future' ed.), even though it was a song that didn't have much of a summer feel, but for me it was", recalls Nina Zilli

"Another hit comes to mind whose background has some areas of intersection, 'La grande onda' by Piotta. It goes back a bit to surfing ( 'We are the young people, the youngest young people We are the army, the army of surfing', ed.) - explains Pedro - A song that I remember with great pleasure"

"Among the unconventional catchphrases, I think of 'Vieni a ballo in Puglia' by Caparezza. It's written with a gigantic head and yet, absurdly, it's been misinterpreted by many. Instead, among the more frivolous ones I say Chumbawamba and their Tubthumping ( 'I get knocked down But I get up again....' ed.). That stuff makes me fly", says Ka (Carmine Ruggiero)

" Chumbawamba made that record... devastating," agrees Nina Zilli

Riding the wave of summer, aren't you thinking of continuing the Finley-Nina Zilli collaboration to the sea of... Sanremo?

"Summer and Sanremo are the two moments where all the attention and a large part of the musical income is concentrated. To say no a priori to an opportunity like this, more than anything else seems hypocritical to me," confesses Pedro

"If Carlo Conti told us ' Nina, guys, you have to come', what would we say no to?" - Nina Zilli says laughing - It would be stupid. We would need the right song though"

"It's one thing to do it with a song that represents you and then everything becomes easier. If you distort yourself to go, then it becomes continuing with the story. Look at Lucio Corsi, he brought himself to the Festival. He didn't have to distort himself. You see him in concert and it's the same thing as Sanremo. That's the winning secret", concludes Pedro.

"Exactly. Staying true to ourselves, which is already difficult. Because it's something that has its price," Nina Zilli points out.

On the coherence of not distorting oneself and being oneself, Pedro recalls. "We experienced it first-hand in the 10s. In music, guitars and bands had all disappeared. There was the advent of IDM (Intelligent dance music, ed.), of rap in the mainstream circuit. And it was very complicated to play"

"Even now musicians are disappearing, even with international artists. There is a certain type of electronic music that was not mainstream before... that before was also 'the wrong one' (smiles, ed. ). Then it became mainstream and is swallowing up a market with increasingly smaller budgets", adds Nina Zilli.

"It's better to invest in Video Walls or lights, rather than having the band. And so... we are here to fight for this too", concludes Pedro's reasoning.

What is the phrase that best identifies your song?

"'A musician, yes, but what do you do for a living?' In my opinion, it's very illustrative. Not so much of the song, but of our life. In Italy, music is not often taken seriously, as a real profession", replies Pedro.

"But then I connect to your previous question about Sanremo", Carmine Ruggiero joins in. "If you don't go there they tell you 'You disappeared? But do you really do it for a living?' Now the Festival seems like a certificate of success in your profession"

"Exactly - adds Nina Zilli - ' But I haven't seen you since ' they tell you. 'But as a lady I played yesterday, I did 25 dates. 'They make me die ", she concludes smiling. "A musician is also someone who plays in clubs, in pubs, teaches an instrument...", adds Pedro.

"Live is what unites us with our audience. It is essential - Nina Zilli emphasizes - The point of contact between you and others"

And also...

Nina Zilli and Finley, the song of the summer "Quello Sbagliato" and more - The video interview with Affaritaliani.it

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