Måneskin guitarist Thomas Raggi has spoken to NME about his just-released new solo album ‘Masquerade’, working with Rage Against The Machine icon Tom Morello, and what the venture means for the future of the Italian rock giants.
Though a solo record by name, ‘Masquerade’ actually features a storied cast of collaborators, with the likes of Kasabian’s Serge Pizzorno, Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Maxim of The Prodigy lining up alongside producer Morello for the release.
Speaking of the ethos of the project, Raggi explained that the idea was “to put different generations together”, with newer artists including pop singer Upsahl and Luke Spiller of The Struts also appearing alongside ‘Masquerade’’s more established musical legends.
“It was a challenge to push the limits every time because, if you’re in the room with an artist and you have a different vision, then of course you have to hit the [sweet] spot,” he told NME.”But I think it was cool because it made me more versatile in different genres.”
‘Masquerade’ marks the second Måneskin solo venture following frontman Damiano David’s solo LP ‘Funny Little Fears’ earlier this year. Having ticked off a succession of milestones, from a UK Top Five record with 2023 third album ‘Rush!’ to a headline show at London’s The O2 shortly after, Raggi was quick to point out that the band are very much still together but simply “taking a break for a year to try different stuff”.
“But of course we’re going to come back and write new music, and when we do it’s going to be so powerful,” he clarified.
Read our full interview with Thomas Raggi below, where he also talks about his dream future collaborators and his unexpected games night with Tom Morello.
NME: Hi Thomas, congratulations on ‘Masquerade’! How did the idea to make this very collaborative album come about?
Thomas Raggi: “I took a lot of inspiration from the [self-titled] album Slash did where he brought lots of cool artists in like Lemmy from Motorhead and other amazing guys. Other than that, it came very naturally because I’d written a lot of songs and also I had a very good relationship with Tom [Morello]. I’d spoken to him lots of times and he’d invited me to lots of shows, so it came very naturally to speak with him about this idea. We have a really cool relationship that’s true; you can feel it in the record, I hope!”
Most of the record features guest vocalists, did you not have any aspirations to be the frontman?
“I think the guitar is the main part [of the record] because every song started from a riff, so it’s my record in that way. Also I sang for the first time and there are two songs with my voice so I think it’s cool that I explored that. Everything started with an instrumental on the guitar, and then I’d think of a drumbeat, and the voice was the last step. So I’d try to sing some melodies and after that I took some classes and realised that maybe my voice wasn’t too bad!”
Måneskin recorded ‘Gossip’ with Tom on your last record. What is it about him that you love working with?
“He’s such an incredible guy. I met him for the first time in LA when we worked together for ‘Gossip’ and we spoke a lot about the guitar and how important it is to have a unique sound. I learnt a lot because he has a super strong vision, I think; he’s an amazing guitar player and one of my idols so it was amazing to have him as a mentor. We have a different approach because he’s very scientific and he thinks really differently, so the crossover between me and him was sick.”
You’ve also got a hefty list of collaborators singing and playing on the record – was that a dream list that you put together, or were they mostly already friends?
“It was both. Luke [Spiller] is a really good friend of mine, and I’ve known Matt Sorum [former drummer of The Cult and Guns N’ Roses] for a few years. Chad Smith, I met at the VMAs and he’s a really good friend of Tom’s. I was with Tom in the studio and he said, ‘Chad Smith’s in the other room so it could be cool to say hi and show him the record’. So we asked if he wanted to listen and play on something and he said, ‘Fuck yeah, let’s go!’”
What were your favourite moments from those studio days?
“Every moment was special, but one night I played Dungeons And Dragons with Tom after the recording session. That was funny.”
Did you want your collaborators to put their own stamp on the tracks?
“Yes for sure. For example with Maxim, he’s a rock guy but he’s also more into the electronic vibes, so I tried to do a match between his style and my style. With Serge [Pizzorno], we’d started to write a ballad together but after a moment we switched to another direction and we made it click with this kind of art-rock Kasabian/ Thomas mix. I came up with the riff idea and he was freestyling in front of me, then in 20 minutes we had the song. It was insane. When you write that kind of song you need someone in the room to be really energetic like him.”
There’s also a cover of Dead Or Alive’s ‘You Spin Me Round’ with Alex Kapranos on the record – why that song?
“Originally, me and Tom were thinking of doing a cover on the record because if you think about cool bands in rock history, they’ve done lots of covers. Guns N’ Roses did ‘Knocking On Heaven’s Door’ and there are millions of others. So I was talking to Alex and thinking of what to do, and he said [that song] reminds him of when he was super young and trying to sing for the first time. And for me, it was one of the first dance songs from the past that I listened to, so it was cool that there was meaning behind it for both of us.”
You and Damiano have both released solo projects now. What does that mean for Måneskin?
“The idea is just to experiment in different worlds, which I think is important for a band. I can imagine when we come back in the studio that we’ll bring lots of different elements because everyone’s been on a different journey. That’s a cool thing, and I think it’ll help a lot with the creative process of the band. I think there’s something good in everyone having [space to] experiment.”
Have you started working on any new material yet?
“Not yet, but we have some cool stuff that we can try when we come back to the studio.”
And now you’ve worked with so many people, who would you add to your future dream collab list?
“So many! Robert Plant would be sick – I saw his show in London and it was amazing. Lenny Kravitz also, and Yungblud is incredible. I love the idea of bringing other people in, but when I was thinking about this record, everything was very natural and I was just experimenting and putting it all together, so we’ll see.”
‘Masquerade’ by Thomas Raggi is out now.