Santa Chiara
Imported
Kill Rock Stars
Chiara D’Anzieri was something of a child prodigy in her native Italy. As a teenager she was playing cello with various orchestras and leading her own string quartet. At 20, she left the classical world to pursue her interest in rock and roll. She named her musical persona Santa Chiara, after her favorite monastery in Naples.
Because she ran into so much misogyny in the rock world, she basically learned all the rock instruments and figured out how to record herself. Chiara produced Imported and played most of the instruments. The overall feel of the album is like floating down a river on a warm, sunny day. The vibe is relaxed and dreamy, and sometimes you may wonder if you’re hallucinating. In the lyrics though, lurk imps and daemons.
The story behind Imported is about love and bureaucracy. Chiara married American musician Ron Gallo and put herself through the gauntlet that is US immigration. In the album’s opening track, “25,” Chiara sings, “A quarter century old, now an immigrant made to feel like a criminal.” The dreamy pop sounds mask the pain and frustration of being an immigrant. Those frustrations are further elaborated using sampled voices and distorted spoken work sections in the hyperactive song, “Visa.” Other songs deal with the anxiety and uncertainty of upending her whole life for love.
Living in a new country, speaking a new language, starting a new family. It’s not easy.
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