Today we’d like to introduce you to Toto Blu.
Hi Toto, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
The moment had come for me to explore different cities, cultures and open myself to the unknown. When I moved to Los Angeles at the age of 25, it was an obscure beginning, but I knew why I came here: Music. But of course, as it often is, I was deluded and believed that living in the city alone would make it work for me. That wasn’t the case and I had to reconsider my strategy. Through fortunate events, I happened to work with Black Box LA, which is an amazing agency that helps form artists. And that’s when I believe I had a major change in the way I approach music and the exposure of my creativity as a public artist.
Since that, it’s been a back and forth, traveling a lot around Los Angeles, the German cities where I enjoyed most of my upbringing, and the lovely little cities of Sicily that are my cultural and genetic heritage. As I started to appreciate the latter more and more, I found that I would love to write songs that include Italian as well as German lyrics in my songs. As I’ve been writing and producing music myself since my teenage years, I have been lucky to be able to incorporate my ideas and inspirations freely into my creations.
In fact, I feel that my new music combines the energy from several major cities that have formed me: Los Angeles, Berlin and a lovely little city in Sicily called Canicattì. I lived in Berlin for some time and I feel like it’s kind of like a colder version of LA when it comes to openness and creativity. My latest solo release “La Città”, which in Italian means “The City”, is the first official expression of this new language that has formed through all of these experiences.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When I first moved to Los Angeles, it was right before the COVID-19 pandemic happened. That was a roller coaster ride, but luckily things turned out good. With my ex-partner, her twin sister, my father and my brother, we opened up a tattoo studio in the heart of Hollywood and managed to get the visas with the help of an amazing attorney. Going through the processing times for the visas was really tough. I felt like sitting on hot coals but it was worth the wait.
Another thing that was surprisingly difficult for me when I first moved to Los Angeles is the fact that the city makes you feel invisible. As an artist who wants to speak out, share and connect that was a tough one to get used to at first. Being invisible is nice sometimes, and it’s even a privilege when I’m in other places such as Canicattì in Italy. But it’s not quite helpful when you need to get your business or artist profile out there.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I believe that the thing I’m most known for is my diverse cultural heritage with my Sicilian-German background and American-kind-of way of overlooking the limits that our society has created. When people try to put me in a box, the box will fall apart. You want an Italian refrain hitting after the English verse? Well, here you go with a German part for the bridge as well…
When it comes to my work as an artist, I’m specialized in songwriting, composition and production. That’s what makes me smile the most and I’m proud to be able to do what I love. Most of my music is produced by myself, from the composition of a song, the arrangement, the lyrics to the final mixing. That doesn’t mean that I don’t love to collaborate, but I kind of make use of the privilege of having learned all these aspects in this profession. In my most recent release called “LOVE ESTATE” I did the whole production and co-wrote the song with my brother Andi Krush who gave his amazing voice to it.
And yes, I see it as a profession, just like any other job. That’s probably what I had to learn the hard way by messing up my social media because I wasn’t professional enough. I think the art is to combine wild creativity with a schematic approach. But that might as well just be my German side!
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
The amazing thing about music is that it connects people in a mysterious way. Especially as an artist, I got to work with many amazing creatives. But sometimes it’s the smaller things: For instance, I got really inspired by just watching some people do their work or performing their songs at a concert. One day I got invited by my brother Andi Krush to join him in Chico Bennett’s studio in Burbank where they recorded amazing pieces of music. The energy was so gentle and friendly that I was really impressed by how familiar you could feel when meeting someone for the first time.
There are so many people that have supported me along the way and who are supporting me right now that this could be a super super long list. But some of them include my parents, my grandmother, who once told me that I should play more live concerts, my brother Andi Krush with whom I share this amazing profession; my ex-partner Aline, who inspired me with her easy way of handling social media and who also gave fuel to my song-writing for many years, my German friends who always keep up with what I do, no matter where I am, the lovely people of Canicattì in Italy, where I have made many friends who support and inspire me and have made it into my current songwriting. There’s no way I could give back the same amount of energy, but it’s just overwhelmingly beautiful how down-to-earth and loving many people are. I hope you enjoy my songs – they are like love letters to you!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/toto.blu
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVrRQnLNm676aypyQBbE2sQ
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/totoblu
Image Credits
Toto Blu
