Luis Pescetti Brings His Children's Songs to Italy in Italian

Argentine musician and author Luis Pescetti has launched "Canzoni per bimbe, bimbi e altre creature giganti" (Songs for girls, boys, and other giant creatures), an album featuring ten of his popular children's songs translated into Italian.

The project was sparked by a voice message from three-year-old Ceci in Italy, who sent her thanks to Pescetti for his music. Ceci's father, a Piedmontese musician, had shared Pescetti's Latin American children's music with his daughter. "I had one of those intuitions," Pescetti recalled, thinking that if Ceci enjoyed the songs in Spanish, she might appreciate them even more in Italian. He realized this could be the case for many children.

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If she liked the song in Spanish, how much more could she like it in Italian? I imagined that could be the situation for many children.

Upon exploring the Italian children's music scene, Pescetti found it dominated by television-promoted songs and traditional folk tunes, with a lack of original singer-songwriter material akin to what exists in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, or Colombia. "So, why not translate ten of my songs... not for them to recognize my work, but to give Italy a version of mine of what children's music can be, in their language," he decided.

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So, why not translate ten of my songs... not for them to recognize my work, but to give Italy a version of mine of what children's music can be, in their language.

Pescetti spent a year collaborating with an Italian actor friend on the translations and then two months practicing pronunciation. The album, released on about twenty music platforms, aims to give childhood its own dimension. Pescetti advocates for not underestimating children, stating they need songs that tell their stories and allow them to recognize their own existence. "If you have a story where you see yourself reflected, you say, 'Ah, I exist.' If no story reflects you, it's a very post-colonial situation," he argued, citing the adoption of non-native cultural products by children as an example.

Known for his humorous and poetic books like "Natacha" and his engaging songs, Pescetti also shares his thoughts on childhood culture via social media. He observes that children are increasingly exposed to adult music genres like rap and trap, sometimes skipping generational music intermediaries. He believes original children's music is crucial for their cultural identity and sense of self.

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Children need songs for children, that can tell their lives, their stories. Why? Basically because when one has a song, one recognizes one's existence as what it is. If you have a story where you see yourself reflected, you say, 'Ah, I exist.' If no story reflects you, it's a very post-colonial situation.