by Kristina Moskalenko
GQ magazine calls him “the king of weddings” on the Italian and French Rivieras, while The Times claims that his name is known in the world’s wealthiest households.
Alessandro sings for Italian industrial dynasties (the Beretta family are among his well-known admirers) and fashion magnates. Marco Bizzarri of Kering dresses him in Gucci, the fashion house he heads, while Flavio Briatore is not only a fan but also a close friend. And in Monaco’s fashionable clubs, Alessandro Ristori reigns supreme, charming and captivating everyone around him.
His musical style is not simply the beloved dolce vita of Sanremo, but a blend of Dean Martin and Italian classics. When Alessandro launches into Nancy Sinatra’s legendary “These Boots Are Made for Walking,” people’s feet start moving almost involuntarily. Women’s eyes light up, while men who, just minutes earlier, appeared dignified and even slightly stuffy, begin performing astonishing dance moves, shrugging off their Hermès jackets and dropping their Bentley keys into their plates. In short, the soul sings and the heart dances!
In one collective burst of exuberance, the audience jumps onto the tables, and it becomes immediately clear that a party with Ristori at center stage is one that will be remembered for a lifetime.
Onstage, Alessandro is a brightly colored Gucci shirt provocatively unbuttoned at the chest, with slightly low-slung flared trousers. The microphone cable in his hands becomes a lasso as he dances energetically to Italy’s 1958 Eurovision entry, known as “Volare” (officially “Nel Blu, Dipinto Di Blu”), or to his own rendition of late-period Elvis. Women melt like butter ice cream on a hot day, while men forget about business, stock-market crashes and every other problem. He began with rock ’n’ roll, but true fame came to Alessandro with his native Italian songs. Nobody sings “Come Prima” quite like he does!
After a party at London’s Harry’s Bar, where Ristori won over those who had never heard of him and blew the minds all over again of those who already knew him, — guests declared firmly: “Alessandro has to be on the cover of the magazine!”
And that is where we met in London, for an interview and a photo shoot. It was before the pandemic, when life was still carefree and full of fun.
Kristina Moskalenko: Alessandro, I enthusiastically destroyed my heels dancing to your songs at Olga’s party, but I know absolutely nothing about your biography, even though I read about you in GQ before this interview. They call you “the king of weddings on the Italian and French Rivieras.” Do you agree?
Alessandro Ristori: In general, the Alessandro Ristori you all know today began on the French Riviera in 2015. I’ve been singing for many years, but what is happening to me now began in Monte Carlo, at the American Bar in the Hôtel de Paris. We performed with The Portofino Boys through all four seasons — summer, winter and during the Grand Prix. We sang at that bar for many days and became something of a mascot for Casino Square and the Hôtel de Paris.
Of course, I like being cool! I don’t like taking myself too seriously. And “the French Riviera,” “the king” — it’s cool, it’s fun and it sounds damn good. But I won’t agree with the idea that I’m exclusively a wedding singer… That journalist asked me a lot about my career, but in the end she wrote only about that. English humor — take it as you will!
Alessandro, surely weddings were all she could think about during the interview! You’re devastatingly attractive to women. When you sing, they’re practically ready to jump out of their couture dresses. When and how did you discover that you possessed this incredible charisma that drives women crazy?
I’m lucky because I’m not handsome. (Laughs.) But I’m damn charming…
My secret is spontaneity. And I always make eye contact. When you talk, dance and sing, you have to look people in the eyes.
(“You really shouldn’t, Alessandro. You’ve driven us all crazy long ago,” sighs the magazine’s marketing director, Lilia Scheffler-Sennova, languidly and flirtatiously as she joins the interview to be close to the maestro she has known and adored for years.)
When I was younger, I didn’t do that, and there was no result. But once I started looking people in the eyes, everything changed. Of course, I also learned a few signature hip moves. But the main secret is the eyes.
Did you ever study dancing?
No, but I watched videos of my idols: Hollywood actors from the 1960s and ’70s, rock ’n’ roll stars and Italian performers. Among my teachers were Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Adriano Celentano, and old Italian television, which was packed with concerts and variety shows.
And I absolutely adore Raffaella Carrà. I realized I was a man while watching her — I liked her so much… I was about three years old.
It’s interesting: when you sing and look at all these women going crazy, what do you feel as a man?
I’m simply happy! If I see that a particular move gets an especially enthusiastic reaction, I repeat it. I enjoy the attention! And the audience enjoys it too…
That’s my style — singing and watching. But there’s another thing. Over the last two years, The Portofinos and I have played more than four hundred shows. It’s very difficult for me to remember everyone. It used to be much easier. (Laughs.)
Women often come up to me and say, “Do you remember six months ago…?” I can’t remember, but I always say that I do.
“Very. Well. I remember,” I say, with a James Bond expression, and wink.
But there must be at least one party that you remember particularly well?
There are a couple… Although quite often I don’t even know who I’m singing for! I’m an artist; I’m interested in music, not people’s bank balances.
But you know, we perform only for affluent audiences, and I feel that very strongly because wealthy people love art, they love a show, and they love and know how to enjoy beauty and music. They tend to be well educated, so it’s easier for them to understand what we do. They have time to enjoy art, and that enjoyment is part of their lifestyle.
So I like performing for wealthy people — and turning them into fans.
You obviously don’t name names, but can you tell us about a memorable occasion?
Before Prince Albert’s birthday, at La Turbie, we were supposed to perform for his entire family. The manager came to speak to us and was terribly nervous. He kept running around me saying, “I know that during your shows you get very emotional, you jump on tables, you unbutton your shirt. But perhaps tonight you won’t behave quite like that, because the Prince will be sitting in the front row?”
I said, “I don’t know. I can’t control myself onstage.”
Then he asked, “Well, perhaps you could just not give it one hundred percent…”
And, rather sheepishly, he added that we wouldn’t be able to stay for the party after the show because the family wanted some privacy.
“Okay, no problem. I’ll sing modestly…”
IF YOU ARE TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE ONSTAGE AND IN REAL LIFE, IT FEELS FAKE. THAT’S NOT FOR ME.
— Alessandro Ristori
So, Soviet variety-show style, Brezhnev era…
No tables, and I stayed close to the audience. People started yawning.
Then my drummer winked at me, basically saying, “Enough of this nonsense — go!”
I jumped onto a table, broke something, smashed a glass and ripped my shirt open, even though it was cold.
The Prince shouted, “Come on, Alessandro! Go for it!”
After the show, he hugged all of us and invited us to drink and party with the family all night.
At the after-party, I winked at the manager and said, “You don’t know your Prince very well…”
And how much of the Alessandro Ristori we see onstage is the real Alessandro?
They aren’t very different. That’s another one of my secrets — I am who I am, so people believe me easily, both in everyday life and onstage.
One of the great old Italian singers, Nilla Pizzi, used to say that a good singer uses his normal voice onstage. If you are two different people onstage and in real life, it feels somehow fake. That’s not for me.
The only difference is that onstage I’m more spontaneous and I don’t hold back. In everyday life I’m shy. If I’m sitting at a table, I don’t start the conversation, and I don’t try to draw attention to myself.
Although… talking about the difference between stage life and ordinary life makes me laugh. I spend so much time onstage, perhaps even more than I spend offstage.
Definitely more than I spend in bed. We haven’t slept for three years!
Neither have I, but for a different reason…
Ha-ha, I’m afraid to ask – why?
Go ahead! The answer is: a little son. But let’s get back to you. Do you have a stylist?
My wife often helps me. She has wonderful taste and, in general, she’s the woman of my life, and I’m very happy with her.
But I have pretty good taste too. Sometimes I take advice from different people because I don’t always have time to keep up with what’s currently fashionable.
And I have a love affair with Gucci.
In general, I like the style of the last century, but I have to be contemporary, so you have to mix things up: combine suits made by my tailor with vintage pieces or cutting-edge fashion.
Describe your musical style for those who haven’t fallen in love with you yet.
I started with 1950s rock ’n’ roll. That was twenty years ago. I was young, and my love for rock ’n’ roll was the size of Roman Abramovich’s yacht.
Back then, I wanted a band like they had in the 1950s: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electric bass and drums. And I created one.
That’s how we performed at first. Then saxophone and piano appeared. And then we brought Las Vegas into our shows, and a new life began.
What do you listen to when you’re alone?
My reality isn’t particularly modern. I’m overwhelmed with happiness when I listen to Mozart or Beethoven.
But I have to live in our era, so I listen to the radio in the car.
I’ve also noticed that people who are twenty today don’t understand us because they’re not very familiar with the musical heritage we were raised on. But with time, they’ll gain knowledge, develop their taste, and their preferences may change.
Just as mine might. Perhaps one day I’ll fall in love with electronic music!
Yes, I understand that I’m something of a symbol of a world that no longer exists. But it’s my world, and nostalgia for a beautiful past lives in the heart of every one of my fans.
(My mobile phone rings. A photo of my son appears on the screen.)
“Baby, darling, do you need your mother? I need a mother too!” Alessandro jokes when he sees the photo.
“Of course you need a mother — you’re Italian!” I exclaim.
Everyone laughs.
And what did you think of the party at Harry’s Bar that Olga Mayr’s husband hosted? Do you remember it?
Of course…
I… very… well… remember… that… party… (Winks.)
And the audience was incredibly energetic too…
I love Harry’s Bar. It’s a great place! A symbol of Italy not only in London but throughout the world.
Right from the start, we understood: this is a party!
We could give two hundred percent, and nobody would stop us.
And what are you doing tonight?
A party at London’s Arts Club! You are invited!
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