In their droves, the happy few thronged to spend an entire weekend among the shadows and splendor of Villa Medici. They came to see – or rather, to glimpse – the unexpected return of Italian pop prodigy Edoardo D'Erme, aka Calcutta. Locked away with his musicians in a salon at the French Academy in Rome, the Italian played his repertoire continuously, from 4 pm to midnight, for two days in a row, on October 14 and 15.

Every half an hour, 20 or so spectators were invited to spy on him through five openings carved into the walls, forming the letters of his new album, RELAX. Once their time slot was up, the voyeurs were free to relax at their leisure, with a cocktail or herbal tea in hand, on the terrace of the revered institution. The audience was mostly made up of teenagers and young adults, from all ends of the country, both socially and geographically.

The reason behind this lies in the fact that with his two previous albums, Mainstream (2015) and Evergreen (2018), Calcutta brought Italy to its knees. His success was down to his voice, sometimes gritty, sometimes tender; his songwriting, swinging between biting and cheerful; and his nonchalantly crafted image. It was safe to say that the expectations surrounding RELAX, released on October 20, were high; it did not disappoint. "I'm delighted to have modestly contributed to this fantastic album, which is going to leave its mark on the history of Italian music," said Laurent Brancowitz. The Phoenix guitarist co-wrote the opening track, "Coro," an Alpine chorus that he describes as a tribute to his "Trentino roots" – his father was born in Trentino-Alto Adige.

Another prominent figure in French touch, the electronic musician Myd co-produced the album. "I work very slowly. Myd, on the other hand, is very agile. He added some vibrancy," said Calcutta, whom we met in Prati, a district of Rome sandwiched between the public broadcaster's antennae and the Vatican's altars. Giorgio Poi, the highly esteemed multi-instrumentalist from Rome, also co-directed RELAX. "Edoardo is a tightrope walker," he said, having just returned from an artist residency in Paris. "He's our best lyricist, but this time, he's put the emphasis on the musicality of the songs." From start to finish, the keyboards of Neapolitan Gaetano Scognamiglio, co-writer of "Giro con te," sparkle brightly. "Edoardo has realized the extent of his musical talents," said the mastermind of the Fitness Forever group, nicknamed "il maestro" by his comrades.

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