Italian artist Aria – real name Mariano Schiavolini – recruits a tour de force of global talent for his latest single Smile. Aria is a leading representative of international world music, and collaborates with other major artists in the genre such as the Soweto Gospel Choir, Peter Gabriel, and the group of Miriam Makeba. Released August 14th of this year, this infectious single is characterised by its strong rhythms, global influences, and masterfully intricate composition.
Smile’s driving force is its undeniable rhythm influenced strongly by South and Central American musical styles, namely rumba and cha cha. However, jazz and RnB influences elevate the song with its positive vocals and message, and instrumentation such as that of American bassist Joseph Patrick, bassist for Steward Copeland of the Police.
Smile’s arrangement is in a way a testament to Aria’s decades spanning legacy in the music industry. With over 120 tracks making up the song (with most contemporary songs only reaching 50), Smile was recorded with older analogue set-ups that retain the individual frequencies of each instrument with more fidelity than their modern counterparts at this complex layering. In doing so, it demonstrates the mastery that comes with having been in the industry for so long now, such is the case with Aria.
The single and its accompanying music video continue in Aria’s trend of global collaboration. As viewers will see, the video brings together the smiles of those from all backgrounds, who interpret the dance of Smile with spontaneous and unique gestures. Behind the scenes, Ariel Jones lent her vocals and wrote the Portuguese lyrics.
Prior to Smile, Aria’s successes have included charting in his native Italy and abroad, rotation on BBC Radio, millions of streams and views on his songs and videos, and charitable drives to help causes close to the artist’s heart. These causes include defending human rights, saving near extinct animals, and fighting apartheid, to name a few.
