The rising Roman singer-songwriter blends pop, self-irony, and existential reflection as she joins the lineup for Jova Summer Party 2026

Few emerging artists are capable of making philosophy feel danceable. Maddalena is one of them.

The Rome-born singer-songwriter has officially joined the lineup of the upcoming Jova Summer Party, performing on August 22 at the Calabria Music Arena in Catanzaro, while simultaneously building momentum around her new single, “EI MADDALENA.” Produced by CanovA, the track is a vibrant and irresistibly catchy pop record that transforms personal chaos into something surprisingly universal.

At first listen, “EI MADDALENA” feels playful and lighthearted. Beneath its infectious energy, however, lies a deeper meditation on identity, uncertainty, and the fragile nature of happiness. Drawing inspiration from philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer’s famous pendulum theory, Maddalena reframes existential thought through a modern pop lens.

“I believe that drawing from oneself and one’s own lived experience, and then translating it into universal images, is the most honest thing I can do today,” she explains. “EI MADDALENA is a song with a strong self-ironic dimension that tries to tell, through a personal feeling, a universal human condition—one dominated by chaos and by a very fragile and precarious happiness.”

That balance between personal storytelling and collective experience sits at the heart of Maddalena’s artistry. The song revisits Schopenhauer’s idea that life oscillates between boredom and pain, with only brief flashes of happiness interrupting the cycle.

“In this specific case, EI MADDALENA reinterprets Schopenhauer’s metaphor of the pendulum,” she says. “Life swings between boredom and pain—which I translate as ‘noise,’ so as not to be too bleak—passing only briefly through happiness. If you think about it, life is just a brief instant running quickly between boredom and noise.”

It’s an unexpectedly philosophical foundation for a pop song, but that tension is exactly what excites Maddalena.

“My personal challenge is to reconcile songwriting with pop sounds—to first hit the bodies of those who listen, and immediately after their thinking.”

That duality has defined much of her artistic journey. Before fully committing to music, Maddalena earned a degree in aesthetics and philosophy in Rome before relocating to Milan to pursue her creative ambitions. While music always remained her primary calling, her academic background continues to shape the way she writes.

“I believe that each of us is the result of everything we have breathed, eaten, and thought,” she says. “I carry my academic path proudly with me. In my lyrics, I often translate into pop form concepts I encountered during my studies that particularly fascinated me.”

Musically, Maddalena’s influences stretch across generations and genres. She often cites both Franco Battiato and Lana Del Rey as artistic touchstones—two seemingly different worlds that coexist naturally within her work.

“Battiato speaks to my more reflective and songwriting-oriented soul,” she explains. “Lana Del Rey speaks to the young girl in me who discovered a different and fascinating way of making pop through her.”

There is also another influence she readily acknowledges.

“I have a very strong rock instinct that recognizes Vasco Rossi as an absolute master.”

That blend of introspection, pop accessibility, and rock energy makes “EI MADDALENA” feel uniquely her own. It is music designed not only for reflection, but for movement.

“I want to think while dancing and while making mistakes,” she says.

For Maddalena, dance music provides one of the most powerful forms of emotional release.

“There is nothing that makes me feel better than songs that I love,” she says. “Nothing has the power to move me, make me escape, and bring me joy like a beautiful song. When I go dancing with my friends and somehow manage to switch my mind off, those are my greatest moments of happiness.”

Those fleeting moments of joy—what she calls her “brief instants”—become the emotional core of the song.

As her profile continues to rise, Maddalena has already shared stages with some of Italy’s most beloved artists, opening select dates for both Jovanotti’s PalaJova tour and Cristiano De André. Those experiences have offered valuable lessons about artistry, discipline, and connection.

“I have absorbed so much from these great artists,” she says. “They gave me confidence and taught me that turning a dream into a profession requires unimaginable discipline and endless curiosity.”

Now, returning to the Jova Summer Party stage this summer with new material, Maddalena is eager to share the next chapter of her story.

“On August 22 I’ll be back at the Jova Summer Party in Catanzaro, this time bringing more unreleased songs in a small set. I am very grateful and excited.”

That next chapter is being shaped alongside an impressive creative team that includes producer CanovA, Raffaele “Rabbo” Scogna—known for his work with MACE and Gemitaiz—and Emanuele Nazzaro, bassist for artists including Blanco, Madame, and Olly.

“Because my project is so heterogeneous,” Maddalena explains, “I like to collaborate with producers who have different visions and musical backgrounds, in order to tell different parts of myself.”

Yet perhaps the most defining aspect of her artistry is her refusal to choose between seriousness and playfulness.

“Another big challenge for me is to be profound while always maintaining a sense of lightness,” she says. “Without humor, life is unbearable, and luckily, I am fully immersed in playfulness.”

That balance—between philosophy and pop, vulnerability and irony, introspection and movement—makes Maddalena one of the most intriguing emerging voices in Italian music today.

As for what she hopes listeners take away after hearing her music for the first time, her answer is beautifully simple:

“I hope my songs become theirs.”