Debut Album on XXIM Records ‘Sol Novo’ to be released in September 2021

Berlin 16.04.2020 – Today XXIM Records is pleased to announce the signing of Italian pianist and composer Olivia Belli to its growing and diverse family of artists.

Living a quiet rural life in Italy’s Marche region, based in a remote spot located between the mountains and the sea, Belli did not ever expect to become a composer who could reach millions of listeners around the world, especially not in the short space of time that she impressively managed to achieve. Having rebuilt and settled into an old farmhouse in which to raise her children, the conservatory-trained classical pianist started uploading some of her own music to streaming services after years of keeping her talents close to her chest. Encouraged by the magnitude of positive responses however, she persisted with her musical distribution endeavours to the result of gaining 12 million streams of the single ‘Silent Dusk,’ over 7.5 million with ‘Ambro,’ and 7 million with ‘Beside the Spring’ on Spotify; racking up a monumental total of 35 million streams of her elegant compositions across Spotify’s influential platform alone.

Says Olivia Belli: “I was amazed by how many people in how many places I could reach with my music. I write about what I experience every day, the people and the nature that surround me and about finding my own place within it. It is wonderful to think that my music could be inspiring to other people and I am excited that it will reach even further with this new collaboration with XXIM Records.”

Citing dawn as her favourite time to compose, Belli is ever encouraged by the sense of calm and positivity that the morning light brings. It is precisely this sense of optimism, of calm self-awareness and thoughtful reflection that is captured and conveyed in her melodic, harmonious compositions for piano, that make up the new album ‘Sol Novo’. Occasionally supported by delicate, shimmering strings, Belli’s piano writing is characterised largely by its inventiveness, channelling various emotional states while swinging from calm simplicity to fervent momentum, without ever losing its underlying sense of balance and optimism.

The title ‘Sol Novo’ means ‘New Sun’ or ‘New Day’. Being keenly aware of her Italian cultural roots, Belli chose the title from ‘The Divine Comedy’ by Dante (1265-1321), whose 700th anniversary is celebrated this year. It is also a reference however to her beloved morning hour and to the many kinds of natural light one gets to witness in her home region every day. ‘Sol Novo’ is full of hints and references to the countryside, fields, villages and mountains around her on one side and the ocean, beach and shoreline on the other.

Born in Mantova and raised in Trieste, Belli studied piano and soon developed an affinity for composers of the 20th and 21st century, such as Glass, Ligeti, Reich and Stockhausen. Always surrounded by art and music, she founded a festival and worked collaboratively as a performer across a range of genres with other artists such as dancers, actors, photographers, writers and painters, reflecting her overall encompassing love of the arts. Yet despite having always performed and composed, Belli had never thought to put her own compositional work into the public arena until recently. Once she did start sharing her own music she was hugely encouraged by the response as ever more listeners connected to her deeply personal musical poems.

Noted Alexander Buhr, Senior VP, International A&R, Sony Music Masterworks/XXIM: “We are very happy to welcome Olivia to our label. XXIM is meant to be a home for a diverse group of artists, allowing them to express themselves in their own unique way. We believe that Olivia’s music, with its sense of optimism and subtle artistry is unique and we are looking forward to working with her to bring it to an even wider audience.”

ENDS