Achille Lauro to Create NFTs Live in Concert

Italian recording artist Achille Lauro talks about his Dec. 7 show at the Arcimboldi Theater in Milan, where he’ll create NFTs live on stage.

Italian recording artist and fashionista Achille Lauro will perform a historic “One Night Show” accompanied by the Magna Grecia Orchestra at the Arcimboldi Theater in Milan on Dec. 7.

As part of the performance, Achille Lauro will create NFTs live on stage — capturing a visual representation of the artist’s heartbeat using sensors attached to his body, transforming it into art to be sold on the Crypto.com NFT platform in a collection titled “Broken Heart.” Appropriately, considering the drop’s concept, Lauro plans to donate a portion of the proceeds from the collection to the pediatric cardiology department of the San Donato Polyclinic.

Sanremo Fame

Lauro is renowned across Italy for blessing the Sanremo Music Festival, a popular televised Italian song competition, with an iconic performance — in which he symbolically denounced material possessions and the status quo by stripping down to a nude leotard, ironically reinterpreting the historically politicized Italian phrase “Me ne frego” as an ode to freedom with his song of the same name.

Renaissance Art

Not only a singer, Lauro is a true performer in every sense of the word — able to convey strong emotions through his music, style and sheer presence. With influences that include Elvis, Kurt Cobain, The Beatles, Travis Scott and Young Thug, he is a multifaceted artist and songwriter who seamlessly blends musical styles and aesthetics; from trap to rock — and punk to glam — Lauro refuses to be confined by genre.

“I want to [express] what inspires me through [my] mixture of genres — through non-conventionality. I’m interested in the unexplored and what’s new.”

Achille Lauro, Creator of “Broken Heart”

Inspired by all revolutions, whether cultural or technological, Lauro was naturally attracted to the transformative power of blockchain technology. Crypto.com NFT spoke with the ever-evolving artist about his upbringing, his artistic journey and his interest in the space.

“Blockchain and cryptocurrencies are an innovative way of understanding the economy and, more generally, transnational exchanges. I was fascinated even before starting this journey with crypto and I am convinced that it will be a sign of an epochal change, a bit like the internet was over thirty years ago.”

Achille Lauro, Creator of “Broken Heart”

Read the Q&A with Achille Lauro below and visit the “Broken Heart” drop page for more information.

What was your upbringing like?

As a kid, I was in a hurry to grow up. I went to live with my brother at 14 years old, away from my parents. I dyed my hair secretly at 10. I didn’t like the rules too much, but I always cared a lot about [the] relationships I created over time. Many of the friends I had then I still have today. I made a lot of unusual choices; I don’t know if they were right or wrong, but each one led me to where I am now — and that’s fine with me.

I have never abandoned this [part of my] character. It is natural and spontaneous, and it is the same [quality] that I apply to my choices in the artistic field.

When did you know you wanted to be a professional artist?

I never had a plan B. I projected my whole life to this goal. If I have to remember a particular moment: when I tattooed my face, I realized that I could never go back. That was a mark, a sign that my life would change forever.

Please describe your artistic evolution.

People often call me a transformist, but I don’t like it. I don’t wear masks; I don’t create characters. What I do is represent every part of myself to the nth degree. I exasperate [every part] of my character. I’m very introspective and I try to pull out all the facets of my character and my thoughts.

I think I simply represent the nature of a human being.

We are not flat characters, sketches [or] one-way personalities. We are extremely complex, [and] sometimes contradictory. I like to be able to represent all this freely. My evolution as an artist is in this — moving from one [of] myself to another, in freedom.

What do you try to say with your art?

Everything and the opposite of everything, basically. Seriously, everything that stimulates me and helps me in the search for myself and in [my] understanding of the world. Art serves to find our own way. It is a means, not a goal. I want to [express] what inspires me through [my] mixture of genres — through non-conventionality. I’m interested in the unexplored and what’s new. I’m aiming for that.

What do you consider “good” art?

I don’t think there is a good or a bad art… Art is any work of man [that is] proof of his expressive will — the free will to do what allows us to express our nature. I always say that we are all writers; we are all artists. It [just] depends on how much we invest in what we do. I personally try to invest all of myself in it. There is no plan B. There are no distractions or second thoughts. When you start to believe that everything happens for a reason, you find artistic impetus in everything.

What’s your favorite artistic movement, throughout time?

How to choose? I’ve never chosen anything specific, because it would be limiting. The history of music and art have formed the [human experience] we are part of. If I have to say something, I would probably talk about the journey through musical genres I chose to represent during the last Sanremo Festival — the most important Italian music festival — in my five nights as a guest. Glam rock, punk, rock ’n’ roll, folk music [and] classical music. Everything they are comes from the influences of the great icons and great artists who have made history.

Tell us about the charity you’re benefitting with this collection?

I have always had a great interest in investing my energies and resources in helping others. I have an excellent relationship with the pediatric [cardiology] department of the San Donato Polyclinic. I have often collaborated with them and helped them. They do a great job and I believe in their approach. [With] the NFTs that I will create live during the concert at the Arcimboldi on Dec. 7, [I] have the ultimate aim of donating new funds to the hospital. I believe it and I hope so.

Were you interested in cryptocurrency or blockchain technology prior to NFTs?

I am interested in everything that seems futuristic to me, and I am fascinated by resourcefulness. My work in music is experimenting continuously. The fact that it happens the same in other areas is a source of inspiration for me, and is also an incentive to study and learn where I am not yet prepared.

Blockchain and cryptocurrencies are an innovative way of understanding the economy and, more generally, transnational exchanges. I was fascinated even before starting this journey with crypto and I am convinced that it will be a sign of an epochal change, a bit like the internet was over thirty years ago.

Do you have any goals or future plans for your art, in the NFT space or otherwise?

I have as many new projects in my mind as new music. I have a wealth of unpublished songs that I really believe in. When I create unpublished pieces with my team, we produce a lot in a very short time. I like to retire from public life periodically to write constantly, until I’m satisfied [with] my job. Only then, I leave my lair and think about the extra projects. The world of fashion, among others, is very interesting to me. I really like to think about aesthetics and the concept of beauty. I hope that one day I can also invest my time and energy there.

Browse the “Broken Heart” collection by Achille Lauro.

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Editor’s Note (Oct. 12, 2022): an earlier version of this article was originally published on the Crypto.com NFT Medium blog on Dec. 6, 2021 and has since been edited and/or updated to republish.