We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Eugenia Tempesta a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Eugenia, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Hi Canvas Rebel and thank you so much for having me!

My passion for singing came at a very young age. I recently found a journal that my mom kept when I was a baby that said: “Eugenia doesn’t want mommy to sing. Every time I sing she puts her hand on my mouth and goes: ‘You no sing. I sing!’ and then proceeds to sing herself.”

Despite always being encouraged to explore my artistic penchant through music, dance, and visual arts, I was always discouraged from pursuing art as a profession, in favor of a more stable and secure career. So, as I grew older, I went on a completely different life path, which led me to get my Master’s Degree in Telecommunications Engineering.

It was only later in life that I decided to leave my career as an engineer and pursue what I had, until then, only considered hobbies: songwriting and performing.

In 2012, I moved to New York City to attend the Acting Conservatory at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, where I was lucky enough to perform in plays and musicals. I started taking singing classes and learned how to warm up my voice and project correctly. I also worked intensely with Italian composer Giovanni Spinelli, who helped me expand my songwriting skills and find my true singing voice.

I am well aware that, had I started working in the music industry sooner, I would be way ahead in my career by now.

But there is nothing I regret in my choices and I truly believe in the value of collecting different life experiences. And that the more things we learn, the more rounded and complex we become.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am Tempesta, a trilingual Italian-Vietnamese singer-songwriter, actress, bass player, and former engineer. I was born in Italy, raised around Europe and currently living in Los Angeles with my two wonderful children.

Being raised in a multicultural household and having traveled the world since a very young age significantly impacted the music I write and listen to. I praise myself for being an eclectic music listener. I grew up with my father blasting classical music and bossa nova in our house all day long. As a teenager, I was heavily influenced by Californian punk rock bands like Bad Religion, Rancid, Sublime, and Descendents. While in my twenties, I discovered female songwriters such as Tori Amos, Björk, and PJ Harvey.

From 2015 to 2020 I was the frontwoman of dream-pop duo 2 Story Cabin, with which I released one EP, and four singles and played shows all over New York and in Italy.

I’m currently recording the first songs of my solo project with the help of hyper-talented music producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Alexandre Bursztyn (‘Entertainer’ – Zayn, Móveis Coloniais de Acaju). I feel so lucky to be working with such a brilliant music partner who, having also been raised in an international environment, shares with me the understanding that music encompasses time and space, allowing different people and places to exist on a continuum.

My first single ‘Love Me Crazy’ will come out this fall, so follow me on social media for updates!

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I believe in the power of community, especially in big and dispersed metropoles such as Los Angeles. I think that people should be able to reclaim the streets, the parks, and the spaces of the city, gather and exchange ideas, inspirations, music, and food.

It’s especially important in a time when technology and AI have completely phagocytized our relationships, and where human interactions are left being the single most important resource we have. It would be great if society worked more towards creating spaces for people of all ages to develop their crafts and socialize, where we can teach children how to build a fertile and thriving environment for themselves and their communities.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I recently played my first show as a solo artist during the Global Asian Moon Fest at the Autry Museum in Los Angeles.

After taking a few years’ break from music to focus on raising my young children, playing live at the Moon Fest was such a cathartic comeback for me. Celebrating the beginning of autumn by sharing the stage with other great artists, interacting with an attentive and diverse audience, and eating delicious Asian treats – under a full moon – was absolutely magical.

And the reception was so rewarding. There were so many families in the audience. One parent told me after the show that his 6-year-old daughter decided to become a singer after seeing me perform.

I deeply value the impact art and music have in inspiring and providing people with emotional relief, and I genuinely think that, if we can touch the life of even just one person, then we have truly succeeded as artists.

That is for me the most rewarding part of writing and performing.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @thisistempesta
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eugenia.ylan.tempesta
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TempestaOfficial

Image Credits

Ylva Erevall photography