Francesca Bono is a performer, musician and singer-songwriter from Bologna, founder of the band Ofeliadorme and the experimental duo Bono / Burattini, whose 2023 debut album (out on Maple Death Records) received interest from BBC6, The Wire, Internazionale, Radio Rai 3, Brooklyn Vegan, TAZ and Il Manifesto. She played in Europe, UK, USA and China, and in international festivals such as WOMAD, SXSW, San Francisco Music Festival and Homemade. A member of the feminist collective DonnaCirco, over the years she has collaborated with Mick Harvey, Howie B, Massimo Volume, Jonathan Clancy, Stefano Pilia, Massimo Carozzi and Muna Mussie, Gianni Maroccolo, Angela Baraldi, Emidio Clementi and Corrado Nuccini, the playwright and actor Oscar Da Summa, the artist Susana Ljuljanovic and shared the stage with Beak, Jon Hopkins, The Bug, Rival Consoles. In 2023 she illustrated La Settimana della Banana, a children’s book about Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground written by Elisa De Munari. The first album under her name, Crumpled Canvas, was co-produced by Mick Harvey (The Birthday Party, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds), who also played in it, and is part of an ongoing exploration on sound and a variety of musical genres and influences, with a focus on the use of voice and its therapeutic power. In her own words, it is just “one of my possible solo debuts”.

What She Says: “It all started with this track, the first one I sent to Mick Harvey back in 2019 because I was looking for advice and honest feedback. I see it as a mysterious creature somewhere between allegorical ballad and kraut ride, delving into the unconscious and superstition, where every sign is moldable and can be interpreted simultaneously as an omen of destruction or total rebirth.“

“It’s one of the last 2 songs I’ve written for the album, it just came out of nowhere, after I’d recorded the loop you can hear from the start. I guess its sort of a stream of consciousness, about how life happens between one heartbeat and the other. And you have the power to choose what to do with it.“

Her Mixtape:

Alessandro Cortini – CHIAROSCURO

Listening to his music is like entering an entire different world. He’s one of my favourite electronic musicians.

Portishead – The Rip

Probably one of the most incredible songs ever written.

Harold Budd, Brian Eno – Not Yet Remembered

Two great minds working for the sake of beauty.

NEU! – Hallogallo

I love the whole record. It’s a masterpiece, isn’t it?

Sinead O’Connor – Troy

She was a true force of nature and her voice moves me to tears.

Kali Malone – Spectacle of Ritual

I often need to let my mind meander, and her music is rich, profound, yet accessible. I could listen to her compositions for hours on end.

Lhasa De Sela – Love Came Here

Amazing musician and singer, I sometimes wonder what music she’d be doing today.

Mabe Fratti – Kravitz

I’ve discovered her recently, such an intriguing combination of styles, and it’s sung in spanish.

Fatima Al Qadiri – Mojik

A homage to Arabic lamentation singing. Mesmerizing.

Black Horse is out now on We Were Never Being Boring Collective. Crumpled Canvas will be out on September 27th. Look HERE for more information on Francesca Bono.