With a sound that blends cinematic pop, alternative R&B and atmospheric storytelling, emerging artist Damiano is creating music that feels both intimate and immersive. His debut single, Little White Lies, draws inspiration from a transformative trip to Los Angeles, exploring the tension between ambition, illusion and self-discovery. As he continues to carve out his own dreamlike musical world, we caught up with Damiano to discuss the song, the creative process behind it, and the experiences shaping his debut project.
Your music sits somewhere between cinematic pop, alternative R&B and what you’ve described as “dreamlike escapism”. How did you arrive at that sound?
I’ve always been drawn to music that feels immersive and cinematic. For me, music is more than just a song, it’s a feeling, a memory, or a moment in time. When I create, I’m trying to capture those emotions and turn them into something I can escape into. Artists I find myself listening to on repeat, such as Lana Del Rey, BANKS and James Blake, have heavily influenced that approach, helping shape the dreamlike and atmospheric side of my sound. I’ve always wanted my music to feel less like listening to a song and morelike stepping into a world.
Little White Lies is inspired by your time in Los Angeles. What was it about the city that left such a strong impression on you?
For me, Little White Lies is about the illusion of the dream.
I wrote it after seeing the Hollywood sign – it gave me a feeling, so surreal, like standing inside something I’d imagined for years. I’ve been making music and chasing this dream for over a decade, and being there made me realise I’d arrived in the place I’d always pictured…but I still didn’t feel like I’d arrived anywhere.
The song came from that contradiction. It explores what happens when the dream you’ve been chasing starts to feel like an illusion, and you start questioning whether it was ever real, or just a beautiful fantasy you needed to believe to keep chasing.
Little White Lies are the promises we tell ourselves to keep believing in a dream that may not exist.
The video captures both the glamour and illusion associated with LA. How involved were you in shaping the visual side of the project?
The visuals were a collaborative effort between myself, my artist manager The Golden Ghost, and a talented film director, Maria Mondragon. I wanted the video to capture both sides of LA, the beauty, glamour and iconic imagery people dream about, while alsoreflecting the self-illusion and uncertainty that sits underneath it. That contrast felt central to what Little White Lies represents for me.
Your debut project explores love, ambition, betrayal, fantasy and self-discovery. Which of those themes came most naturally when writing the record?
Self-discovery came most naturally because every song starts with trying to understand something I’m feeling. Little White Lies began as a reflection on ambition and the dreams we chase, but underneath that it’s really about questioning who you are when the thing you’ve been striving for doesn’t bring the fulfilment you expected.
I naturally tend to overthink, whether that’s a blessing or a curse, I still haven’t decided. The emotions that inspired Little White Lies came very suddenly after my time in LA. I produced most of the instrumental within a couple of hours and wrote the majority of the lyrics on the flight home to England.
For me, songwriting feels a lot like poetry. Sometimes words and melodies appear without much conscious thought, and it’s a way of making sense of emotions while also escaping from them. I like to bury the true meaning of a song beneath metaphors, allowing listeners to find their own connection to it, even if their experiences are completely different from mine.
You recorded music between Copenhagen and the UK. How did those different environments influence the creative process?
The song itself was written and produced in Los Angeles, but Copenhagen played an important role in bringing it to life. While visiting the city, my manager and I met producer Chef Bailey, who immediately connected with the track. Working with him gave me the confidence and comfort to push my vocal performances further and shape the final version of the song.
No for some quick-fire questions. One artist you’d love to collaborate with?
Lana Del Rey
Dream venue to headline?
Hollywood Bowl
One place you haven’t visited yet that you’d love to write music in?
Mexico
What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you?
I’m incredibly introverted.
Stream Damiano’s Little White Lies now. Follow @damiesospacedout on Instagram for updates.
