Elio Critiques Autotune and Youth Culture at Florence Event
Stefano Belisari, widely known as the Italian singer Elio, addressed a crowd at the Teatro del Maggio in Florence, Firenze Dintorni reported. Speaking at the Next Generation Fest—an event organized by the regional government for Generations Z and Alpha—the musician argued that modern society places an excessive demand on constant happiness and digital polish.
“I think it is right to be happy or sad; life leads us to be alternately sad or cheerful,” Elio told the audience. “In recent years, it seems you always have to be cheerful. Let’s re-evaluate sadness. I’ve always gone against the wind, and today, when being sad seems cringe, I want to be sad.”
The Obligation of Imperfection and the Critique of Coolness
Elio targeted modern social pressures and the pursuit of curated perfection during his stage appearance. He advised young attendees to avoid peers who project an infallible image.
“When you meet someone who thinks they are very cool, walk away immediately,” he said. “They don’t have a clear idea of how to live. Self-irony is fundamental, and being imperfect is an obligation; being perfect is obnoxious.”
To illustrate his point on relatability, the artist suggested that charm requires flaws, jokingly proposing that people “invent tricks to be imperfect, for example, smelling bad.” Away from social commentary, the singer shared personal tastes, noting he is a devoted fan of baseball because “you like it even if you don’t understand anything about it.”
Music Technology, Autotune, and Generational Decline
Shifting focus to the modern music industry, Elio delivered a sharp critique of pitch-correction software. He labeled autotune “crap” while clarifying that the technology itself is not inherently flawed, but rather the way contemporary artists utilize it.
“Technology has accompanied music for centuries, it can be useful, but in recent years technological innovations are used not to improve, but to make less effort,” Elio explained. “It is a mistake because in the end, you fail to compose marvelous works.”
“It is the first era in which young people earn less than their fathers but also compose uglier pieces than those of their fathers,” Elio stated. “The use of autotune is the symbol of this. You don’t sing in tune? Do something else.”
Contrasting Views on Societal Perfection and Modern Anxiety
The cultural obsession with flawlessness examined by Elio parallels broader contemporary critiques regarding social competition and constant validation. Publishing analysis from Einaudi highlights that the modern drive to excel academically, professionally, and across social media platforms has transformed daily life into an exhausting, uninterrupted race.
While Einaudi frames this pressure through the lens of individual anxiety and the loss of genuine shared moments, Elio tackles the phenomenon through artistic non-conformity. Both perspectives argue that society’s demand for unyielding success strips away authentic human experience—whether through the manufactured perfection of digital filters and autotune in music or the relentless pursuit of social superiority in everyday routines.
Related reading
