From Capri to Dubai with Gianluigi Lembo

The singer who brings the spirit of l'Anema e Core to the world

When did you perform for the first time in Dubai?

In 2018, during one of my winter tours abroad with the Anema e Core band. We performed at the Luigia restaurant. What struck me was the warmth and lovely energy with which they welcomed us. We met with great success.

Anema e Core is one of the clubs that is the most popular with international celebrities. What does bringing its spirit to a city so different from Capri involve?

It is always quite challenging for me, although visitors in Capri in summer time are so international that in Dubai I found a lot of the club’s regular customers.

What are your key ingredients?

Artfullness and cheerfulness. A sense of light-heartedness and of looking forward to having fun together, improvisation. All things that run in our DNA. My father, over 30 years ago, invented a successful formula with very little resources (a voice and a guitar) and I am committed to keep it going, always with a smile on my face.

What songs rouse the audience the most in Dubai?

We expected to be asked to perform international hits, instead what the audience requests the most are our pièce de resistance songs, such as ‘O surdato ‘nnammurato and Tu vuo’ fa’ l’americano, which they sing along with us, strictly in Neapolitan dialect. We usually underestimate the charm of our dialect and of our traditional songs, which are known all over the world.

In 2022, you performed for nearly a month at Dubai’s Piatti By The Beach. Your favorite places and the loveliest experiences of that long stay?

The sunrises and sunsets from Piatti Beach Club, on the Palm Jumeirah island, offered wonderful views of Dubai’s skyline. I was impressed by the amazing contrast between the city’s architectural style, so projected into the future, and the surrounding desert, which I had the chance to visit a few times.

Do you plan to go back performing in Dubai in 2023?

Yes, definitely. I plan to go back next fall/winter.

Where else do you dream to bring Anema e Core?

To the moon and back.