Introducing Sem&Stènn

How did you get into music?
We were raised in very different environments, but we both shared the same passion for music. Sem grew up with music blasted at home and in the car, and his teen brother and sister were big Madonna and Aerosmith fans, while his parents loved the Beatles and Lucio Battisti. Things were quite different for Stènn. His parents were very involved with their church choir, listened to a lot of religious and classical music, and always pushed Stènn to play an instrument. In 2012, after a year of dating, we decided to take a leap of faith and produce music together, combining our two different backgrounds.

Tell us about your experience at X Factor.
Our original plan was to just show up and sing one of our songs, but things went differently and we ended up on the show. Every step of the way was a big surprise for us, and we tried to take it one day at a time. It was a very formative, intense and unforgettable experience. Once we began performing on the show, it felt very real and we didn’t want to abandon that routine filled of rehearsals, vocal coaching, and shiny costumes. However, our presence on the show was disturbing to most. People feel more comfortable with artists that look and sound familiar.

What are your artistic and musical influences?
Our shared influences are Pet Shop Boys, along with the whole French and British electronic scene of the past 20 years (Justice, Kavinsky, Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk) and Christina Aguilera. Sem’s idols are MGMT, The Doors, The Killers and Paolo Nutini, while Stènn’s greatest influences are Robyn and Goldfrapp.

You both have a very unique and over-the-top style. What’s the inspiration behind your look?
Everyone and no one, actually. We take whatever we like from any decade, artist, performance, costume or music video that catches our attention. One day we may be David Bowie and Jim Morrison, another we may be Sick Boy and Mark from Trainspotting, or we could just show up wearing work overalls.

Your favorite designers?
Yoshio Kubo, Fiorucci, Prada, Gucci, VETEMENTS.

Tell us about your new song “The Fair”. What’s the story behind it?
“The Fair” is a homage to the clubbing world. We started out as DJ’s and played at different clubs in Milan after moving here. The club is the birthplace of our artistic career. On the song, we pay homage to beauty, lightheartedness, and losing control.

What’s the song lyric that you identify with the most?
“They call us the pop kids, ’cause we love the pop hits, and quoted the best bits” from “Pop Kids” by Pet Shop Boys. But honestly, the entire song could be about us.

How did your relationship change ever since X Factor?
Living closely with other people 24/7 definitely brought us closer. We have a lot more self-control now, and our chemistry is a lot better too. We didn’t have a lot of time to be alone and talk, so we would only communicate with our eyes. But in hindsight, we always had that level of chemistry.

Your first album is coming soon. When can we expect to see you on tour?
We’re super excited about what’s coming next. We’re touching up the last few songs and we’ll add a couple of features. The tour will begin in March and we’ll perform almost everywhere in Italy. We’ll also get to open for Afterhours in Assago on April 10 – we can’t wait!

What’s next for Sem&Stènn?
We want to conquer the universe. We’ll tour internationally. The main goal is to reach every part of the world through our music. We just finished watching Luca Guadagnino’s movie “Chiamami Col Tuo Nome”, and now we’re even more interested in working on movies. So we’d like to send a message to Luca – we’re here!