Astruso: the Italian artist turning vulnerability into sound

There’s something quietly magnetic about Astruso — the solo project of Giuseppe, a Sardinian artist born in 1999, whose music captures the delicate balance between fragility and strength. His songs feel like late-night confessions whispered through layers of intimate vocals and shimmering guitars, each one carrying the weight of emotions that are too complex for words alone.

The name Astruso, which means “complicated” or “hard to understand” in Italian, was one Giuseppe chose long before his project took shape. “I discovered the word as a kid,” he says. “It immediately resonated with me. It felt like it belonged to me somehow.” That sense of belonging and of finding meaning in struggle lies at the heart of his work.

His musical journey began in adolescence when he taught himself to play guitar, produce, and write songs. “I’m self-taught out of necessity, not by choice, but that gave me something valuable: the freedom to explore without following strict rules and to make mistakes.” Those early experiments led him through a range of genres, from lo-fi to emo rap and post-punk, until he started finding a sound that felt truly his.

Astruso’s first singles released between 2022 and 2023 were all written in English — a creative decision that, he admits, acted as a shield. “Singing in a language that wasn’t mine was a mask. I wasn’t ready to expose myself completely,” he says. That changed in early 2024, when he started writing and singing in Italian. “Once I accepted myself as I am, I wrote three songs instinctively in Italian, and everything flowed naturally from there. I started writing more freely, and the songs felt truly mine.”

The shift wasn’t just linguistic but it marked a turning point in his sound as well. His newer work blends influences from indie rock to shoegaze and emo rap, reflecting his desire to evolve with every release.

In April 2025, Astruso released his debut EP, ‘Parole per cui valga dormire’ (‘Words worth sleeping for’), a deeply personal project born from a difficult time in his life. “I was struggling with anxiety, sleeping poorly, and feeling unwell,” he shares. “Writing and creating the EP helped me heal.”

The five-track project explores what he calls “the delicacy of vulnerability” but also the resilience that can emerge from exhaustion and confusion. “I wanted to tell the beauty that can exist in feeling lost or incomplete,” he says. Musically, the EP focuses on songwriting and a raw vocal expression, with production handled by a team of collaborators — Enimrak, Erba, and Attilio — who helped craft its rich, atmospheric sound.

When asked to describe his music in three words, he chose: “Emotional, pictorial, lost.” It’s a fitting description for an artist whose songs paint emotions like brushstrokes — raw, vulnerable, and beautifully hard to define.

Astruso’s new single, ‘Fuoco’ (which comes out on October 31st),  marks the beginning of a new creative chapter for the artist and one that feels like a rebirth. The track “burns from within” traces a journey through destruction and renewal where fire doesn’t consume, it cleanses. It’s a song about shedding the old to make room for the new and about turning pain into warmth, light, and freedom. Co-written and produced with Erba, ‘Fuoco’ blends rock and indie rock textures with a shoegaze haze and an unmistakably visceral pop soul, embodying the constant tension between light and darkness.

“I’ve gone back to handling production myself, especially the guitar parts,” he explains. “The sound is still coherent with what I’ve done so far: my voice and words are the thread, but this time it draws more from shoegaze and indie rock, with less electronic influence.”

In ‘Fuoco’, Astruso appears like a figure emerging from the ashes: he’s armored not for battle, but for play. “It’s like a child dressing up as a hero,” he says, “rediscovering purity and lightness in being an adult.” That sense of rediscovery runs through every note of the song - a return to earth, to the body, to the wild joy of letting oneself burn in order to feel alive again. ‘Fuoco’ doesn’t just introduce a new era for Astruso — it reignites his essence.

As he continues to evolve, one thing remains constant: his commitment to authenticity. Astruso has carved out a sound that feels deeply personal yet universally resonant; the kind of honesty that lingers long after the last note fades.

Astruso’s new track ‘Fuoco’ is now available on all streaming platforms. You can find him on Instagram.

---

WORDS MARTINA PILLONI