Raffaella grew up in New York City, but life events led the artist to relocate to Minneapolis. “That was supposed to be for two weeks, and now it's been four years,” she says.

On the day of her concert at the Fine Line in Minneapolis, Raffaella visited The Current to talk with host Jessica Paxton about the influence of the Minneapolis music scene on her work — and the best friend who helped set it all in motion.

Listen to the interview using the audio player above, and read a transcript below.

Interview Transcript

Edited for time and clarity.

Jessica Paxton: Jessica Paxton with you here on The Current I am joined by Raffaella, who brings her first-ever headline tour to the Fine Line tonight, along with a performance by Minneapolis indie rock trio, Why Not. Welcome to The Current, it's so nice to meet you.

Raffaella: Thank you so much. I'm so happy to be here.

Jessica Paxton: So you just released your album, Live, Raff, Love. Talk a little bit about it. What was the inspiration behind it?

Raffaella: I mean, I would say Minneapolis, probably. It's a big inspiration. I've been working on it with my partner [Jake Luppen] for about four years. I am I'm from New York City originally, and I came here with a backpack and a dream — well, really, just a crush. And that was supposed to be for two weeks, and now it's been four years and, you know, an album. So I guess it's like two EPs that equal an album. I think we're all a bit confused about it. But yeah, I just sort of used the music as an excuse to stay. And then the music really taught me a lot about myself and my relationships with the people that, you know, I'm I've become very close to here. And they've all really inspired me. So I would say yeah, Minneapolis was a very big, big inspiration for this music.

Jessica Paxton: I've heard you described as one of pop music's sharpest observers of human behavior. How would you define a standard Minneapolitan?

Raffaella: Oh, yeah. Oh, my God. Yeah, I gotta prove it to these people right now. I mean, I would say kindness, patience. I think that that was a big part of this process, too, is not rushing anything. And, you know, obviously, it's been four years since a lot of this music has been even written. And it took that amount of time to release it. And I do think that Minneapolis taught me a lot in terms of taking my time and making sure I'm as honest as possible.

Jessica Paxton: I love the beautiful pop melodies of your music. And again, those insightful lyrics that really sort of describe the human experience, you know, from adolescence to adulthood. So I'm really excited for tonight's performance. Again, we're talking to Raffaella, who headlines the Fine Line tonight, doors at 7, show at 8. Now this is like a big deal tour. Is this the first stop tonight starting in Minneapolis? Or where do you go next? Like, how's it been going?

Raffaella: It's been really awesome. It's been super fun touring with Why Not. We we had four shows before this one. So we started in New York City, where I'm originally from, and then we played Boston and Philly and D.C. And now we drove from D.C. to Minneapolis, so we did 18 hours in the car two days ago. Or no — my God, that was yesterday. Time is, you know, very confusing right now.

Jessica Paxton: It's a continuum. It's all a blur. Well, again, we're really excited for the performance tonight, and thrilled to have you with us here this afternoon. We're going to have a ticket giveaway, in fact, in just a bit, and I'm also going to spin a song from the new release. And I wanted to talk a bit about your collaboration with Samia. How did that come about?

Raffaella: Really, Samia is the reason why I'm probably here in the first place. We've been friends forever. And she introduced me to Jake after she had opened for Hippo Campus in 2019. And she was like, "You got to come to see the show. All these really sweet boys from Minnesota are coming in. And they're so cute. And you should probably date one of them." And I was like, "Oh, which one?" She tried to set me up with who has now become my good friend Zach [Sutton]. And I said, "I don't know about that one. But what about this one [Luppen]?” Anyway! We ended up not dating for a while. And then we did. And now you know, I'm here, and Sam kind of is the reason why I have this brand-new life. And it made perfect sense for us, all three, to collaborate and kind of celebrate, you know, where we've all sort of landed. And yeah, I mean, she's a big inspiration for me. She's my very best friend. And it was very, very cool to be able to sing and write a song with her

Jessica Paxton: That's fantastic. So I've lived in Minnesota my entire life. I'm a big fan of the Minnesota music community. And I love the fact that here you are, I would think, "Oh my gosh, this artists from the Big Apple choosing to come to Minnesota choosing to become part of the Minneapolis music scene." You know, I feel like I have to thank you, because what a testament to the caliber of talent, and I think also the sense of community among the musicians here and throughout Minnesota, so it's so cool to hear your story wanting to come here, and wanting to stay here.

Raffaella: Well, I never thought I was going to leave New York City, but I'm obsessed with it here. And now I go back to New York and I'm like, "Wow, it's very loud, and it smells bad." I had no idea. But I do think community is something that I need. And New York has a really beautiful community. It's just vast. And here, I mean, I really think The Current is a great example of like the nucleus of this music scene, and you guys do such a great job bringing us all together. And touring with Why Not has also been so special. I don't know many other musicians that live in a van with, you know, the people that they're sharing a bill with. And you know, it's just six of us; Isaac [Dell] plays with both me and with Why Not. And it's very much a shared experience, and we're all friends. And it's very special to have something so wholesome in a world that can often feel tainted by, you know, business stuff. So yeah, it's been very special, and I really owe that to Minnesota.

Jessica Paxton: Oh, that's fantastic. Well, again, we've been talking to Raffaella here in the studio this afternoon, who headlines tonight at the Fine Line. Now any surprises coming up on stage tonight?

Raffaella: I do believe that there will be a surprise onstage tonight.

Jessica Paxton: Excellent. You heard it here first. Doors at 7, show at 8. We're gonna play that song, that collaboration, "Man Of Your Dreams" with Samia in just a bit. Again, it has been so lovely to meet you. Love the new release. Good luck with the rest of the tour, and thanks for your beautiful words about The Current and the Minnesota music scene as well.

Raffaella: Of course, thank you so much for having me. This has been great. It's been great to meet you too.

External Link

Raffaella – Bandcamp