Ethan Lara opens up about his past and future aspirations, from his search for identity to the achievement of a new musical and personal maturity in a story by Clotilde Petrosino
Lampoon presents Ethan
Impossible to pigeonhole into predefined categories, Ethan is a young emerging musician who finds in the concept of fluidity the distinctive element of his music and personality. Born to a Brazilian father and an Italian mother, Ethan tries to amalgamate these two seemingly distant worlds in his music.
His xenophile approach in terms of music tastes dates back to his childhood: «Around the age of 8 I was a very unsociable child, I spent hours watching music videos and listening to records. Even then I was very passionate about black music with its warm and deep voices, like those of Dionne Warwick and Stevie Wonder».
After a few years of singing courses the change of voice, a traumatic event for Ethan whose musical references belonged for the vast majority to the female universe. Nonetheless, the conviction that music would be his destiny was beginning to make its way inside him. It was in his teens that Ethan began writing his first English lyrics, reproducing the sound and mood of the overseas R&B scene, which eventually resulted in his first EP, Flawed Guy, produced with a small independent label in Florence.
2021: the release of IDIOSINCRASIA
A few years later – after moving to Milan – his growing expressive needs allowed him to reconnect with his mother tongue: Italian. «I started listening to more Italian music and finding new references in our music industry. I discovered a niche of artists that made me realize that what I was doing in English could be reproduced in Italian, that there was room in the market for my music», Ethan explains.
Ethan’s first real approach to Italian R&B took place in 2021, when he released his second EP, Idiosincrasia, in which he delved further into the themes which characterize his lyrics, such as love, sensuality and human relationships. «It’s a project I’m very fond of that I’ve been playing until recently», he says.
2023: the beginning of a new musical chapter in Ethan’s life
2023 marks the beginning of a new chapter in Ethan’s journey, who says he is ready to step out of his comfort zone and give himself to the public in the most authentic and honest way possible. The newborn collaboration with Carosello Records will in fact result in a new EP, to be released in early summer. A taste of this new project was given to fans between January and February 2023 with the release of two singles: LUNA PIENA and SOLO PER TE – a loving dedication to his younger brother.
These two songs, differing in style and in the topics covered, but united by Ethan’s warm and silky voice, confirm once more the singer’s desire to continue experimenting with sounds and melodies and providing the audience with an image of himself in constant flux.
«I am very introspective and I wish to keep this distinctive personality trait, but I also aim to reach as many people as possible. I think the difficulty lies in being able to maintain a common thread that is consistent with what I want to say and with my artistic identity, but which is also understandable for the public. This is what I’ve been trying to do with Carosello for a few months now, spending a lot of time in the recording studio», Ethan declares.
Ethan’s personal and musical fluency
Today’s Ethan’s self-awareness is the result of a long and complex introspective work which, over the years, has forced him to confront both his inner demons and the outside world, which often requires us to be assimilated to pre-set categories.
«When I was younger I often wondered which side I wanted to be on, what or who I belonged to, because it’s less scary to be locked inside a box. Then I realized that those boxes were too reductive for me and maybe it was this click inside my head which allowed me to experiment with new sounds and new ways of approaching myself», he explains.
Ethan’s artistic fluidity developed concurrently with his eclectic personality, which today is expressed through a very personal style, sometimes grunge and aggressive, sometimes more delicate and feminine: «I would like to feel free to be every day what I want to be, to be able to float at the mercy of my mood and my being».
The fear of not possessing a clear and defined aesthetic, which would allow others – even before himself – to position him within society’s categories, has in fact been replaced by the awareness that recognizability is nothing more than a consequence of freedom, of not having to identify with something at all cost.
Ethan – The perks and backlashes of fame
Over the course of his short – but nonetheless prolific – career, Ethan has come to realize that he still isn’t able to translate his anger and negative feelings into music. Although his pieces are very intimate and his voice is able to convey dark or melancholy atmospheres, most of his lyrics are in fact romantic or sexual in nature.
«I would like to learn to convey even my most aggressive side, that malaise that I carry within me, but also my amusing and carefree mood, because I am that too. I’m still working on getting out of that pattern».
A pattern fueled by the fear of betraying one day that self-image he managed to build over the years with patience and perseverance. A sort of tailored suit which has made him feel at ease all this time, but which he now feels ready to take off leaving room for new sides of his personality, perhaps more vulnerable, but certainly authentic and rich in surprises and unexpected beauties.
Ethan knows perfectly well that fame and media exposure can be a double-edged sword: on the one hand the flattery of those who appreciate your work and consider you a source of inspiration; on the other hand the so-called “haters”, the criticisms, the sharp comments.
«I like it when people recognize me and approach me in the street to tell me they appreciate what I do. In general I like to see a reaction in people, whether it’s positive or negative. But I’m afraid of not being able to shield myself from possible criticism, to convince myself that some things are true. I have always been my harshest critic».
Ethan by Clotilde Petrosino
As a representative of the queer community, Ethan uses his music and his image to break down all kinds of gender prejudices and eliminate the social stigma which still afflicts some minorities. Although there is no doubt that a lot of progress has been made in terms of inclusion in recent years, he is keen to remind that there is still a lot to do, especially as regards the representation of certain categories:
«Large structures are still driven by the same outdated mechanisms and by people who have been promoting the same old principles for years. Sometimes we convince ourselves that things have changed because we live in a bubble surrounded by people who share our values and ideas. But if we leave our golden castle, we realize that it is not quite the case. Even the representation of queer people in Italy is very limited, as is that of other categories. Everything is always taken to extremes, I think some things need to be deconstructed».
Clotilde Petrosino and the LGBTQIA+ community
An ambitious goal pursued by a new generation of emerging talents such as Clotilde Petrosino, an Italian awarded photographer whose work is devoted to the exploration of identity issues and sexuality matters with a focus on LGBTQIA+ community.
For Lampoon, Petrosino shot an editorial dedicated to the artist – hence the name – in which Ethan’s introspective nature is reflected in intimate and delicate shots. «Clotilde Petrosino and I hit it off right away. I like working with people who I feel comfortable with, who share the same vision as me. This project was about me, my soul and my nature had to come out. So I had to do it with someone who knew and understood me», Ethan explains.
Everything in this editorial – from the styling and the cozy and intimate settings to Ethan’s lyrics written in pen on the photographs – contributes to providing the public with an authentic portrait of the artist: pure, honest and genuine, exactly as he is.
Ethan Lara
Known to the public only as Ethan – is an Italian-Brazilian queer artist, born in 1998. After the publication of his first EP in English Flawed Guy (Supernova Dischi) and the public coming out, in 2021 he moved to Milan, where he released IDIOSINCRASIA, his first EP in Italian. In 2023 he released LUNA PIENA and SOLO PER TE with Carosello Records, preceding the release of the new EP.
Photography Clotilde Petrosino, styling Alessandro Ferrari
Art Direction & Photography: Clotilde Petrosino @clotildepetrosino
Styling: Alessandro Ferrari @instyleale
Make-up & Hair: Serena Polh @serena_polh
Ethan: @ethanlaraa
Management: @yumanity
Record company: @carosellorecords
Fashion assistants: Carlotta Palazzi e Francesco Giuliani.
Agnese Torres
