Italian musician Marta Del Grandi had been living in Nepal for years when she decided to travel home to Milan for a visit. It was February, 2020.

When the pandemic left her stuck in Italy, she used the downtime to begin recording, working on a set of "ethereal" songs that, after years of working in various bands and guises, she decided to make under her own name.

The result of those times became her debut LP, 2021's Until We Fossilize. Del Grandi has now followed it up with an ambitious second record, Selva, made in collaboration with Belgian producer Bert Vliegen (Sophia, Whispering Sons).

Talking to Anthony Carew on The International Pop Underground, Del Grandi discusses her musical history, from being taught to sing by an opera diva, to teaching music to kids in Nepal, playing in an audiovisual act called The Fossick Project, and finding a new career as a solo act when in her 30s.

Feature image: Cecilia Fornari