Backstage With Kety Fusco

Abby McCabe

Local Music Director

At this year’s SXSW, I had the opportunity to meet with the Brilliant Kety Fusco, an experimental Harpist from Italy who writes her own rules, and isn’t afraid to introduce the instrument to spaces it typically doesn’t belong. 

Kety’s music invites listeners to abandon reason and immerse themselves in her world, where textures provide structural support, and the harp does all the talking.

How would you describe your personal relationship with the harp?

Kety Fusco: Ha. My personal relationship it’s like my girlfriend. The harp, it’s my life. I started to play her when I was six. The harp is an extension of me. It’s a part of me, and I can’t live without her. 

Do you remember the album, song, or composition that made you fall in love with music?

Kety: I grew up with classical music, so when I was really young, I listened to a lot of music like opera, Mozart, and Bach. And I really love those kinds of music. But when I was in my adolescence, I started to listen to different things. Like rock music, pop music, and hip hop. And…there is not one song or composition. But I grew up with all different types of music, and when I started to make art, I felt like I wanted to make art and music that would have an impact on the world. 

What kind of rock music were you into growing up? If you don’t mind me asking. 

Kety: Like Iggy Pop, for example, I love him so much. And obviously, when I was in my adolescence, there was a rock band I listened to, like not really rock, but… Green Day. And at home growing up, we had a lot of vinyl, not only rock, but techno, like Jeff Mills. I really like him.

You’re known for pushing the bounds of the harp. How much farther would you like to take it?

Kety: I like to take the harp to uncomfortable places. For example, I experimented with the harp underwater. I took it to the pool and searched the different sounds with it. I love to explore the not-normal sound, the sounds not discovered yet. For me, it’s really emotional to use that instrument in an avant-garde way. To search something that is not as it is in the world, because the harp it’s really a complicated instrument. It’s 47 strings and a lot of mechanics. It’s a big instrument. Particular instrument. I think the harp can speak a lot of languages, and I would like to explore everything with her. 

Did it surprise you to learn that Iggy Pop was a fan of your music? 

Kety: I was really surprised because, well, I listened to a lot of Iggy when I was young. And when I played in 2023 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, he wrote to me and said he would like to talk about my experimental album, “THE HARP – Chapter I,” on his program, Iggy Confidential, on BBC. I was so grateful, because for me, it was amazing, and two years later, I asked him if he wanted to sing for me, for my song, and he said yes! So, I was even more grateful. It was like a dream. 

How has collaborating with someone like Iggy Pop, who has a background in punk music, influenced you?

Kety: I think, on my next album, I would like to take the harp in various musical directions. Like harp and rock, harp and pop, so I would like to create different songs featuring different singers, and show different sides of music. With Iggy, it’s one of my dreams to create a song together in the studio. I use my harp like a singer, no? So it would be like two singers in the studio. My harp, and for example, Iggy, to create something together. I would like that a lot. 

What’s the best thing you’ve seen at SXSW so far?

Kety:  I watched the Jazz re:freshed DJs showcase, and I saw this guy I really liked who played jazz, but in a contemporary sound. I don’t remember his name, but it was my favorite. 

Are there any other acts you’re excited to see?

Kety: Yes, for example, tonight I can’t wait to listen to the other bands on this stage. And I can’t wait for tomorrow because I think SXSW it’s really an amazing festival. There’s a lot of different music, and it’s a very nice discovery for me. I come from Italy, so it’s a long trip, but I’m really happy to be here. 

In your own opinion, what’s the most personal piece of music you’ve ever written? 

Kety: One song for me that is really important is from my new album, “BOHÈME.” Resistance is the name. And this is a song that when I play it, I feel like I want to cry, and… I don’t know what is the term in English…But I get these…

Goosebumps?

Kety: Yes! And I hope this sensation is also felt by the audience tonight. I like it when people don’t come up to me to say “oh, very cool,” because it’s supposed to raise questions, no? So it’s my goal when I finish my show to have people come to me and ask instead, “Why are you doing this?”