On his first solo tour, Damiano David channels the pull of classic rock with a quieter edge, blending romance and rebellion into a sound that keeps you hovering in that sweet, electric tension. His debut hints at an artist unafraid of contrast, and the question of where he goes next is part of the excitement.
Text by Mia Colaner, Photos by Louis Alson
Italian singer Damiano David, the frontman of the Italian rock band Måneskin, lit up the MTELUS stage in Montreal, the second and final Canadian stop of his Funny Little Fears World Tour on December 4th, 2025 – a global run that followed the release of his debut solo album Funny Little Fears. David’s presence onstage radiated an undeniable authenticity that captivated the crowd even before the music began, as he arrived with a magnetic energy that seemed to meet every gaze at once.
From the streets of Rome, Måneskin catapulted to global recognition almost overnight, claiming victories at the Sanremo Music Festival and the Eurovision Song Contest in 2021. After rising to fame under the shadow of “rockstar bad boy,” David took a step into a world that revealed a softer, more romantic facet of his artistry. In Funny Little Fears, upbeat pop reigns, combined with the undercurrent of rock to create a soundscape that is at once familiar and also refreshingly new; a space where his creative identity expands under his own control.
This new direction diverges from Måneskin’s world of high-octane rock. It demonstrates David’s ability to navigate the multifaceted worlds of music on his own terms, moving at his own rhythm. Fans, drawn to both his authenticity and versatility, have followed him across the globe, eager to witness the continual evolution of his sound and performance. His shows have sold out in many cities worldwide, a testament to the immersive atmosphere he creates onstage, performances that feel both intimate and electric, making it impossible to resist.
First Act:
All eyes were on David as he entered in a sleek brown suit, a sartorial nod to his identity as both a fashion icon and an electrifying musician, setting the tone for an unforgettable evening. Bright, colorful lights rippled across the stage, illuminating David and his bandmates in a kaleidoscope of energy. He opened his performance with “Born With a Broken Heart,” the first song written for the record, and a track that, as David explained in a Forbes interview, became the defining sound of the album. It was a style he hadn’t initially imagined for himself, yet it emerged as the piece that most authentically captured his artistic identity. He followed it with “The First Time”before pausing to greet the audience with a few endearing words in French, a gesture that softened the lights and drew the crowd closer into his orbit. It was impossible not to be swept up by the energy he radiated, an energy amplified by the intimate chemistry he had forged with the audience, as he delivered every lyric with palpable passion and intent.
Upon popular request, David shifted gears with a cover of “Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon, offering the Montreal audience a tantalizing glimpse into yet another facet of his vocal range, a new angle of David that they had the pleasure of encountering. The crowd erupted in cheers. As the first act unfolded, he peeled off his jacket, revealing bare skin in a gesture that felt deliberate, as an expression of vulnerability that illuminated the layers beneath his stage persona and allowed the audience a glimpse of the artist behind the performance.
He closed the first act by explaining that the show was structured in three distinct parts, each representing a different chapter of his life. The opening act reflected the past ten years, a period defined by Måneskin’s meteoric rise, nonstop touring, and constant creation, a dream realized almost overnight. Yet, amid the acclaim and the whirlwind of travel, David vulnerably revealed that the thrill of success came paired with a dissonance he couldn’t ignore. The joy of performing and exploring the world began to fade, replaced by the pressure of living a dream that was never fully his own. This reckoning gave birth to his solo record, a space where he could confront the emptiness beneath the surface of fame. Through the song “Perfect Life,” he translated that feeling of being trapped in someone else’s narrative, inviting the audience to witness and share his intimate revelation.
Second Act:
David reemerged in a striped button-down and crisp white dress pants, a red scarf draped across his neck that he wielded playfully as both prop and statement, signaling a shift into a softer, more romantic world. The music mirrored this transformation. He performed tracks like “Sick of Myself” and “The Bruise,” their resonance filling the intimate walls of MTELUS, creating an atmosphere that drew the audience into his unfolding narrative. David’s voice carried an undeniable honesty, revealing the tenderness that coexisted with his signature charisma.
Third Act:
David shifted his wardrobe once more to khaki-colored pants with a brown belt, a crisp white vest, and a brown-and-blue tie. He brought his background vocalists to the forefront, and the stage opened into a new dimension of his musical world, layering harmonies that expanded the intimacy of the performance. As the third act reached its crescendo, David teased the audience with a playful false finale, performing what he called his “best love song,” “Mars.” Dedicated to anyone in love, or searching for it, the track carried a subtle rock-and-roll edge while shining the spotlight on his entire band. With deliberate flair, David retreated from the stage, surrendering the spotlight to his musicians, who took command of the song’s closing moments. The guitarists stepped to center stage, back-to-back, guitars high, radiating a bold, imaginative energy that allowed them to seize the moment together, as if daring the world to watch.
After an enthusiastic roar from the crowd, David returned to center stage to announce that the show was not yet over. He closed with the final song of his project, “Naked,” a track that encapsulated everything he had learned throughout this solo debut journey – a realization that even after ten years in the spotlight, he still could not quite define what he wanted the next ten to hold. An echoed resonance passed between David and the audience as he reflected that the most beautiful part of life is the freedom to explore new paths and the many versions of ourselves that we can become. Change is a symptom of growth, and with David’s acceptance of it, his second life had begun. “Naked” invited the audience to connect with the journey of discovering and rediscovering oneself through growth and change, serving as both a tribute to the universal human experience and a reminder that we can reinvent ourselves, explore new paths, and experiment with our lives while remaining true to our authentic selves. David’s lyrics, “You don’t know who you are ’til you don’t know who you are,” embodied these feelings, transforming them into a lyrical masterpiece that brought his show to a powerful, resonant close.
On this journey, David revealed a sound that stepped confidently into the spotlight, one that pulled the audience in and refused to let them go. His solo work marks the beginning of an artist unafraid to inhabit new versions of himself, to move fluidly through genres and emotions with an explorer’s intuition. The path ahead stretches open with possibility, and all that’s left is to watch where he will lead us next – into what new world he’ll create under the lights.
