The intimacy behind Cassiano Franco's new album

After five years on the road, the artist decided to transform experiences into words, making the studio an environment of confrontation between past and future. With deep roots and a survival trajectory, he built an album that is not only his first solo project but also his sincere portrait — a mirror of his choices and pains that shaped his journey.

Inspired by the mythological figure of Janus, ‘Love and Hate’ translates the conflict between destruction and reconstruction in each track. This work is expressed through music as a form of escape from internal battles, using art as a tool for salvation.

We talked to the artist about the origin of the project: his references, sounds, and journeys that influenced the composition of his new album. Check out the full interview below:

NOTTHESAMO: How would you describe the moment you decided to transform your experiences into an album? Was it more of a necessity or a choice?

Cassiano: It was a necessity. In 5 years of my career, I have been doing a lot of collaborations and releasing some works, but I never made a big project as a solo artist, so I see this as the exact moment for “Love and Hate,” both for me as a person/artist and for the people who follow me.

NTS: How did your roots and experiences directly influence this project?

C: My roots and experiences influenced it from start to finish. I come from a reality where duality is present every second of my life. The vast majority of the lyrics came from real experiences, from neuroses that took over my mind for a good while. I believe I manifested my purest way of expression in this album.

NTS: The album “Love and Hate” revolves around the figure of Janus. How did this connection between mythology and your own story arise?

C: In the representation of Janus, he looks at the past and the future at the same time, and most of my questions and theses within the album are about this, about how our past affects our present and how our actions today influence our future.

NTS: On the cover, you appear with a gun in one hand and a microphone in the other. What message does this image convey to you?

C: The gun symbolizes the battles I fought throughout my life, both personally and professionally. The microphone symbolizes art, which, besides being the way I found to express what I feel, is what pulled me out of the dangers of the streets.

NTS: The connecting thread of the album is duality. How was the process of putting such intense feelings into words and sounds?

C: My feelings have always been very intense, and from a young age, I have always sought to express myself clearly about what goes on inside my head. I confess it wasn't that difficult to express myself in each beat of this album, as I have discovered that I have a knack for it for some time. The really difficult part was experiencing.

NTS: The album has 16 tracks. How was it organizing so many ideas, pains, and visions into a unique body of work?

C: It was a process of much self-discovery. Most of the time, we feel and think about things we can't convey to anyone, only we know exactly what goes on. The process of creating the album made me look a lot at myself; it's as if I gave life and form to all the neuroses that had been trapped in my head for a long time, and by the number of tracks, it's clear that there were quite a few.

NTS: Is there any artist, movement, or reference that significantly contributed to creating this atmosphere between war and art?

C: No, all the inspiration for the album, from start to finish, revolves around my life experiences. I sought to be as original as possible in this album.

NTS: How do you see the role of art today in a scenario where so many people live in this constant cycle of destruction and reconstruction?

C: Art still has a fundamental role in saving lives. In a scenario where so many people live intensely between love and hate, art becomes a tool for expression and survival.

NTS: This is your first studio album. What does it represent in your artistic and personal journey?

C: This album marks a moment of maturity in my journey, both artistically and personally. Love and Hate allowed me to talk about my experiences in a way I had never been able to before. It was a very intense process, demanding a lot from me, but it was this dedication that made me grow and understand more about who I am as a person and as an artist.

NTS: And finally, if you could give any advice to someone, what would you say?

C: Be original, don’t forget your roots, and seek your spiritual improvement, that makes all the difference.