Antonio Grifoni was born on 17 November 1990 in London to an Italian father and German/American mother. He was educated in Italy, the UK, France and the US and speaks fluent Italian, English and French. He completed his A-levels at Ampleforth College (2001-2009) in Yorkshire. From 2010-12 he attended the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in London, and beginning in 2012 he was accepted for the BA (Hons) Digital Music and Music Production Degree at Southampton Solent University (2012-2015).

 

 

Antonio is a skilled and poetic lyricist and an original musician, playing piano, guitar and ukulele. His passion for making music is as intense as his deep interest in poetry, and other arts, such as film, television narrative and animation, which he also studied (University of California, Los Angeles, summer animation course, 2010). He is deeply influenced by classical narratives about spiritual pilgrimage, such as the Odyssey and the Aeneid; complex, epic stories, that take up universal human themes dealing with love and tragedy. Many of his songs feature the subject matter of loss, of yearning, of melancholy, balanced by themes of redemption. The emotional intensity of Grifoni’s music means he is uniquely equipped to convey mysterious, edgy mood-sound for the growth market of epic genre music tailored for the majority of today’s television series, block-buster film sequels and animations, compositions that deal equally with the dark side of human nature and which open up the possibilities to explore what lies beyond.

 

 

Grifoni is inspired by diverse styles of music ranging from the classical tradition, comprising Johann Pachelbel to Ennio Morricone, through to pop, rock and roll, Garage Rock Revival and EDM (Electronic Dance Music).

 

 

Grifoni began performing live while at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in London, where he formed a band –Crystal Tides, together with fellow students; Marky Ardisson (lead guitar), Elian Dalmasso (rhythm guitar), Ben Heliczer (drums) and Isaac Dogliani (bass) (2010). Antonio was the principal singer-songwriter and composer for Crystal Tides, arranging the various instrumental parts for the other band members, (See more on Stuntmedia.com). Grifoni continues to perform live independently, most recently in Southampton at The Soul Cellar. His songwriting portfolio is constantly expanding and he actively collaborates with other artists, including Khristiana Barbera.

 

 

Grifoni’s Digital Music and Music Production Course at Southampton-Solent has prepared him professionally for a career in music production (training in software such as Logic Pro), and the course has allowed him to study with recognised music professors and composers, especially Bernhard Living and EDM artist, James Zabiela.