An avid lover of football and skateboarding in her younger years, Victoria De Angelis, has become one of the most popular female bass guitarists in the rock n’ roll scene.
Her path to fame had its fair share of struggles. She lost her mother to cancer in her teens and suffered crippling mental issues. However, she turned to the solace of music and emerged as a highly influential figure in the modern rock music scene.
Victoria De Angelis formed the Roman rock band Maneskin in 2016 alongside guitarist Thomas Raggi, and the rest is history. This article dives deeper into who the rock artist and guitarist is, along with 15 intriguing facts about her.
Who Is Victoria De Angelis?
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Victoria De Angelis was born on April 28, 2000, to an Italian father and a Danish mother in a quaint neighborhood in Monteverde, Rome. She completed her education at a school in the vicinity and learned Danish, thanks to her mother’s influence.
15 Interesting Facts About Victoria De Angelis
Fact 1: She Has A Natural Talent For Music
De Angelis began to instinctively play the guitar at the age of 8. She later went on to take guitar lessons and gradually began exploring the bass guitar. As a teenager, she was a fan of Lady Gaga, Harry Styles, David Bowie, and more.
However, her affinity for rock n’ roll stemmed from the inspiration she gained from Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads and Kim Gordon of Youth Sonic. These influential female artists shaped her interest and, ultimately, her music career.
Fact 2: Digging Deep Into Her Danish Roots
In her younger years, Victoria spent much time learning Danish from her mother and also spoke the language when she visited Denmark on holidays.
Years later, when her band was still deciding on a name, Victoria turned to her Danish roots and suggested the word ‘Måneskin,’ which means Moonlight in Danish.
Fact 3: She Is Gender Fluid
From a young age, Victoria struggled with her gender identity and found the traditional or conventional confines of gender norms and binaries restricting. She resisted female stereotypes. However, she often embraces a femme image professionally and uses the stage and her performances to channel her love for glam and gender fluidity.
Fact 4: Her Father Manages The Band
Victoria’s father, Alessandro, runs a travel agency in Rome and is a successful businessman. He also manages many of the business obligations of the band and advises them on media appearances, overseeing revenue, sponsoring, legalities, and more.
Fact 5: She’s Dabbled With Modeling
The star guitarist has done some modeling for Elle Italia and several other magazines. Some highlights include a commercial for Yves Saint Laurent, which brought her immense attention from high fashion brands.
Fact 6: She Is Single
Victoria De Angelis is single, despite speculations about her relationship status with at least one band member, most notably lead singer Damiano David.
While she admitted to a special relationship with him, she did mention that it wasn’t romantic.
Fact 7: She’s An Award Recipient
Maneskin won 2 awards in 2018 for ‘Chosen’ and another three awards, placing first in 2019 at the Sanremo Music Festival. Her band also bagged a prestigious win at Eurovision and an MTV VMA accolade. They went on to win more awards in 2022, including the CineEuphoria and iHeartRadio Music Awards, among others.
It was also nominated for the Best New Artist category at the Grammy Awards.
Fact 8: A big NO To Drugs
The relationship between drugs and rock n’ roll has existed for decades. De Angelis and her band members do not condone the consumption of drugs, despite several conspiracies in the past that speculated the band members were indulging in cocaine during a performance.
Fact 9: She Played Alongside Rock Legends The Rolling Stones
Victoria was always an ardent supporter of The Rolling Stones. In fact, at the age of 14, she tried to break into one of the band’s gigs.
She never totally gave up on her dream. So to capture their attention, she and her band performed at the 02 Academy in London, in several shows in the U.S., including Saturday Night Live, and were eventually invited to support, you guessed it, rock superstars—The Rolling Stones.
Maneskin played alongside the band and its legends, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Brian Jones.
Fact 10: She Is Extremely Humble
Despite her rise to fame and awe-inspiring journey, Victoria De Angelis has always maintained that she seldom sees herself as a role model.
However, she is a vocal advocate for women who want to make a rock music career and encourages her fans to accept themselves through freedom of self-expression.