Sibilla
Oppio/Svegliami

A unique profile and a physique reminiscent of her mentor: the aquiline nose, the slender and lanky body, a subtle charm that is nevertheless clearly present. Sibyl Amarilli Mostert, known artistically as Sibilla, is an Italian singer of African descent, born in Zimbabwe in 1954. She has a beautiful and distinctive voice. Her voice and appearance seem to open the doors to cinema for her. In 1976, Italian cult director Enzo G. Castellari called her to sing the main song of the film Keoma. The song bears the same title as the film, which is a bizarre western with Franco Nero in the protagonist role, "Keoma" itself, and is written by two who know how to write songs for films: the brothers Guido and Maurizio De Angelis, also known as the Oliver Onions. This fortunate beginning leads her to be one of the performers, the flutist, in the film Prova d’orchestra by Federico Fellini, presented out of competition at Cannes in 1979. Perhaps these dazzling beginnings catch the attention of Franco Battiato.

The maestro won the 1981 Sanremo Festival as an author with "Per Elisa." The story of the song interpreted by Alice is well-known. It talks about drugs, heroin. And in those years of needles and holes, it is at least courageous. Battiato, and his colleague at the time Giusto Pio, somehow want to attempt an encore. Another singer with a cross-sectional charm and another song that talks about drugs, although with a different approach, and this time in a much more direct manner. The title is "Oppio." Sibyl Amarilli Mostert thus becomes Sibilla and is imperiously signed by EMI, so to speak, the path seems clear. Battiato and Giusto Pio quickly write her two songs, "Sud Africa" and "Alta Tensione", which end up on a promo single printed in only 50 copies (the music of "Sud Africa" will later be recycled as an integral part of the theatrical show, Quello Stolfo da Ferrara, staged in 1983 by Teatro del Buratto), to circumvent the 1983 Sanremo Festival regulation that required participants to have at least one record to their name.

However, the song that Battiato and Pio craft for Sanremo is fully a Battiato song from the 80s. A myriad of cultured citations, a chorus taken wholesale from the Jewish folk song "Hava Nagila," bold passages like "a quei tempi l’oppio ci costava meno di una birra" ("back then, opium cost us less than a beer") and a music that mixes the Italian electropop that was so popular at the time with the distinctive melodies of Battiato in the 80s. In short, it should be the descent into guaranteed success. Instead, it is the descent into hell.

Misfortune is involved, or perhaps negligence, or perhaps some mischievous hand (it was also said). Sibilla takes the stage at the 1983 festival, hosted by children of artists. It's a playback festival. But she sings live over the track. But they don't play the track, instead, the piece with vocals included is played. The microphone is on, and so on TV, one hears an obscene mix between the original song and Sibilla's live voice overlapping and completely out of scale, time, pitch, as she is probably hearing the recorded voice in her monitor and gets flustered. Direct elimination. Legend says that Battiato, who was watching the festival on TV, laughed hysterically for a long time with his hands in his hair.

Nevertheless, the Oppio/Svegliami single is released, which almost immediately disappears from circulation and receives no response. Battiato does not abandon her immediately. The contract with EMI exists, and towards the end of the year, they try again with a second single. Perhaps it is a bit too pretentious. The A-side is actually the cover of a lied by the 18th-century composer Jean Paul Egide Martini entitled "Plasir d’Amour." Yes, it's said to have been Marie Antoinette's favorite piece, yes, Elvis profoundly reimagined it to create "Can’t Help Falling in Love," and Joan Baez also had it in her repertoire, but in any case, no one cared. Battiato liked the piece so much so that he later included it in the tracklist of Come un cammello in una grondaia. Also by the Battiato/Pio duo, the B-side "Sex Appeal to Europe," which, however, is not a great song. In short, despite the 45's artwork curated by Francesco Messina (who also did the first 45's cover), who crafted Battiato's iconic covers and features a very sexy Sibilla on the cover, despite the production by Angelo Carrara, despite EMI, for Sibilla, the story ends here.

Her last trace is found in 1990 on Paolo Conte's album Parole d’amore scritte a macchina, where she is the female voice in the track "La canoa di mezzanotte." Then, she disappears from the scene.