In Venice, Lorenzi (The Sun) takes on the age of AI: “Today, the real prison takes the form of a screen”

“In the passage, I state that ‘the prison between our fingers is now the only school’ because smartphones and social media have become the main ‘educators’ (or rather, miseducators) of the younger generations, shaping their morals, desires, and expectations. The alternative we must strive for is a school of life based on authentic relationships.” Which is, in fact, precisely what the Gospel teaches. “Young people—but not only them—need a ‘school of encounter,’ where we look each other in the eye again, experience genuine empathy, and take the risk of exposing ourselves without filters,” says Lorenzi. Another passage in the song speaks of a “stage” where “we smile and dance only if someone is watching”; is this the prison of our times? “These are the words I use to describe the commodification of intimacy and the spectacle-ization of life. The real prison today takes the form of a screen: it is the dictatorship of appearances, where real experience is sacrificed on the altar of virtual approval and algorithms that primarily reward content that debases the noblest values. Young people—but adults as well— breathe a toxic atmosphere that demands they “pretend” to be happy rather than “actually be” happy by living an authentic life. Like The Sun and Officina del Sole Aps—our fan club—we promote journeys and experiences, such as pilgrimages to the Holy Land and Santiago, which have seen so many lives reborn.” Among the greatest dangers—both present and future—for the artist are global homogenization, the numbing of consciences, and neurochemical devastation. “Those who try to awaken these masses, bringing them back to reality, are often isolated or subjected to the ruthless judgment of the media’s pillory. My message aims to serve a purpose in shaking people’s consciences, and music is an extraordinary tool for sparking this reflection.” Whose worldview do we want to serve?».

In 1997, Sun Eats Hours—Francesco Lorenzi’s first band—was formed. They were four young men from Vicenza chasing a big dream: to make music their profession. After just a few years, they already had four albums in English under their belt, more than three hundred concerts, thousands of fans of their melodic punk, and the award for Best Italian Punk Rock Band in the World. But great success also has another side: their lives became lost amid excesses and self-destructive behavior; the energy of youth and fame dissipated amid toxic relationships, lies, trashed hotel rooms, compromises, drug abuse, and pleasures that gradually drained them of their vitality. These are the reasons why Lorenzi falls into a deep personal and spiritual crisis and loses his inspiration, until the turning point arrives: through a series of “divine coincidences” and moments of realization, he embarks on a journey to fill that void, seeking to rebuild a sense of purpose that leads him to be reborn, both as a man and as an artist. When the spark ignites, he begins writing songs in Italian and reconnecting with his friends, deciding together with them to change the band’s name to The Sun. Because now, as they themselves affirm, it is the Sun of faith that guides them. A story contained within the pages of *La strada del Sole* (The Road of the Sun), the autobiography of Francesco Lorenzi and The Sun, a book translated and published in eight languages.