How has your Italian-Brazilian heritage shaped your artistic endeavors and on a broader level, your career?
In a deep way. I have also lived in Europe and other cities in the U.S. and every experience adds to whom I have become. I think the innocence, romance, joy, and passion I feel is very much present in my work and it has been influenced mostly by my childhood in Brazil. Brazilian Music had a major impact in my life from early on. Since I was four years old, I have been singing Brazilian love songs. Obviously, I had no idea what they meant, but I loved them. When I write lyrics in English, I like to have the music incorporate a Brazilian feeling as well. I was brought up exposed to a diverse culture that included music, dance and art from many countries.
What made you get into acting?
I have been acting, dancing, reciting poetry, and singing since I was 3. I had studied in some of the best studios in Brazil, and in Paris. The reason I came to the U.S. was to study to become a complete artist. I attended Maryland University and Georgetown University for Dance and Theater. And studied with several great teachers/studios in D.C., NYC and L.A.
Who are your greatest influences?
My mother was my first and greatest influence. I wrote about it in my latest poetry book, A Brazilian Heart. My mother was a painter with an extraordinary talent and energy. She introduced me to the arts, music, painting, dancing, film, story telling.
What is your favorite book, and why?
I don’t think I have a favorite book. I like many. Some of my favorite writers are Isabel Allende, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and more recently Rumi.
When is your favorite time to write?
Julia Confessions of a Brazilian Super Model was my first book, I wrote it in one week, once I started I couldn’t stop. A Brazilian Heart-Rubies Murder Love and Other Poems is a bilingual book that included original art as well. The poems were the easiest part, I wrote them at various times of the day and places, for example my poems Vision I, II, III I wrote in my gym while I was laying down after having a sauna. The production process of the book was another story, I felt like I was producing two films at once, a lot of work.
Right now I’ve been writing songs for my first aLBum that will be released this year. I have recently written songs for Carly Simon, Jimmy Webb, Ken Hirsch and have some of the top composers in Brazil writing music for my lyrics. They include Sergio Santos, Andre Mehmari, Claudio Nucci, Silvio D’Amico and Weber Lopes.
I am in a creative flow that is so intense I don’t want to stop. I write during concerts, in the car, waiting somewhere, driving to auditions, on flights, in restaurants, talking on the phone, eating, while brushing my teeth, taking a bath, brushing my hair. If I can’t write, I record myself singing the lyrics on my ipod, or on the phone. Sometimes I sleep only 2 hours. Yes, it’s that intense right now. If I hear a phrase or music that inspires me I fly…
Recently I saw a concert with Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, while Herbie was doing a solo, the inspiration came and I started a song that later I finished with Don Heckman, and Sergio Santos wrote exquisite music for it. Another one I wrote was while listening to The Count Basie Orchestra. I’m now writing songs everyday, and at the moment there’s nothing that gives me greater pleasure and fulfillment.
Do you write poetry in all the languages you are fluent in?
I speak English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and French, but I only write in English and in Portuguese. My songwriting partner for some of my English Lyrics is Don Heckman, who in addition to being the Music Critic for the L.A. Times is a superb songwriter.
What caused you to have your own show?
I’ve always loved learning about people’s lives, feelings, and relationships. People in general feel very comfortable with me and tell me very personal things without me having to ask. All the time my friends kept saying, “You should have your own talk show,” so I created The Bianca Rossini Show, a TV talk show.
What is it like to speak for an audience that exceeds a million people?
I do my TV Talk Show as though I’m talking to just one person, one home, one living room. But it gives me great feeling to hear audience feedback from fans writing me or recognizing me out somewhere and telling me how they love the show, including many Hollywood celebrities.
Which would you rather be doing at any given moment, acting or singing?
Right now songwriting and singing.
What would you like to be doing in five years?
Songwriting, recording, performing, writing books, and having my own TV show on a major Network.