Baby Genius / Promotext August 2008

Forget Pete Doherty. Forget all those casual-cool-much-hyped British retro bands. Ladies and Gents and Mademoiselles: I give you Baby Genius, Switzerland’s most intriguing rock troubadour. He’s got the charms and chutzpa and everything it takes to write real rock’n’roll hits. Smoothly blending libertinesque nonchalance and hook lines à la Kaiser Chiefs, he well appeals to both the mainstream radio listener and the fastidious indie kid. 

Baby Genius is not merely a name. It’s a modus operandi: With his self-titled debut album, 20-year-old Ivo Amarilli a.k.a. Baby Genius reveals astounding maturity in songwriting. He seems to master all facets of the rock’n’roll genre. He’ll get you enthusiastic about his shrewd compositions and his many potential hits. Be it punky go-off-tracks like “Dance” and “F.E.V.E.R.” or big hit (anti-)love songs like “Couldn’t Love You”, “Just Wanted to Know” and “Needed to Feel”: this young Swiss plays the claviature of in-music just like an old case-hardened pianist. He makes you wanna dance in front of you mirror. If Baby Genius was a corporation, he’d sure be a Blue Chip. Any questions left?


The person: Baby Genius

Snotty daredevil. Taller than 1,70 m. Musically uneducated. Networker. Born a performer. Growing as an entertainer. Partly egocentric. Experienced with the media. Shy. Ping pong champ. Generally friendly. Doesn’t drink much. Smoker. Rarely nervous. Loves stress. Detests ennui. Moving on. Likes live music. Gets involved. Healthy up to date. Also plays the drums. No pets. Occasionally provoking. Loud. Never offending. Wears T-shirts. Always present. Likes risk. Loves Formula 1. Cooks exclusively Italian. Stimulates all sorts of things. Passionately collecting life experience. Above all: singer, songwriter and guitarist.