When music doesn’t just fill a stage, but becomes a voice for rebirth, courage, and freedom, it stops being mere entertainment and becomes a testimony. That’s exactly what happens with The Sun, an Italian rock band with a punk heart and a deeply Christian soul, who are set to perform on August 2nd at the Jubilee for Young People. On that occasion, they’ll sing for thousands of young people on a meaningful journey leading up to the encounter with Pope Leo XIV.
With their music, The Sun don’t follow trends — they speak directly to the heart: of light, tough choices, and tangible spirituality. In this exclusive interview, frontman Francesco Lorenzi shares what it means to perform in such a context, why faith is also a form of inner health, and how real courage today can become a form of freedom.
For The Sun, this isn’t just another date. “Taking the stage at the Jubilee for Young People will be particularly meaningful for us,” says Lorenzi. “After participating musically in several World Youth Days — from Rio to Krakow, Panama to Lisbon — this will be our first time experiencing something similar in our beloved Italy. It’s about placing ourselves at the service of something greater: preparing the way for the Pope’s arrival with our songs and giving voice to true youthful joy.”
Healing and Uniting Through Music
The music of The Sun always carries a clear message: don’t give up, seek the light even in hardship, and above all, rediscover the beauty of faith as a life-giving force and a source of healing. Many of their songs speak of redemption, truth, and daily rebirth. “We want our songs to be messages of hope and courage,” explains Lorenzi. “An invitation to get back up, to be reborn every day — where each morning is a blank page of a new journey.”
This vision is closely tied to what the band calls inner health: “For us, it’s a state of harmony between who we’re called to be and our actual lives, made of choices, relationships, desires, and dreams. It’s a dynamic, luminous coherence that can even lead to healing the heart. Music helps bring to the surface what we often keep hidden — and in the light of God’s love, it can become a tool for true freedom.”
Their concerts often turn this process into a shared experience. “Singing alone is powerful, but singing together is even stronger,” says Lorenzi. “It’s a remedy for loneliness. Music becomes a space to rediscover your inner light and turn words into acts of kindness.”
A Mission Born on the Stage in Bethlehem
The Sun’s music stands apart from what tops the charts — and that’s no accident. “Even back in the Sun Eats Hours days, we were looking for real grit, not prefab choruses,” Lorenzi says. “But it was through our journey of conversion that we realized music had to be a way to draw near to others.” Their biggest turning point came in the Holy Land in 2011, when they played in front of the wall in Bethlehem: “There we understood that our art had to become a tool for peace and truth. That’s when music became a true missionary calling.”
This vision grew stronger through the many solidarity projects the band has supported over the years. “I write songs that go beyond clichés because I myself live beyond clichés,” says Lorenzi. “Christ frees the heart, and that freedom is reflected in everyday choices. It’s my job to stir questions, build bridges, and offer concrete tools for personal growth. Music really can make a difference in someone’s path.”
Courage and Freedom: Words for and from the Youth
In a time marked by disillusionment and confusion, The Sun speak to young people with a bold yet grounded proposal: make radical choices and rediscover courage. But the courage for what? “The single ‘Coraggio’ was inspired by Saint Augustine’s call to discover and choose the truth that lives within us — the one God has already written in our hearts. Freedom, then, means breaking free from your inner chains. After years of hiding behind masks in the first part of our professional journey, we chose to give up all pretense, and discovered that true freedom is living without chains and telling your story with honesty. Courage, in turn, is the real antidote to cynicism — but it requires persistence and going against the current. In a world that often trivializes everything, making radical choices — for justice, service, and love — is an act of real and healthy rebellion. Our rock becomes a cry of hope against indifference.”
For The Sun, being free young people doesn’t mean chasing trends or labels. “Authentic freedom is found when you turn your passion into a mission,” says Lorenzi. “We gave up the masks and discovered that real freedom is telling your story with honesty.”
Loving Yourself and Letting Yourself Be Loved by God
With life on the road, concerts, and constant contact with the public — how do you take care of your physical and mental balance amid it all? “We’ve been playing together for almost 30 years and surpassed 1,000 concerts in 20 countries across 4 continents. It took time and experience to understand how to take care of our balance,” says Lorenzi, adding: “The recipe involves many ingredients. Some of the most important are: maintaining inner and outer order, living authentically with ourselves and others, daily personal and communal prayer, the Sacraments, reading the Word of God, Eucharistic adoration, healthy and mindful eating, physical activity, and above all: loving ourselves, letting God love us, and living with gratitude.”
A Message for Those Walking Under the Sun
To the pilgrims attending the Jubilee, perhaps tired and hot, Lorenzi offers a message with the flavor of truth and vocation: “Inside each of us is a unique and unrepeatable score that only we can play — with God. If we let Him help us discover it, we’ll find fulfillment and bear fruit for the whole human community.”
On August 2, on the stage of the Jubilee for Young People, The Sun will bring their music, their faith, and a clear message: true freedom isn’t the absence of rules, but the courage to choose what is good. Even when it costs. Especially when it costs.
