By Marco Testa
On stage, Tony Mazell needs no introduction: a veteran performer who has shared the spotlight with legends such as Hot Chocolate, Taylor Dayne, Marcia Hines, John Paul Young, and Gary Puckett. Beside him, more and more often, is his daughter Sara Ruggeri – a gifted vocalist and one-third of the female trio Viva La Diva, alongside Jacinta Gulisano (ex The Voice) and Juliette Rose. The two share not just a stage, but a rare connection built on music, Italian heritage, and moments that blend past and future.
We interviewed them on the eve of their performances at Ferragosto at Five Dock, where they will appear on separate stages but with the same mission: to move and inspire their audience.
Tony, you’ve performed with some incredible international artists. What draws you back to the crooner era with The Italian Stallions?
Tony Mazell: I think that good classy music never dies. Some music styles come and go and some stand the test of time. The crooning songs have always been there and made an even bigger comeback with artists like Michael Bublé, Harry Connick Jr and even Robbie Williams has included crooning in his shows.
The Italian Stallions show is “all about great memories from those ‘crooner’ years”. Indeed, for some, these songs were the soundtrack of their lives. The experience of hearing songs from another time can be so transportive, emotional, and magical, and harks back to a time of nostalgia. Some styles of music just never go away.
Sara, growing up with a father who lives and breathes music – how did that shape you?
Sara Ruggeri: Well it definitely meant that I was constantly surrounded by music! I used to go and watch Dad perform at festas, in auditoriums, and on all kinds of stages, and I remember just sitting there thinking, “Wow… my dad is a STAR.” There was, and still is, this incredible magic in the way he owns the stage, how the audience respond and hang on every word he says and sings, and how effortlessly he cues the band.
I was never forced to follow in Dad’s footsteps, though. Music was always there, part of our home, part of our lives, but it was never pushed on me. It was my choice, and that made it all the more meaningful when I finally realised it was the path I wanted to take.
I remember vividly when I was really young, whenever Dad did duets with other female singers, I’d be watching from the audience thinking, “That’s going to be me one day.” And now… it is.
Sara, tell us about Viva La Diva. What does this project mean to you?
Sara: Viva La Diva is honestly a dream project for me – it has brought together my two passions: singing and being Italian. And how lucky am I to have found two other divas who feel the exact same way about those two things! Personally, singing Italian songs that are part of my heritage gives everything an extra layer of meaning for me. It’s an ode to my Nonni, but also a look to the future, and how I want to bring up my own family submerged in Italian culture. But alos, think about That’s Amore, L’Italiano, Volare… Italian music has also become universal, and it connects people even if they don’t speak a word of it. I feel incredibly lucky to be part of that!
Sara, you’ve also been incredibly open about your daughter Valentina’s rare condition. How has this journey affected your music?
Sara: Our daughter was born with an extremely rare genetic condition – so rare, it’s only been reported in about 200 people worldwide, and no one in Australia. One of the effects of her condition is Arthrogryposis, which causes joint contractures and affects her ability to move. The past year, results that haven’t always gone Valentina’s way, and a whole lot of learning, advocating and adapting. I am still trying to make sense of it all, what the doctors have told us and continue to tell us, to understand what life is going to look like now, for Valentina and for us.
This experience has definitely changed something in me when it comes to music – I always felt as though it was easy to stand a deliver a song, but not to deliver it with emotion and meaning. There is definitely more emotion behind every performance now – songs I’ve sung a hundred times suddenly feel different. I carry my daughter, Valentina, with me into every performance, in a way, and that started from when I was pregnant. I felt I could hit notes I couldn’t hit before because I had her with me – she gave me strength from the beginning – and I can do the same because I know that I’m doing it all for her.
And for Valentina, music has really helped her healing process – a little baby that could not freely move her neck left, right, up or down, is now bopping her head along as soon as the music comes on. Oh… and Ricchi E Poveri’s ‘Mamma Maria’ helped her learn to say ‘Mamma’!!
Tony, your Sicilian roots run deep. Tell us about your family’s influence.
Tony: My family are of Sicilian background. They migrated here in the late 50s. There was always music in my household. Even then, I loved Elvis and Tom Jones. They have always influenced my music style. In the 70’s and 80’s I really started listening to Italian music and just loved it. My family always supported my music career and did so much for me. They also had so much joy watching my daughter follow in my footsteps.
Sara, do you think your generation connects with Italian music differently than your father’s?
Sara: Absolutely. For my father’s generation, those songs were simply life – they were what you heard at every wedding, what your parents played in the car and at every family event. For our generation, it wasn’t ‘cool’ for a while – Italian music felt old-school, but now, there has been this amazing resurgence. The classics are making a comeback.
Viva La Diva lean right into that, blending traditional Italian songs with new beats that translate just as well on a concert stage as it does on the dancefloor. Songs like Sarà Perché Ti Amo have taken on a whole new life – it’s a football anthem now! And emotional ballads like Gli Ostacoli Del Cuore have been reimagined into house dance tracks.
I see it especially at weddings – young Italo-Australian couples insist on including Italian music in their entertainment. They want that connection, that nostalgia especially for their Nonni that are present and to honour those that are not – it’s like we’re reconnecting with our roots in new ways, and it’s incredibly exciting.
What’s it like performing together as father and daughter?
Tony: It’s fantastic! When you sing with a family member there is a certain connection and understanding that comes naturally. My daughter and I were honoured to be support acts on two occasions for Italian singing icon Pupo on his Australian tour. It remains a very memorable time as he made us feel so welcome in his show. He just lifted us up! On our second tour in 2023, Sara was just pregnant with my beautiful granddaughter Valentina, so it was a real family affair!
Sara: How much we actually learn from each other – that’s the ‘behind the scenes’ that the audience definitely wouldn’t see but it means the world to me. People often assume it’s a one-way street, with Dad teaching me ‘everything he knows’, and of course, he has many years of experience on me… but the truth is, we’re constantly inspiring and pushing each other in new directions and with new projects. We also know exactly what the other is going to do on stage. That kind of sync comes from something much deeper than rehearsal, it comes from living music together.
Tony, do you see that same magic reflected in today’s music scene or artists like your daughter?
Tony: I think that today’s styles of music cannot stand up to past eras. I hear my daughter singing some newer songs but she also understands and respects the value of the past styles and musical genres. I remember at times my daughter saying to me….’This new song is so good…I’m going to sing it’….and I tell her that it is a 60s or 70s song that has been re-recorded. Just proves that good music lives on.
Finally, Tony, if you could choose one song that defines your relationship, what would it be?
Tony: Sara and I have for years sung ‘The Prayer’ in our shows. It’s such a moving and powerful song and always makes me so emotional. It’s a song that conveys a message of hope, guidance and is interpreted as a prayer for divine help in navigating life’s challenges. It’s all the things that I want for my daughter in her life.
As our interview concludes, both Tony and Sara remind us that in the Mazell-Ruggeri family, the melody truly never ends.
