365 Days star Michele Morrone working on album in Dubai

Italian actor and musician says guitar is like his "girlfriend"

It appears the UAE is once again taking up its position as showbiz capital of the Middle East, given one of the world's hottest properties just made his mark right here in Dubai. In town to officially launch celebrity shout-out app HalaHi, where you can order personalised videos from your favourite celebs, Netflix's 365 Days breakout star Michele Morrone met us at the Palazzo Versace hotel this morning; a resort the actor and musician has called home for around a week.
About as distant from his renowned Don Massimo Torricelli alter ego as possible, the performer entered the room in a simple white T-shirt, pinstripe pants and specs and sat down to talk about life since breaking records with the Polish crime thriller.
For those unaware, Morrone provided the vocals for the 365 Days' signature tune, Feel It and, after a combined 52 million views on his YouTube channel, it would appear music is going to play a bigger part in his career. We even spotted a guitar in one of his recent Instagram stories.
"I always have my guitar with me," Morrone said. "In the free time I keep working on the album because I can get ideas from one moment to another. They come so quick you have to write it down.
"Even if I am working on business here in Dubai, when I have free time I keep working on my music. It's like a girlfriend for me the guitar."
365 Days' soundtrack success wasn't a forgone conclusion, said the star and has led - if you can imagine it - to even greater fan appreciation.
"I was expecting the movie to be big. I wasn't expecting at all the music to be big as well. Everything that is happening to me... I barely can go out on the street. But I love to be recognised for something good that I did."
Catch more in-depth thoughts from Morrone and a video interview with the artist later right here on khaleejtimes.com
david@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai