The 63rd edition of the Sanremo festival kicks off today, promising to give Italians some respite from the election campaign and the economic crisis.
The festival is not only a song contest but also a variety show
The tone will therefore be more light-hearted than ever and with hosts Fabio Fazio and comedienne Luciana Littizzetto, the laughs will surely be delivered.
Each year the festival tries to bring something different, either in the show’s format, the stage design or voting system.
One of the major novelties of this edition is that the participants in the Campioni section will present two songs each, instead of one, on the first two nights of the festival. A special jury and televoting will decide which one of each artist’s songs will make it to the finals on Friday and Saturday.
Fourteen relatively young artists will bring a breath of fresh air to this section, which is usually the reserve of well-established names in the Italian music industry.
These include: Simone Cristicchi, who had won the 2007 edition of the festival with the song Ti regalerò una rosa; soul-pop singer Malika Ayane whose two entries are written by Giuliano Sangiorgi, lead singer of Negroamaro; Max Gazzè, whose two entries are inspired by 1970s music; Daniele Silvestri, whose 2002 festival song Salirò had hit the top of the Italian charts; and Marco Mengoni, who won the 2009 edition of the Italian version of The X Factor and placed third in Sanremo the following year with Credimi ancora.
Four bands are taking part in this section. Elio e le storie tese return to the Sanremo stage after 17 years when they had presented La terra dei cachi and placed second. Almamegretta (whose name is taken from a medieval dialect and means ‘vagrant spirit’), who formed in 1988, are taking part in the festival for the first time. Likewise, rock band Marta sui tubi are new to the festival. Modà, who placed second in the contest in 2011 with Emma and the song Arriverà, will bring more of their pop-rock sound to the Ariston stage.
Other names include Neapolitan singer Maria Nazionale (not a stage name), who is mostly known for being in the cast of the 2008 film Gomorra, and Raphael Gualazzi, who had won the Giovani section of the festival in 2011 with Follia d’amore and went on to represent Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest that year, placing second.
Annalisa, who placed second in the 2011 edition of the talent show Amici, is the youngest singer in this section.
The Giovani section features eight promising artists with one song each. Standing out among them are two former participants of the 2008 edition of the Italian X Factor: Antonio Maggio who had won the reality show as part of the band Aram Quartet, and Ilaria Porceddu who had made it to the semi-finals. The winner of this category will be announced on Friday.
The festival is not only a song contest but also a variety show, with comedy acts, fashion and international guest performers taking centre stage.
Israeli supermodel and former Leonardo DiCaprio girlfriend Bar Rafaeli will act as valletta (assistant) on the first night of the festival, to be followed by Italian supermodel Bianca Balti. Renowned Italian singers Toto Cutugno, Ricchi e Poveri and Al Bano will be awarded for their contribution to song during the first three nights of the festival. Tenor Andrea Bocelli will perform on the final night, Saturday.
International guests include Israeli singer-songwriter Asaf Avidan, who topped international charts in the last months with his hit One Day/Reckoning Song and Israeli-Argentine pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim.
The artists and their songs
Campioni
Almamegretta: Onda che vai; Mamma non lo sa
Annalisa: Scintille; Non so ballare
Malika Ayane: E se poi; Niente
Simone Cristicchi: La prima volta (che sono morto); Mi manchi
Elio e le storie tese: La canzone monotona; Dannati forever
Chiara Galiazzo: Il futuro che sarà; L’esperienza dell’amore
Max Gazzè: I tuoi maledettissimi impegni; Sotto casa
Raphael Gualazzi: Sai (Ci basta un sogno); Senza ritegno
Marta sui tubi: Vorrei; Dispari
Marco Mengoni: Bellissimo; L’essenziale
Maria Nazionale: Quando non parlo; É colpa mia
Modà: Come l’acqua dentro il mare; Se si potesse non morire
Simona Molinari con Peter Cincotti: La felicità; Dr Jekyll Mr Hyde
Daniele Silvestri: Il bisogno di te (Ricatto d’onor); A bocca chiusa
Giovani
Andrea Nardinocchi: Storia impossibile
Irene Ghiotto: Baciami?
Il Cile: Le parole non servono più
Renzo Rubino: Il postino (Amami uomo)
Blastema: Dietro l’intima ragione
Ilaria Porceddu: In equilibrio
Paolo Simoni: Le parole
Antonio Maggio: Mi servirebbe sapere