Buonasera San Marino! The smallest Eurovision participating country enters its decisive day in its 2023 campaign. Who will represent San Marino at the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool next May? After a week-long competition, four Heats and a second chance night, the Grand Final of Una Voce per San Marino will determine in just a few hours the winner of this peculiar (inter)national selection.
What a journey it has been! Over 1’000 submissions from 31 countries. 23 castings. 5 semi finals… and one Grand Final. They were 106 entries at the beginning of the week. They are only 22 tonight. Twenty qualified acts plus two pre-qualified ones will compete tonight for the honour of representing the San Marino at the forthcoming 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in the United Kingdom. It took five shows to narrow down the selection, and a sixth one tonight to determine the ultimate winner.
How to watch?
You can watch the Grand Final of Una Voce per San Marino 2023 at 21:00 CET via the following channels:
- SMRTV
- SMRTV webstream
About the show
The Grand Final of Una Voce per San Marino 2023 is hosted at Teatro Nuovo by two-times Eurovision entrant Senhit (San Marino 2011 and 2021). This week saw the participation of 106 acts split in four different Heats. Most of these hopeful entrants are from Italy, although many travelled from as far as Albania, Belgium, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Malta, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and even Australia.
Twenty of these acts qualified either directly or through a second chance contest to tonight’s Grand Final. Here they are joined by two Sanmarinese pre-qualified acts. A jury of experts is the only decision-making authority. Al Bano (Italy, 1976 and 1985) will be tonight’s spokesperson for the jury.
2023 will mark the 15th anniversary of San Marino at Eurovision. This special occasion will be celebrated tonight with the participation of Miodio, the first representatives of San Marino at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. Achille Lauro (San Marino, 2022) is also announced as guest.
The Participants
- Alfie Arcuri – Collide
- Deborah Iurato – Out of space
- Deshedus – Non basterà
- E.E.F. – Something for you
- Edoardo Brogi – Due punti sull’equatore
- Eiffel 65 – Movie star
- Ellynora – Mama told me
- Iole – Sul tetto del mondo
- Kida – Stessa pelle
- Le Deva – Fiori su marte
- Lorenzo Licitra – Never give up
- Mate – Prisma
- Mayu – C’è qualcosa in me che non funziona
- NeVRuZ – L’alieno
- Piqued Jacks – Like an animal
- Ronela – Salvaje
- Roy Paci – Tromba
- Simone – Catching memories
- Thomas – 23:23
- Tothem – Sacro e profano
- Vina Rose – Oblivious
- XGiove – Fuoco e benzina
Eurofans will recognise the name of Ronela, who represented her home country Albania at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in Turin. Her Sekret placed 12th in the first semi final and subsequently missed the qualification to the Grand Final.
Interestingly, this final also sees the participation of Lorenzo Licitra. His name might not sound too familiar to the lamba Eurofan, but he rose to fame in Italy after winning The X Factor in Italy in 2017. He then defeated a still largely unknown band called Måneskin.
More notable names are Alfie Arcurie, the winner of The Voice Australia in 2016, Deborah Iurato, winner of the Italian talent show Amici di Maria de Filippi in 2014, and of course Eiffel 65, an international eurodance band from Italy.
San Marino in Eurovision
San Marino debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008 with Miodio and is yet to win the event. The landlocked country has participated in Europe’s favourite television show 12 times and has only made it to the Grand Final three times. In 2014 Valentina Monetta came 24th in the Grand Final with Maybe. In 2019 Serhat placed 19th with Say Na Na Na. Finally, in 2021 when Senhit placed 22nd with Adrenalina.
Valentina has flown the Sammarinese flag at the Eurovision Song Contest four times 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017. In 2022 Achille Lauro represented San Marino at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest with his entry Stripper, failing to qualify for the Grand Final.
