RAI, the Italian national broadcaster has announced the names of the 20 acts that will compete at the forthcoming 2015 Sanremo Song Festival Campioni category. The winner of the Italian songfest will be eligible to represent Italy at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest.
A total of 20 candidates will be battling for the coveted grand prix in the 2015 Festival Della Canzone di Sanremo- Campioni Category. The 20 candidates will present their entries on Friday 13 February and only 16 will make it to Saturday’s grand final after a mixed televoting/expert jury/poll deliberation. Hence one of the 16 qualified acts for Saturday’s final will have the honour of flying the Italian flag in Vienna.
Initially 16 acts were slated to compete in the Sanremo 2015 Campioni category but RAI but the Sanremo comittee has decided to extend the number to 20 acts. On 11 December RAI announced the names of the 8 acts who will compete in the 2015 Sanremo Nuovi Proposti category.
This year the Campioni candidates will only compete with 1 song instead of 2 song as has been the case in the previous years.
The Campioni Candidates
- Annalisa – Una finestra tra le stelle
- Malika Ayane – Adesso e qui
- Marco Masini – Che giorno è
- Chiara – Straordinario
- Gianluca Grignani – Sogni infranti
- Nek – Fatti avanti amore
- Nina Zilli – Sola
- Dear Jack – Il mondo esplode
- Alex Britti – Un attimo importante
- Biggio e Mandelli – Vita d’Inferno
- Moreno – Oggi ti parlo così
- Bianca Atzei – Il solo al mondo
- Raf – Come una favola
- Lara Fabian – Voce
- Grazia dI Michele e Mauro Coruzzi / Platinette – Io sono una finestra
- Il Volo – Grande amore
- Anna Tatangelo – Libera
- Nesli – Buona fortuna amore
- Irene Grandi – Un vento senza nome
- Lorenzo Fragola – Siamo uguali
Famous Italian presenter and tv host Carlo Conti will be hosting the song festival. The shows will be aired live on Rai 1, Rai HD, Rai Radio 1 and Rai Radio 2.
The Sanremo 2015 Agenda
- 10/02 – Sanremo Notte 1
- 11/02 – Sanremo Notte 2
- 12/02 – Sanremo Notte 3
- 13/02 – Sanremo Notte 4 (Semifinal of Campioni Category with 20 acts)
- 14/02 – Sanremo Notte 5 ( Grand final of Sanremo 2015 with 16 acts)
Italy has long had the tradition of sending Sanremo winners or participants to the Eurovision Song Contest. The Sanremo rules and regulations have been released , where it states that the winner of the 2015 Sanremo Song Festival will be eligible to represent Italy at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest if he/hes wishes to.
The 2015 Sanremo Song Festival will run from 10- 14 February with the grand final scheduled on Saturday 14 February at Teatro Ariston in Sanremo.
Article n.27 in the 2015 Sanremo Song Contest rules states:
The winner of the Campeoni category at the Sannremo Song Festival will have the right to participate at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest and represent Italy in the contest if he/she are available and agreeable.
In case the artist is not available , the organizers of the above event will reserve the right to choose another participant via their own criteria.
The story so far
Since its return to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011, Italy has selected its Eurovision representatives via the Sanremo Song Festival: Raphael Gualazzi (2011), Nina Zilli (2012) and Marco Mengoni (2013). But this changed in 2014 when RAI opted for an internal selection and Emma Marrone was given the grand honour of representing Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen with her entry La mia citta.
Emma achieved a 21st placing at the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest grand final.
Italy debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1956 and was one of the founder members of the contest. The country has won the event 2 times in 1964 with Gigliola Cinquetti and 1990 with Toto Cotugno. Italy withdrew from the event in 1998 and returned back in 2011.
The 2015 Eurovision Song Contest is scheduled to be held on 19, 21, 23 May at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria.