RAI, the Italian national broadcaster has revealed the names of the 2018 Sanremo Song Festival competing candidates.
Sanremo 2018
The 2018 Sanremo Music Festival will be held at the Ariston Theatre in Sanremo and will run from 6-10 February, with the Grand Finale set on Saturday 10 February.
The shows will be hosted by Claudio Baglioni and Michelle Hunziker. The contest will be aired live on Rai Uno and Rai International (via satellite).
The winner of the 2018 Sanremo Music Festival (Campioni Category) will be eligible to represent Italy at the forthcoming 2018 Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon.
The participants
Amongst the Campioni candidates, there are 4 former Italian representatives: Nina Zilli (2012), Luca Barbarossa (1988), Riccardo Fogli (1983) and Enrico Ruggeri (1993). Enrico Ruggeri is the lead singer of Decibel.
Other frequent Sanremo participants who are back in the game next year include: Annalisa, Noemi and Giovanni Caccamo.
Campioni candidates
- Roby Facchinetti e Riccardo Fogli – Il segreto del tempo
- Nina Zilli – Senza appartenere
- The Kolors – Frida
- Diodato & Roy Paci – Adesso
- Mario Biondi – Rivederti
- Luca Barbarossa – Passame er sale
- Lo Stato Sociale – Una vita in vacanza
- Annalisa – Il mondo prima di te
- Giovanni Caccamo – Eterno
- Enzo Avitabile & Peppe Servillo – Il coraggio di ogni giorno
- Ornella Vanoni with Bungaro & Pacifico – Imparare ad amarsi
- Renzo Rubino – Custodire
- Noemi – Smettere mai di cercarmi
- Ermal Meta & Fabrizio Moro – Non mi avete fatto niente
- Le Vibrazioni – Così sbagliato
- Ron – Almeno pensami
- Decibel – Lettera dal duca
- Max Gazzé – La leggenda di Cristalda e Pizzomunno
- Red Canzian – Ognuno ha il suo racconto
- Elio & le Storie Tese – Arrivederci
Nuove Proposte candidates
- Mudimbi – Il mago
- Eva – Cosa ti salverà
- Mirkoeilcane – Stiamo tutti bene
- Lorenzo Baglioni – Il congiuntivo
- Giulia Casieri – Come stai
- Ultimo – Il ballo delle incertezze
- Leonardo Monteiro – Bianca
- Alice Caioli – Specchi rotti
Italy in Eurovision
Italy is one of the founder members of the Eurovision Song Contest having debuted in the very first contest in Lugano back in 1956. The country has won the competition twice (1964, 1990).
Italy has sent some of its most celebrated singers to the contest: Domenico Modugno, Albano and Romina Power, Toto Cotugno, Gianni Morandi, Fausto Leali, Umberto Tozzi, Marco Mengoni, Nina Zilli, Ana Oxa, Mattia Bazaar, Gigliola Cinquetti, Franco Battiato, Luca Barbarossa, Il Volo, Emma Marrone, etc.
Italy withdrew from the event in 1997 and, after lots of convincing, the country was back in the game after a 13 year hiatus. The Italians returned with great honours in 2011 when Raphael Gualazzi came 2nd in Düsseldorf.
We can say that Italy is definitely the most successful country among the BIG 5 as it has achieved 5 Top 10 placings in the past 7 editions.
In 2017, Francesco Gabbani took Italy by storm and walked away with the Sanremo trophy and flew to Kyiv to represent Italy at Europe’s favorite television show.
Despite being the hot favourite to bag the Grand Prix, he achieved an honorable 6th place with his mega hit Occidentali’s Karma.
