On February 7 the Ariston Theatre will crank up the lights for the 2017 edition of the Sanremo Music Festival. Twenty-two artists will hit the stage and one will earn the right to represent Italy at the next Eurovision Song Contest. We’re super excited to discover who will take the baton from Francesca Michielin.
Carlo Conti, the host and artistic director of the show, recently announced the participating artists. Even more interesting, however, is that the perma-tanned presenter revealed details about the content of their entries. Over the past sixty years Sanremo has guarded info about the songs, treating them as state secrets until the first performance on the stage. Grab the popcorn and let’s discover what he told TV Sorrisi e Canzoni…
CARLO CONTI ON SANREMO 2017
AL BANO
Al Bano is an example of energy, strength and love for the music. His “Di rose e di spine” could have been written by Puccini or Mascagni. It reminds me of “Mattino“, one of his most classic reinterpretations.
BIANCA ATZEI
“Ora esisti solo tu” has been written by Kekko Silvestre, lead singer of the band Modà . It’s a radio friendly song with a refrain that gets stuck in your head.
ALESSIO BERNABEI
“Nel mezzo di un applauso” has the same vitality of the entry he sang last year [Noi siamo infinito], with an even stronger crescendo.
MICHELE BRAVI
He’s a popular character. He won The X Factor but then remained a bit in the shadows. He went back to study and later carved out a niche for himself on the web. Now he brings “Il diario degli errori” on stage, a particular ballad, strong and unusual ’cause it talks about the mistakes a young guy can make. After all there is always something positive, even in a negative situation.
CHIARA
“Nessun posto è casa mia” is a sweet song, almost only piano and voice, that hypnotizes the audience. It will be remarkable proof for her as a performer.
CLEMENTINO
His “Ragazzi fuori” is perfectly in keeping with the best rap tradition. It’s committed to young people.
LODOVICA COMELLO
Freshness and energy from a girl able to host, dance and sing. We will find those qualities in her “Il cielo non mi basta” — a beautiful piece of rhythm.Â
GIGI D’ALESSIO
In February Gigi will turn 50. He will celebrate this special birthday with “La prima stella”, a lovable song written for a loved one who is no longer alive. Gigi speaks of how the world has changed and who he has become today.
ELODIE
In a few months she became popular thanks to her fierceness, voice and image. She’s a beautiful reality and her song, “Tutta colpa mia”, has a powerful crescendo.
GIUSY FERRERI
“Fatalmente male” is an impressive entry, a hit that goes straight to the point and won’t let you sit still. Giusy sings it with her resounding voice.
FRANCESCO GABBANI
“Occidentali’s karma”, like “Amen“, is a mix between the genius and madness of the lyrics and the energy of the music.
FIORELLA MANNOIA
This year’s line up is like a bouquet of flowers and Fiorella is the red rose in the middle of it. “Che sia benedetta”, penned by Amara, is a hymn to life, a ballad that convinced her to enter the Festival so that the message of the song can reach a wide audience.
MARCO MASINI
I believe that Marco will be the real surprise of this edition: his change will amaze you. “Spostato di un secondo” has got a new sound, in the first part he has an unusual way to sing it, and there’s an explosive modern refrain.
ERMAL META
His “Vietato morire” is peculiar due to the contrast between the music, that has great rhythm, and the lyrics, that tell a deep story.
FABRIZIO MORO
He’s an expert songwriter, launched years ago by the Newcomers’ section of Sanremo. “Portami via” is an extraordinary ballad in his own style.
NESLI & ALICE PABA
Their voices blend as best they can. “Do retta a te” is a wonderful radio-friendly song. I like these duets in which different worlds meet.
RAIGE & GIULIA LUZI
These two artists will make the audience dance with “Togliamoci la voglia”, an uplifting entry that exalts the union between two seemingly distant genres.
RON
He sings an amazing love song. “L’ottava meraviglia” is dedicated to everyone we love.
SAMUEL
Paraphrasing the title of his latest success, “La risposta“, his participation is the right answer to the skeptics who think that some artists refuse to go to Sanremo. “Vedrai” will be a bombastic hit on that stage.
SERGIO SYLVESTRE
“Sergione” [his nickname] is a big singer in every way. He takes the stage with “Con te” a slow track penned by Giorgia. It has some interesting shades that give value to his voice and interpretation.
PAOLA TURCI
A beautiful songwriter with a lot of experience. “Fatti bella per te” is a radio-friendly tune with lyrics of considerable weight and importance.
MICHELE ZARRILLO
A great comeback to Sanremo and I’m so happy about it. He sings “Mani nelle mani”, a song that reflects his recognizable style.
What do you think of the Sanremo 2017 lineup? Can one of these artists give Italy its third victory? Share your thoughts below!
I’m in love with Giusy’s voice! I just hope that her song be powerful as her voice and I’m so sure that if she represents Italy at ESC 2017 she will reach the top 10! ????????
Italy will have some good possibilities when it send Annalisa.
hope sanremo have no songs with “auto-babysounds” this year .
I first watch the Samremo festival last year. I followed all the shows through to the final. I have to say I loved it and I’ll definitely do the same thing this year. Most of the song were really good and I had many favourites. Generally, I believe Italy has a very unique style. All songs had something italian, I don’t know how to explain it. They all had somehow an italian sound and I love that. I think that italian songs can stand out among others especially at ESC. As for this year, I have to say I love… Read more »
#LodovicaComelloForEurovision2017 😀
SanRemo is a stunning festival and competion, I enjoyed last year’s edition very much although my favourite didn’t win, I look forward to it and the songs I’m sure that will be great
He is the artistic director, it is normal that he has something nice to say about everybody. His attitude is profesional.
2017 is time for man for Italy at Eurovision.
2011,2013,2015 man sing for Italy
2012,2014,2016 woman sing for Italy
Better result with man, 2 place in 2011, 3 place in 2015, 7 place in 2013
With woman 9 place in 2012, 16 place in 2016 and 21 place in 2014
Go Lodovica!!!
I’m all for Chiara, Fiorella, Giusy or at least Ermal. 😀
I’m excited for Italy!!! Hope Carlo Conti is right about all the positive things he’s mentioned about all the entries.
No competition. Best NF in terms of musical quality.
He seems very enthusiastic about Giusy Ferreri – I really hope we send her to the contest, Europe deserves to see Italy’s signature quality at its finest.