The 73rd edition of the illustrious Sanremo Music Festival has been running the over the last four days. Tonight the winner will be crowned and we'll be one step closer to finding out who will represent Italy at Eurovision 2023.
This year there are 28 songs in the running for Sanremo, the most we've seen in recent years - live performances are found here and the official Spotify playlist here. Don't have a spare 16 hours to catch up on the events of the last few days? We've got you covered here.
For the first time in Aussievision history, 11 team members have ranked the Italian songs from first to tenth place with points awarded in the usual Eurovision system (ie. 1st = 12 points, 2nd = 8 points, etc.). Rankings are made on personal taste, not a prediction on how the songs will place on the night.
Results:
10. Ultimo - 'Alba' (21 points)
Highs: 10 points Mark, 7 points Craig
Lows: 0 points John, Justin, Steven, Fleur, Kyriakos, Dale, Mike & Liv
"This is masterful song writing. I was carried away by the rise and fall of the melody, and the way the song builds to a symphonic climax. His rich vocal quality and patient phrasing might not be televote catnip in this age of instant gratification and viral trends, but it is musicianship - and it is lovely." ~Mark
9. Mr. Rain - 'Supereroi' (26 points)
Highs: 10 points Craig, 8 points Justin, 6 points Fleur
Lows: 0 points John, Cooper, Steven, Kyriakos, Dale, Mike & Liv
"I can't wait to see how irritated Dale is about the idea of a dozen kids on-stage!" ~Craig
8. Elodie - 'Due' (36 points)
Highs: 7 points Cooper, Steven, Kyriakos and Liv
Lows: 0 points Justin, Mark, Dale and Mike
"Even though the provisional rankings aren't favourable - this is still a cracking entry from Elodie. She could go out in a potato sack and work the stage and turn it into a magical experience. She has the quality for a Top 3 finish with the right song. Alternatively - I'd like to pitch to RAI an Italian fashion show featuring exclusively Elodie." ~Liv
7. Paola and Chiara - 'Furore' (37 points)
Highs: 10 points Mike, 8 points John, 7 points Dale
Lows: 0 points Justin, Steven, Mark, Kyriakos & Liv
"This is somewhat dated, but it brings me a sense of nostalgic joy. Paola & Chiara have brought a rehearsed and prepared performance that really works on the Sanremo stage. The whole thing works for me." ~Mike
6. Lazza - 'Cenere' (38 points)
Highs: 8 points Cooper & Fleur. 6 points Kyriakos & Liv.
Lows: 0 points John, Justin, Mark & Dale
"Talk about a grower - 'Cenere' always had something different from the rest of the competition being very contemporary and using vocal distortion and riocontra. Lazza is hot property as an up and coming artist (think Blanco 2022) and has been well rewarded in the charts, currently #1 on the Italian Top 50 on Spotify. This could very well go into the Top 3 on Sanremo debut." ~Liv
5. Rosa Chemical - 'Made in Italy' (43 points)
Highs: 12 points Mike. 10 points Liv.
Lows: 0 points John, Justin, Mark, Fleur & Kyriakos
"Instantly likeable and catchy, this song jumped out to me on first listen. It’s quirky and has some odd elements, but it all works. Rosa Chemical is a natural performer and sells it well in the live performances." ~Mike
"I now split my life into two parts: pre-Rosa Chemical and post-Rosa Chemical and I've never been happier" ~Liv
4. Olly - 'Polvere' (46 points)
Highs: 12 points Cooper. 10 points Dale. 7 points John & Mark.
Lows: 0 points Steven, Fleur & Craig. 1 point Liv.
"Night one of Sanremo was full of ballads, which made this track stand out amongst the crowd. This song is one you just want to jump around to. The electro production and interesting flow makes this entertaining from start to finish. Whilst the voice effects would be an issue for Eurovision, overall this track definitely the most Eurovision friendly out of all of the Sanremo songs." ~Cooper
"This is the banger of the contest, this sounds like modern Italian pop. The vocal manipulation isn't always perfect but it doesn't detract for me. That chorus with the orchestral backing is just awesome and Olly performs with gusto and charisma. He deserves much more than the scores are giving him!" ~Dale
3. Colapesce Dimartino - 'Splash' (61 points)
Highs: 12 points Fleur & Kyriakos. 10 points John. 8 points Steven.
Lows: 0 points Cooper, Mark & Craig. 3 points Liv.
"Other than the word 'Splash', I have no idea what they are saying and I don't care. I love the vibe of this song. It's so catchy and you can see that the guys are having a blast performing this." ~Fleur
"This performance is so entertaining!! There is something fun and quirky about this performance that just edged out to take my 12 points over Marco. The chorus is SUPER catchy and the synth beat in the song pwoah!" ~Kyriakos
2. Madame - 'Il bene ne male' (77 points)
Highs: 12 points Liv & Craig. 10 points Steve & Fleur.
Lows: 1 point John. 4 points Justin & Kyriakos.
"Madame has that star quality and the most incredible ability to emote and express herself on stage. The message of the song is powerful which is amplified tenfold with her live performances. Girl can do both pretty vocals and also those raw and gritty tones. She has it all. I'll never get sick of her unique performances." ~Liv
"A catchy song delivered with passion by an artist with a definite touch of star quality. Madame’s only issue at Sanremo is that she came up against a certain Signore Mengoni." ~Steven
"This is a fantastic package. I love the EDM beats, the vocals and she has a strong stage presence. It's contemporary pop that would do really well if chosen for Eurovision." ~Fleur
"This has a very modern sound and a good, driving beat to it which makes it a clear stand-out to me. I didn't really get Madame's last Sanremo entry, but I definitely get this one - would love to see her at Eurovision!" ~Craig
Winner by just 1 point...
1. Marco Mengoni - 'Due vite' (78 points)
Highs: 12 points John, Steven & Dale. 10 points Kyriakos.
Lows: 0 points Fleur. 1 point Cooper. 3 points Craig.
"THIS song is an absolute masterpiece, miles better than Maneskin's raunchy rock. I have a feeling Italy will win again with this. As powerful as Il Volo's 'Musica la resta', as magical as Blanco, as perfect as 'L'essenziale'. This would give Alessandra Mele a run for her money." ~ John
"Simply beautiful: beautiful voice, beautiful song, beautiful storytelling through song, beautiful diction … beautiful man. Surely I’ll see Marco on the Liverpool stage?!" ~Steven
"This is Italian man ballad perfection. Marco delivers an impeccable performance in this beautifully written song. It has immediate impact and literally gives me goosebumps every time. I love that transition into the chorus, I love the anger that comes through in the bridge and it's just streets ahead of anything else in the contest. Get him to Liverpool!" ~Dale
"What a beautiful emotion performance by Marco! The live performance is elevated from the studio. This shows what a professional artist Marco is! Bravo!!!!!" ~Kyriakos
Other Placings:
11. Leo Gassmann - 'Terzo cuore' (20 points) - 12 points from Justin
"I really liked the build up of this song—I think this explosiveness would pay off well in making an impact on stage. The entire Sanremo is pretty strong, but this stood a head above everyone else for me." ~Justin
12. Mara Sattei - 'Duemilaminuti' (19 points)
13. I Cugini di Campagna - 'Lettera 22' (16 points)
14. Colla Zio - 'Non mi va' (15 points)
15. Anna Oxa - 'Sali' (13 points) - 5 points from Liv
16 (Equal). Ariete - 'Mare di guai' (12 points) - 10 points from Justin
16 (Equal). Coma_Cose - 'L'addio' (12 points) - 12 points from Mark "This is the melody I can't erase from my mind after the first three nights of Sanremo. There is a complexity, intimacy and maturity about Francesca and Fausto's song. Maybe others are tired of duets from Italy after last year, but I'd love if these two got the ticket and showed Mahmood and Bl*nc* what chemistry and connectedness actually looks like on the Eurovision stage. Fausto needs to up his live game though - it feels a tad flat from time to time." ~Mark
16 (Equal). Giorgia - 'Parole dette male' (12 points)
16 (Equal). LDA - 'Se poi domani' (12 points)
20. Levante - 'Vivere' (11 points)
21 (Equal). Sethu - 'Cause perse' (10 points)
21 (Equal). Gianmaria - 'Mostro' (10 points) - 10 points from Cooper
23. Tananai - 'Tango' (6 points)
24. Shari - 'Egoista' (5 points)
25 (Equal). Will - 'Stupido' (1 point)
25 (Equal). Modà - 'Lasciami' (1 point)
27 (Equal). Gianluca Grignani - 'Quando ti manca il fiato' (0 points)
27 (Equal). Articolo 31 - 'Un bel viaggio' (0 points)
The final show will take place at 8:40pm CET 12 February 2023 (6:40am AEDT - Sunday morning).
All 28 artists will perform their songs for the third and final time. At the end of televoting, the final ranking will be drawn up, determined by the average between the percentages of the final evening and those of the previous evenings, which will establish the final ranking from the twenty-eighth to the sixth position. The top 5 ranked acts will proceed to super final to decide the winner. Votes will be reset. Of the top five in the super final - the winner will be decided by televote (34%), press jury (33%) and demoscopic jury (33%).
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