We have the song for San Marino 2025 - Tutta l'Italia by Gabry Ponte of Eiffel 65 fame. The final of Una Voce per San Marino San Marino Song Contest 2025 happened 8 March with 5 jury members choosing the winner. Nine pre-qualified acts plus eleven from the seven semi-finals and the second chance round competed.
The veteran Italian hosts actor Flora Canto and DJ Francesco Fachinetti kept the event moving, and they had as guest of honor Italian singer/composer Cristiano Malgioglio, reigning from his seat of honor next to the jury looking like Caesar Flickerman of the Hunger Games on retirement from his hosting duties. The audience looked like Sanremo in their finest Italian suits and elegant dresses.
After an opening set from legendary Al Bano, presented with a lifetime achievement award, we were quickly presented with the 20 hopeful acts. The stage is notoriously small, but they did their best with a unique set of LED screens to back the performers.
The variety of songs and genres was refreshing as they chose well this year. Most of the 20 could actually sing well, an improvement over past years, with no mention of Italian desserts or artic wildlife. Most attempted choreography, and they mostly had decent stage presence comparatively speaking (Romania 2023). There were familiar names besides Ponte, including Besa (Albania ESC 2024) and prior Sanremo artists such as Luisa Corna, Pierdavide Carone, Marco Carta, Bianca Atzei, and Silvia Salemi.
They had two interval numbers among the contestants, Senhit (San Marino ESC 2010 and 2020 2021) performing Adrenalina (no Flo Rida) and Dangerous, and another where Fachinetti read a letter Sanremo style.... The running order on the official website seemed to be thrown out as artists performed out of order leaving some wondering what was happening. After the 20 performed though, it was clear they had whatever issues under control.
The interval act afterwards was La Rappresentante di Lista, another Sanremo veteran, with a mini-concert. Then, it was time for the winner! With 20 acts, they could do that in 2 minutes or 20 minutes. 20 minutes it was. Painfully talking non-stop after each name, the hosts announced 20 - 11 only to stop for the Producer's Award from San Marino RTV given to my personal fave, the song I by Angy Sciacqua who tied for 13th.
They announced 10 - 3 to stop again for another award, the critic's award to Pierdavide Carone and his song Mi vuoi sposare? (Ask Krista Siegfrids. She seems up to it.) So the top three! Oh another award, called Una Voce per San Marino 2025 award from.... ??.... representing ... ?? ... The Rumpled and their rock song You Get Me So High won it.
The top three were Teslenko from Ukraine with Storm, The Rumpled second, and Gabry Ponte first. The Rumpled actually qualified via the second chance semi-final! (Maybe it was their rock accordion and rock violin that helped, because they made those instruments work for that song.)