It’s a rollercoaster in Italy. The Festival di Sanremo 2016 ended last night with Stadio and their Un Giorno Mi Dirai winning the contest. RAI then said Stadio had decided not to enter the Eurovision Song Contest. That was a right they had, as the winner is not obliged to do Eurovision after Sanremo.
RAI’s president Giancarlo Leone then said an announcement would be made during a press conference, taking place today, at 12:30 CET. That press conference, starting fifteen minutes late, confirmed nothing but the fact that RAI still does not know who will represent them in Stockholm.
RAI confirmed that Stadio have been asked to reconsider their decision not to enter the Eurovision Song Contest. The first decision, the ‘no’, was given well before the start of the Festival di Sanremo: All artists were asked in advance if they would do Eurovision in case they’d win. However, as Stadio won and said no, RAI wanted to give them the chance to still represent Italy in Stockholm.
So where are we now? Basically, as RAI put it, we’re waiting for the phonecall. Stadio will call RAI when they have made a decision. Their decision could be that they will go to Stockholm, but it could also be that they want nothing to do with Eurovision. Rumours are circulating that they’re also considering composing for Francesca Michielin, who came second in Sanremo. None of those rumours have however been confirmed. What we do know is that RAI have a plan if Stadio say no.
All we can do is wait for the famous phonecall. As soon as we hear about it, you’ll hear it here at escXtra.com.
63