Italian media are reporting that Laura Pausini, Alessandro Cattelan and Mika will host the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 this May in Turin. The news is expected to be announced during next week’s Sanremo festival, with the announcement likely to be during the second show on Wednesday, when Laura Pausini is set to perform as a guest.
News outlet Adnkronos are reporting that the news comes from “well-informed sources”. Both Laura Pausini and Alessandro Cattelan have reportedly signed their contracts, with Mika set to sign his contract imminently. This comes despite his management denying reports in August that he would host the contest, calling them “rumours without foundation”.
Who are Laura, Alessandro and Mika?
With all three names previously being mentioned as possible hosts for the 2022 contest, it is clear to see why they would be ideal choices for Rai. What combines the three alleged hosts is their proficiency in spoken English, their high profiles and their media experience.
Laura Pausini is an internationally-recognised Italian singer who rose to fame back in 1993 as the winner of the newcomers’ section at the Festival di Sanremo. The song went on to top the charts in Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands. She placed third in the festival a year later. She has sold millions of records during her career, and featured as a coach on Spain’s La Voz.
In 2020, Laura won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song with Io sì (Seen) from The Life Ahead, in collaboration with Diane Warren. She landed her first TV presenting gig back in 2016 with Laura e Paola. Rumours circulated about Laura’s involvement in this year’s contest back in December with reports in Corriere dello Sport.
Alessandro Cattelan was one of the first names to be rumoured for the hosting job, with many people calling for him to host the contest after Måneskin’s win in May. Alessandro is an experienced TV host, having hosted X Factor Italia for nine years, including the 2017 series which was won by none other than Måneskin. Last year, he left Sky to join Rai’s talent roster.
Last year, he hosted the variety show Da Grande, having previously hosted the talk show E poi c’è Cattelan between 2014 and 2020 on Sky Uno. He has also starred in the Italian dubs of popular family films such as The Angry Birds Movie and The Secret Life of Pets.
The final rumour is another internationally-known Leabnese-British singer Mika who rose to fame following the release of his debut album Life in Cartoon Motion which sold 5.6 million copies worldwide and led to Mika winning the Brit Award for Best British Breakthrough Act. His hits include Grace Kelly, Relax, Take It Easy and We Are Golden.
He kicked off his career in Italy after appearing as a judge on X Factor Italia between 2013 and 2015. This helped Mika become fluent in Italian. He returned as a judge on the show for series 14, in 2020, and he remained as a judge for the 2021 series. It’s worth remembering that MIKA has made disparaging comments about Eurovision and its quality of songs in the past. Although, these were in reference to him not wanting to participate as a contestant, so perhaps hosting is another story.
Would you be happy with these hosts for the contest? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify and YouTube to see our reactions to the news in the run up to the 2022 national final season!
