🇮🇹 Sanremo 2021: Irama, Annalisa and Ermal Meta in, Diodato out?

As previously reported, the Italian national broadcaster RAI will be revealing the Campioni category artists on December 17. The reveal will take place live in the Sanremo Casino and be broadcast on Rai 1. In advance of this event, EurovisionIN has published a list of some very exciting rumoured names.

With Sanremo being one of the biggest events in the Italian calendar, rumours are always rife ahead of the official list of participants. According to EurovisionIN, the following names have been speculated:

• Anna Tatangelo
• Annalisa
• Bugo
• Ermal Meta (Eurovision 2018)
• Federico Rossi (ex Benji & Fede)
• Francesco Renga
• Gaia Gozzi
• Giusy Ferreri
• Irama
• Leo Gassman (winner of Sanremo Giovani 2020)
• Lo Stato Sociale
• Luca Carboni
• Malika Ayane
• Måneskin
• Max Gazzè
• Michele Bravi
• Mr. Rain
• Noemi
• Nomadi
• Random
• The Kolors
• Tommaso Paradiso

Of course, there are 22 names listed above and only 20 slots (as far as we know), so take the above with a pinch of salt. According to All Music Italia, other ‘wildcards’ could include Nina Zilli, Ghemon, Mietta and Fulminacci.

Diodato won’t be returning

Earlier this week, in an interview with RTL 102.5 this week, Diodato confirmed that he will not be competing in Sanremo 2021, despite rumours of his return. In the interview, he said the following:

In my immediate projects, the Festival di Sanremo is not there. Going to the competition again is not my plan.

Diodato speaking to RTL 102.5

Once again, RAI have confirmed that the winner of Sanremo 2021’s Campioni category will have first refusal to represent Italy at Eurovision 2021. This makes Italy yet another country that will be sending a new artist for 2021, rather than keeping their 2020 act.

Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest

Italy were amongst the seven countries that took part in the inaugural Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. Before their first win, Italy scored two third place finishes in 1958 and 1963. Italy’s first win came in 1964 with Gigliola Cinquetti’s “Non ho l’età” in 1964 which won the contest in Copenhagen with 49 points. Their next top three didn’t come until 1974 – again with Gigliola Cinquetti. “Si” finished in 2nd place, behind Sweden’s ABBA.

In 1990, Toto Cutugno became Italy’s second, and most recent, winner with “Insieme: 1992”. It won the contest with 149 points. Italy took part a further 4 times in the 1990s, before taking a 13-year break from the contest from 1998 to 2010.

They returned to the contest in 2011 and has since finished in the top three on three occasions – 2nd in 2011, 3rd in 2015 and 2nd in 2019. Diodato was selected to represent Italy in 2020 with “Fai rumore” before the contest was cancelled.

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