Sanremo 2022, the 72nd edition of the show kicks off tonight with 12 of the 25 participants. Meet tonight’s performers, including some familiar faces for Eurovision fans.
Achille Lauro
- Sanremo 2022 song: “Domenica” (Sunday)
- Previous Sanremo participation: 2 (2019, 2020)
Achille Lauro, stage name of Lauro de Marinis, was born in Verona in 1990 and grew up in the Italian capital, Rome. A rapper and a songwriter, he returns to Sanremo for the third time as a competing artist having participated in 2019 and 2020. If you have followed Sanremo in 2021 though he may look familiar as he was a guest for all the shows. He has been in the music business since 2012 and has published six album and collaborated with countless artists, incuding Fedez and Orietta Berti with whom he sang “Mille” which was one of the biggest hits of summer 2021 in Italy. He made his Sanremo debut in 2019 with the song “Rolls Royce” finishing in ninth place, although his entry was the third most streamed Sanremo 2019 entry on Spotify. He returned to Sanremo again in 2020 with the song “Me ne frego” finishing eighth. His participation did not go unnoticed because of the eccentric Gucci outfits he wore during the show.
Ana Mena
- Sanremo 2022 entry: “Duecentomila ore” (two hundred thousand hours)
- Previous Sanremo participations: None (debuting)
Ana Mena Rojas is another Sanremo debutant and the first non-Italian to compete since Lara Fabian in 2015. Born in Andalusia, Spain in 1997 her career began at a very early age in 2006 following her victory in the 12th edition of Veo Veo Awards. She is also a prolific actress having starred in miniseries and movies in Spain. Some of her singles including “Loco como yo, Se fue e Ahora lloras tú” in collaboration with CNCO, enjoyed success not only in Spain but also across Latin America. She reached success in Italy in 2018 with her song “D’Estate non vale”. The following year in collaboration with Italian rapper Fred De Palma, she released “Una volta ancora” becoming a summertime hit and obtaining a total of nine platinum certifications. She sang on a duet together with Riki during Sanremo 2020 and this time she will compete herself.
Dargen D’Amico
- Sanremo 2022 entry: “Dove si balla” (where you dance)
- Previous Sanremo participation: none (debutant)
Dargen D’Amico, stage name of Jacopo D’Amico, was born in Milan to parents originally from Sicily in 1980 and has been active in the music scene since 1997. A rapper, music producer, singer-songwriter and DJ, he is debuting at Sanremo as a performer. That said, he is not an unknown figure at the festival, being one of the co-authors of 2021 entries “Chiamami per Nome” by Fedez and Eurovision 2016 entrant Francesca Michielin and “Dieci” by Annalisa. He defines his style as “emo rap”. His career began with the band Sacre Scuole with which he published an album, before pursuing a solo career. Since 2006 he has released a total of nine albums and collaborated with a variety of music industry professionals.
