In the middle of a week of semi-finals, San Marino’s broadcaster RTV held a press conference today, in Rome, to announce the list of finalists in advance.
Twenty finalists and five jurors for a sold-out show
After the casting phases, and before the end of the semi-final phases, which are due to be broadcast every evening until the end of the week, SM RTV has already revealed who would compete in the final, which will be held on March 8th at the Dogana New Theatre, in San Marino. According to the broadcaster, the show has already been sold out.
The press conference was held by Roberto Sergio (Director of SM RTV) and Federico Pedini Amati (San Marino’s Secretary of State for Turism).
The 20 finalists are :
- 🇮🇹 Bianca Atzei – “Testacoda“
- 🇦🇱 Besa – “Tiki Tiki“
- 🇮🇹 Boosta – “BTW“
- 🇮🇹 Vincenzo Capua – “Sei sempre tu“
- 🇮🇹 Pierdavide Carone – “Ma vuoi sposare?“
- 🇮🇹 Marco Carta – “Solo fantasia“
- 🇮🇹 Luisa Corna – “Il giorno giusto“
- 🇸🇪 Curli – “Juliet“
- 🇮🇹 Elasi – “Lorella“
- 🇮🇹 Haymara – “Tómame las manos“
- 🇸🇮 King Foo – “The edge of the world“
- 🇸🇲 Paco – “Until the end“
- 🇮🇹 Gabry Ponte – “Tutta l’Italia“
- 🇮🇹 Questo e quello – “Bella Balla“
- 🇮🇹 Silvia Salemi – “Coralli“
- 🇧🇪 Angy Sciacqua – “I“
- 🇮🇹 Taoma – “NPC“
- 🇺🇦 Teslenko – “Storm“
- 🇮🇹 The Rumpled – “You get me so high“
- 🇮🇹 Giacomo Voli – “Ave Maria“
The include Besa, who represented Albania at Eurovision last year, and Gabry Ponte, who brings the Sanremo official anthem “Tutta l’Italia” to Sanremo.
Two hosts, four prizes, five jurors…
The show will be hosted by Flora Canto and Francesco Facchinetti.
The results will come solely from a jury of five members:
- Luca De Gennaro (DJ)
- Roberto Sergio (Director of SMRTV)
- Federica Gentile (TV and radio hosts)
- Ema Stockholma (singer-songwriter)
- Mario Andrea Ettore (Marketing manager at SIAE, the Italien Society of Authors and Editors)
SM RTV has revealed that there was not enough time to set up a solid televoting system, hence its absence this year, but has hopes of being able to add a televote in future editions.
Although the jury and the selection’s purpose is mainly to select the Eurovision representative for San Marino, the show will also have three other special prizes, including a “Prize of the critics” (similar to the Sanremo “premio della critica”) and a special prize for San Marinese artists.
The Secretary of State for Turism also announced that this year, and in the coming years, San Marino will produce special stamps for the final of the national selection, as seen below.
La Rappresentante di Lista and Senhit as special guests
SMRTV has also announced the presence of two special guests.
The first is La Rappresentante di Lista, the Italian duo of Veronica Lucchesi and Dario Mangiaracina, who took part in the Sanremo festival in 2021 and 2022.
The second is Senhit, who represented San Marino in 2020 and 2021, and who will sing her 2021 entry “Adrenalina” and her latest single “Dangerous.”
What do you think of the finalists? Who should represent the small Republic in Basel? And how do you feel about revealing the finalists before the end of the semi-finals broadcast? Tell us more in the comments below, or on social media at @escxtra!
