Sanremo Music Festival 2025
The Sanremo Music Festival 2025, officially the 75th Italian Song Festival, was the 75th edition of the annual Sanremo Music Festival, a television song contest held at the Teatro Ariston in Sanremo, organised and broadcast by RAI. It was held between 11 and 15 February 2025 and presented by Carlo Conti, who also served as the artistic director for the competition. The festival was won by Olly with "Balorda nostalgia", earning him the right of first refusal to represent in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025; however, he ultimately declined the opportunity in favour of runner-up Lucio Corsi with "Volevo essere un duro".
Format
RAI initially announced that the contest would be held from 4 to 8 February 2025. The dates were later changed to 11–15 February as they overlapped with the quarter-finals of Coppa Italia, broadcast on Mediaset channels.Presenters
In June 2023, Amadeus, Sanremo's host and artistic director from 2020, announced that he would step down from his position after 2024. Despite proposals by RAI to remain for 2025, Amadeus confirmed during a press conference on 5 February 2024 that the 2024 edition would be his final time in the role.On 22 May 2024, RAI announced Carlo Conti – who had previously taken on the role in 2015, 2016 and 2017 – as the artistic director and main host of the 2025 and 2026 editions. In October 2024, Conti announced that the special DopoFestival broadcast after each of the shows would be hosted by Alessandro Cattelan. The following month, Cattelan was announced as one of the co-hosts of the final night of the festival. In mid-January 2025, the complete line-up of the hosts was announced, which includes: Antonella Clerici and Gerry Scotti on the first night; Bianca Balti, Cristiano Malgioglio and Nino Frassica on the second night; Miriam Leone, Elettra Lamborghini and Katia Follesa on the third night; Mahmood and Geppi Cucciari on the fourth night; Alessia Marcuzzi in addition to Cattelan on the final. In late December 2024, the hosts of PrimaFestival, the introductory segment aired before each of the nights and during the opening red carpet, were announced to be Bianca Guaccero, Gabriele Corsi and Mariasole Pollio; comedy duo I Sansoni was added to the cast on 3 February 2025.
Stage design
In June 2024, it was announced that the Sanremo 2025 stage would be designed by Riccardo Bocchini, the same designer of the 2015, 2016 and 2017 editions.Theme music
The official musical theme of the festival, "Tutta l'Italia", was composed by Gabry Ponte and was released on 31 January 2025.Format changes
On 13 June 2024, Conti announced the first changes in the rules and the organisation of the contest: these include the reintroduction of the separate Newcomers' section, which was last featured in 2021, and that of DopoFestival, which would be reduced in length compared to previous editions; the "cover night" was retained, and once again none of the entries was eliminated before the final.The complete rules were published on 20 August. It was initially confirmed that the number of entries would decrease from 30 to 24. As for the voting system, the results of the "cover night" would not be added to the score obtained on the other shows. On the final night, after the top five songs have been announced, there would be another round of voting, but unlike previous years, the results would then be added to the overall score. The song with the highest overall score would win the contest. In November, Conti announced that the number of entries would instead be higher than 24, as well as clarifying that competing artists would be able to duet with each other during the "cover night"; the entries were ultimately revealed to be 30 as in the previous edition.
Voting
Voting occurred again through the combination of three methods:- Public televoting, carried out via landline and mobile phone.
- Jury of the press room, TV and web.
- Jury of the radio.
- First night: all of the entrants were judged by the jury of the press room, TV and web.
- Second night: half of the entrants were judged through a 50/50 split system by means of televoting and the jury of the radio, to be added up to the results of the first night. The four newcomers were judged by all three juries, determining the two finalist.
- Third night: the other half of the main entrants and the two newcomer finalists were judged as on the previous night, with the winner of the latter section being proclaimed.
- Fourth night: the covers were judged through a split system by means of the televoting and the two juries, determining the winner of the night.
- Fifth night: the entrants were judged through a split system by means of the televote, and the two juries, to be added up to the results of the first three nights; ultimately, a final voting round was held among the top five, which determined the winner.
Selections
Sanremo Giovani ''2024''
The four artists competing in the Newcomers' section were determined through the Sanremo Giovani format, with the contestants, aged 16 to 26, being selected via a standard selection and the separate Area Sanremo competition. The contest was held from 12 November to 18 December 2024, and took place in three stages:- four weekly "challenges" on 12, 19, 26 November and 3 December, presented by Alessandro Cattelan and airing on Rai 2, each seeing six contestants, three of them advancing to the next stage based on the votes of the musical committee;
- a semi-final on 10 December, also presented by Cattelan and airing on Rai 2, where six of the remaining twelve contestants were eliminated by the musical committee;
- a final on 18 December 2024, titled Sarà Sanremo, held at the Sanremo Casino Theatre and presented by Carlo Conti, airing live on Rai 1; the six finalists competed for three spots in the festival, while another two, selected from Area Sanremo, competed for an additional place; the results were determined by the votes of the musical committee.
Standard selection
Online submissions for the standard selection were open between 10 July and 8 October 2024. On 17 October 2024, it was announced that 564 acts had applied, 46 of which were selected by a musical committee – composed of professionals Ema Stokholma,, Manola Moslehi, and Daniele Battaglia, and chaired by the artistic director with RAI director – to take part in an audition round in Rome on 23 October, where 24 artists were selected to compete. Their songs were released on 31 October 2024.| Artist | Song | Songwriter |
| Alex Wyse | "" | |
| Angelica Bove | "La nostra malinconia" | |
| Angie | "Scorpione" | |
| Arianna Rozzo | "J'adore" | |
| Bosnia | "Vengo dal sud" | |
| Ciao sono Vale | "Una nuvola mi copre" | |
| Cosmonauti Borghesi | "Aurora tropicale" | |
| Dea Culpa | "Nuda" | |
| Giin | "Tornare al mare" | |
| Grelmos | "Flashback" | |
| Mazzariello | "Amarsi per lavoro" | |
| Mew | "Oh My God" | |
| Moska Drunkard | "Trinacria" | |
| Nicol | "Come mare" | |
| Orion | "Diamanti nel fango" | Dario Bovenzi |
| Questo e Quello | "Bella balla" | |
| Rea | "Cielo aperto" | |
| Sea John | "Se fossi felice" | Giovanni Maresca |
| Selmi | "Forse per sempre" | |
| Settembre | "Vertebre" | |
| Sidy | "Tutte le volte" | |
| Synergy | "Fiamma" | |
| Tancredi | "Standing Ovation" | |
| Vale LP and Lil Jolie | "" |
Area Sanremo ''2024''
The rules of the Area Sanremo selection, organised by the Municipality of Sanremo alongside the Sanremo Symphonic Orchestra Foundation, were released on 3 September 2024, with the opening of an online application platform lasting until 18 October 2024. The 336 submitting acts were auditioned by a musical committee between 16 and 21 November 2024 at the Sanremo Palafiori, with the 24 qualifiers from this phase attending a final round on 22 November; there, ten winners were proclaimed, among whom two Sanremo Giovani finalists were selected on 23 November. The choice was revealed on 10 December, during the semi-final.Albe – "Finalmente"
|
| Artist | Song | Songwriters |
| Etra | "Spazio " | |
| Maria Tomba | "Goodbye " |
Challenges
| Challenge | Draw | Artist | Song | Result |
| I | 1 | Grelmos | "Flashback" | Advanced |
| I | 2 | Rea | "Cielo aperto" | Did not advance |
| II | 3 | Settembre | "Vertebre" | Advanced |
| II | 4 | Moska Drunkard | "Trinacria" | Did not advance |
| III | 5 | Ciao sono Vale | "Una nuvola mi copre" | Did not advance |
| III | 6 | Selmi | "Forse per sempre" | Advanced |
| Challenge | Draw | Artist | Song | Result |
| I | 1 | Alex Wyse | "Rockstar" | Advanced |
| I | 2 | Nicol | "Come mare" | Did not advance |
| II | 3 | Cosmonauti Borghesi | "Aurora tropicale" | Did not advance |
| II | 4 | Bosnia | "Vengo dal sud" | Advanced |
| III | 5 | Giin | "Tornare al mare" | Did not advance |
| III | 6 | Arianna Rozzo | "J'adore" | Advanced |
| Challenge | Draw | Artist | Song | Result |
| I | 1 | Vale LP and Lil Jolie | "Dimmi tu quando sei pronto per fare l'amore" | Advanced |
| I | 2 | Orion | "Diamanti nel fango" | Did not advance |
| II | 3 | Angelica Bove | "La nostra malinconia" | Advanced |
| II | 4 | Sea John | "Se fossi felice" | Did not advance |
| III | 5 | Questo e Quello | "Bella balla" | Advanced |
| III | 6 | Dea Culpa | "Nuda" | Did not advance |
Competing entries
The contest featured a Big Artists section and a Newcomers' section. The entries competing in the former were selected by the artistic director both from public submissions and by direct invitation, and were announced on 1 December 2024; the number of entries, originally planned to be 24, was later announced to be higher and finally revealed to be 30. Four acts, as determined through the Sanremo Giovani format, competed in the latter section. The titles of the Big Artists' entries were announced during Sarà Sanremo, a special broadcast of 18 December 2024 in which the Sanremo Giovani final was included.Upon the announcement of the new artistic director, Italian consumers association issued a statement requesting that Conti establish a professional committee to select the competing entries, to ensure that they meet musical standards and that their selection is not based on the artists' "number of social media followers, web views or temporary fame deriving from their participation in singing talent shows", as well as the inclusion of a Codacons representative in each phase of the preparations in order to guarantee public transparency. However, this was not granted, and shortly before the announcement of the competing artists, Codacons filed a complaint to RAI over some of the rumoured participants, requesting that any songs featuring "wrong, miseducative or dangerous messages" be banned from the festival.
On 29 January 2025, Emis Killa, who was among the selected entrants with the song "", announced his intention to withdraw from the competition due to legal issues. RAI stated that he would not be replaced.
| Artist | Song | Songwriter | Conductor | Rank | Awards |
| Achille Lauro | "Incoscienti giovani" | Davide Rossi | 7 | rowspan="2" | |
| Bresh | "La tana del granchio" | 11 | - | ||
| Brunori Sas | "L'albero delle noci " | Dario Brunori | Stefano Amato | 3 |
|
| Clara | "Febbre " | 27 | rowspan="7" | ||
| Coma_Cose | "Cuoricini" | Enrico Melozzi | 10 | - | |
| Elodie | "Dimenticarsi alle 7" | Davide Rossi | 12 | - | |
| Fedez | "Battito" | Valeriano Chiaravalle | 4 | - | |
| Francesca Michielin | "Fango in paradiso" | Carmelo Patti | 21 | - | |
| Francesco Gabbani | "Viva la vita" | Fabio Gurian | 8 | - | |
| Gaia | "Chiamo io chiami tu" | Riccardo Zangirolami | 26 | - | |
| Giorgia | "La cura per me" | 6 | |||
| Irama | "Lentamente " | Giulio Nenna | 9 | rowspan="3" | |
| Joan Thiele | "Eco " | Carmelo Patti | 20 | - | |
| The Kolors | "Tu con chi fai l'amore" | Valeriano Chiaravalle | 14 | - | |
| Lucio Corsi | "Volevo essere un duro" | Davide Rossi | 2 | ||
| Marcella Bella | "Pelle diamante" | Fabio Gurian | 29 | rowspan="4" | |
| Massimo Ranieri | "Tra le mani un cuore" | Lucio Fabbri | 23 | - | |
| Modà | "Non ti dimentico" | Andrea Benassai | 22 | - | |
| Noemi | "Se t'innamori muori" | Michele Zocca | 13 | - | |
| Olly | "Balorda nostalgia" | Giovanni Pallotti | 1 | ||
| Rkomi | "Il ritmo delle cose" | Riccardo Zangirolami | 28 | rowspan="6" | |
| Rocco Hunt | "Mille vote ancora" | Enzo Campagnoli | 15 | - | |
| Rose Villain | "Fuorilegge" | Davide Rossi | 19 | - | |
| Sarah Toscano | "Amarcord " | Valeriano Chiaravalle | 17 | - | |
| Serena Brancale | "Anema e core " | Nicole Brancale | 24 | - | |
| Shablo Guè, Joshua and Tormento | "La mia parola" | Luca Faraone | 18 | - | |
| Simone Cristicchi | "Quando sarai piccola" | 5 | |||
| Tony Effe | "Damme 'na mano" | Enzo Campagnoli | 25 | rowspan="2" | |
| Willie Peyote | "Grazie ma no grazie" | Daniel Bestonzo | 16 | - |
| Artist | Song | Songwriter | Conductor | Rank | Awards |
| Alex Wyse | "" | Valeriano Chiaravalle | 2 | rowspan="2" | |
| Maria Tomba | "" | Fabio Barnaba | 3 | - | |
| Settembre | "Vertebre" | Fabio Barnaba | 1 |
| |
| Vale LP and Lil Jolie | "" | Carmelo Patti | 3 |
Shows
First night
All 29 artists performed their competing songs. The top 5 were announced in a random order.| Draw | Artist | Song | Press jury ranking |
| 1 | Gaia | "Chiamo io chiami tu" | 23 |
| 2 | Francesco Gabbani | "Viva la vita" | 10 |
| 3 | Rkomi | "Il ritmo delle cose" | 28 |
| 4 | Noemi | "Se t'innamori muori" | 7 |
| 5 | Irama | "Lentamente " | 26 |
| 6 | Coma_Cose | "Cuoricini" | 8 |
| 7 | Simone Cristicchi | "Quando sarai piccola" | 2 |
| 8 | Marcella Bella | "Pelle diamante" | 27 |
| 9 | Achille Lauro | "Incoscienti giovani" | 5 |
| 10 | Giorgia | "La cura per me" | 1 |
| 11 | Willie Peyote | "Grazie ma no grazie" | 14 |
| 12 | Rose Villain | "Fuorilegge" | 17 |
| 13 | Olly | "Balorda nostalgia" | 6 |
| 14 | Elodie | "Dimenticarsi alle 7" | 12 |
| 15 | Shablo Guè, Joshua and Tormento | "La mia parola" | 18 |
| 16 | Massimo Ranieri | "Tra le mani un cuore" | 16 |
| 17 | Tony Effe | "Damme 'na mano" | 29 |
| 18 | Serena Brancale | "Anema e core " | 21 |
| 19 | Brunori Sas | "L'albero delle noci " | 3 |
| 20 | Modà | "Non ti dimentico" | 25 |
| 21 | Clara | "Febbre " | 24 |
| 22 | Lucio Corsi | "Volevo essere un duro" | 4 |
| 23 | Fedez | "Battito" | 11 |
| 24 | Bresh | "La tana del granchio" | 19 |
| 25 | Sarah Toscano | "Amarcord " | 22 |
| 26 | Joan Thiele | "Eco " | 15 |
| 27 | Rocco Hunt | "Mille vote ancora" | 20 |
| 28 | Francesca Michielin | "Fango in paradiso" | 13 |
| 29 | The Kolors | "Tu con chi fai l'amore" | 9 |
Second night
Fifteen of the competing artists performed their competing songs for a second time. The top 5 were announced in a random order.The night was opened by the Newcomers' semi-final.
Third night
The remaining fourteen artists performed their competing songs for a second time. The top 5 were announced in a random order.The night was closed by the Newcomers' final.
Fourth night
The artists each performed an Italian or international song from the past, duetting with each other or with one or more guest performers. A winner for the night was proclaimed, but, unlike previous years, the results for the night were not added to the overall score. During the night, only the top 10 were announced.Fifth night
All 29 artists performed their competing songs. The top 5 artists of the combined rankings of this and the first three shows advanced to the superfinal, where the juries and televote determined the winner.Special guests and other acts
Special guests included:- first night – Noa and Mira Awad, Jovanotti with Rockin'1000, Gianmarco Tamberi, and Raf;
- second night – Damiano David, Alessandro Borghi, Francesco Del Gaudio, Alessandro Gervasi, BigMama, Edoardo Leo, Pilar Fogliati, Emanuela Fanelli, Maria Chiara Giannetta, Claudia Pandolfi, Vittoria Puccini, Marco Giallini,, Rocco Papaleo, Claudio Santamaria, Carolina Kostner, Carmine Recano, and ;
- third night – Edoardo Bennato, Samuele Parodi, Dario D'Ambrosi with Teatro Patologico, the main cast of The Sea Beyond, Ermal Meta, and Duran Duran with Victoria De Angelis;
- fourth night – Roberto Benigni, Benji & Fede, and Paolo and Lunitta Kessisoglu;
- fifth night – Gabry Ponte, Alberto Angela, Tedua, Planet Funk, Edoardo Bove, Vanessa Scalera, Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner, Mahmood, and Bianca Balti.