As we near the end of our preview journey, we head to the land of pizza, pasta and where rock’n’roll never dies. It’s Italy!
History
Italy was one of the seven countries to take part in the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. They will send their 48th entry to the contest this year. Despite not winning in 1958, “Nel blu, dipinto di blu” by Domenico Modugno went on to become on of the most successful Italian songs of all time, winning “Record of the Year” and “Song of the Year” at the very first Grammy Awards.
Italy withdrew from the contest a number of times, most notably from 1998 to 2010. Since their return to the contest in 2011, Italy have placed in top 10 every year except for 2014 and 2016. Italy have won the contest on three occasions. The first time in 1964 with the song “Non ho l’età ” performed by Gigliola Cinquetti, then in 1990 with the song “Insieme: 1992” performed by Toto Cutugno and most recently in 2021 with “Zitti e buoni” performed by Måneskin.
At the 2023 contest, Marco Mengoni finished fourth with “Due vite”.
Selection
The Italian broadcaster, Radiotelevisione italiana (RAI) used the 74th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival, the inspiration for the Eurovision itself, to select their 2024 entrant. A total of 30 artists competed in the festival; 27 as Campioni or “Big Artists” and three newcomers from Sanremo Giovani. The winner would earn the right to represent Italy and first refusal of the offer. After five nights of the festival, Angelina Mango was crowned the winner. Shortly after her victory, she accepted the Italian ticket to Malmö.
Artist
Angelina Mango was born on April 10 2001 in Maratea in southern Italy. She is the daughter of the famous Italian singers and songwriters Pino Mango, commonly known as Mango, and Laura Valente, former frontwoman of Matia Bazar from 1990 to 1998. Following the cultural imprint of her family, Angelina and her brother were brought up with a musical education.
Angelina began her career as a singer in 2016 in Milan, when she joined a band with her brother. She released her first single “Va tutto bene” (Everything’s good) in 2020, before release of her first EP “Monolocale” (Studio) later that year.
In 2021, Angelina participated in Sanremo Giovani but did not make it to the final. The very same year, though, her career took a serious boost, as she signed a contract with Sony Music and took part in Concerto del Primo Maggio (a national Labour Day concert in Italy).
Angelina’s breakthrough came in November 2022, when she competed in the talent show Amici di Maria De Filippi. There she came second place overall, but she triumphed in the singing category. This opened the door to a large number of collaborations with many popular artists, and she also released many singles and EPs. One of these, “Voglia di vivere” (Will to live), debuted at number 2 on the Italian Albums Chart and was certified gold. The single of the same name was certified platinum. Her biggest hit so far was “Che t’o dico a fa'” (What am I telling you for?), which reached number 2 on the Italian Singles Chart.
The song that Angelina will perform in Malmö is called “La noia” (Boredom). It was written and composed by Dardust, Madame and Angelina herself. In addition to the Grand Final, Angelina will also perform during the second semi-final on May 9.
Song Review
A woman winning Sanremo and going to Eurovision afterwards? The curse is broken!
This song is like a breath of fresh air from Latin America that passed up through the Mediterranean. The cumbia rhythms are coupled with an Italian finesse and the catchy beats contrast the lyrics about reflections on life in general. It is an incredibly well crafted song.
The icing on the cake for this whole package is Angelina herself. She has star power. Everyone move she makes and every note she sings is filled with purpose. She starts off slow and then hits you with all of her power, no tricks needed.
You reap what you sow, as the saying goes. Italy put quality in and they get good results from it. I see at least at least a top 5 result for Italy. If some of the other favourites falter, Italy will be right there to take their fourth victory. If we do have to go to Italy again, can I just ask that we don’t have a rotating sun please?
The One That Got Away
Angelina was the first female soloist in ten years to win Sanremo. However, there has been another female soloist many have wanted to win Sanremo for years. Enter Annalisa.
Annalisa Scarrone has participated in Sanremo five times. Known mainly for her ballads, she came with the electro-pop song “Sinceramente” (Sincerely) and finished third overall. Annalisa does not stop serving and honestly, it’s a crime that she hasn’t been to Eurovision yet. That day needs to come soon because the world needs to see her power!
Buona fortuna Italia!
Are you dancing the cumbia with Angelina or are you just bored? Leave your comments below. Stay tuned tomorrow for the final Eurovision preview of this year!
(Sources: eurovision.tv, RAI, YouTube)
Thinking About It 