Sanremo Giovani 2021 was a HUGE success. Out of the three winners who took to the Sanremo 2022 stage as a prize, Yuman enchanted his audience and won over new fans, Matteo Romano was one placing shy of a top 10 finish, and Tananai transformed from a last place finisher, to summer sensation, racking up almost three million new monthly listeners, and earning a place in Sanremo 2023 in the process.
It’s no surprise that people are excited for this edition to see who else might become Italy’s next best kept secret. And in a new twist, Sanremo creative director Amadeus has confirmed a whopping SIX winners this year, three more than last. With all of that in mind, we’ve compiled everything you need to know about the 12 hopefuls.
However, it is worth mentioning that the songs each artist is participating with, should they win, will NOT be their entry into the main Sanremo contest. Regardless, we can get a good idea of what to expect, and who to watch out for.
gIANMARIA – ‘La città che odi‘
Gianmaria Volpato, known simply as gIANMARIA, is a singer-songwriter from Vincenza. Born in 2002, he started writing music at 13/14 years old, and realised his passion for the arts when he recorded at a friend’s house. He’s known for placing second in X Factor Italia 2021, mentored by Emma. In fact, his audition song ‘I Suicidi’ has nearly 5 million streams, and his audition video has 2.4 million views on Youtube. Over the years, his parents have supported him, but amicably pushed him to study as well, due to the difficulty of making it in the industry. Nonetheless, music “saved” him, and he uses his own sensitivity in his songs. His soft rap/hip-hop sound has been inspired by Italian rap, particularly that of Salmo, American rap, and trap, and interestingly he’s a fan of Sanremo 2023 artist Madame. With about 275,000 monthly listeners, and other notable successes such as his 2021 song ‘Ascolta’ earning nearly 10 million streams, gIANMARIA is definitely one to watch. He will be competing with the song ‘La città che odi‘.
Giuse The Lizia – ‘Sincera‘
Singer-songwriter Giuse The Lizia (real name Giuseppe Puleo) debuted just last year with his song ‘Vietnam’, which currently has nearly 700,000 streams. From Bagheria, Palermo, he has over 75,000 monthly listeners at just 20 years old. Giuse began playing guitar at the age of 15, and used to sing in a Strokes cover band in school. At 17, he started writing songs blending rap and songwriting. He likens his songs to “scars”, citing “they remind me of who I am, what I want, and above all that everything in life comes suddenly”. Notably, with his urban and itpop style, Giuse puts his life experiences into his music. He will be participating with the song ‘Sincera‘.
Maninni – ‘Mille Porte‘
Alessio Mininni, who works under the stage name Maninni, is a singer-songwriter from Bari. Born in 1997, he has been interested in music since childhood, influenced by many genres and singers including favourites U2, Oasis, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Vasco Rossi, Ligablue, and Cesare Cremonini. Above all, music is his greatest passion, and his soft pop songs have earned him over 20,000 monthly listeners. In particular, his song ‘Senza’, released in 2021 after a two-year break, has over 100,000 streams, and entered Spotify playlists School Indie and New Music Friday, alongside the top 100 of the Earone airplay chart. Furthermore, his 2021 song ‘Vaniglia’ boasts almost 450,000 streams, lasted eight weeks in Spotify’s Indie School playlist, and was played across radio stations such as Radio Italia and Radio Zeta. He will be competing with the song ‘Mille Porte‘.
Mida – ‘Malditè’
Milanese rapper Mida was born in 1999 in Caracas, to a Venezuelan mother and an Italian father. Impressively, his urban pop has secured him about 500,000 monthly listeners. Mida wrote his own music as early as in middle school, and he published his first videos and rap battles at the age of 16, which won the attention of both the public, and music insiders. He was originally managed by rapper Emis Killa, and even opened for him on tour. His 2021 song ‘Ricordarmi di scordarti’ has a huge 23 million streams and a gold disc certification, with other notable works such as ‘Lento’ (over three million streams) and ‘Stupido Sentimento’ (almost three million streams). He will be participating with the song ‘Malditè‘.
OLLY – ‘L’anima bella’
Genoese Federico Olivieri, known as OLLY, was born in 2001. Over 340,000 monthly listeners tune in to hear his hip-hop/rap, with an electronic danceable edge. OLLY has had a passion for music since he was a child, and studied both singing and music. He originally uploaded his works to Soundcloud, and spent some time in England before returning to Italy with a clearer artistic vision. He achieved his first successes in 2019, attracting the attention of Metatron and Sony to name a couple. OLLY has featured on TIM Summer Hits and other summer stages, such as that of Sanremo 2022 winner Blanco. He was named Artist of the Month for MTV New Generation, and has collaborated with various artists, including Arisa. Notably, his 2021 song ‘Non ho paura’ with Oliver Green and JVLI has over six million streams. He will be competing with the song ‘L’anima bella‘.
Sethu – ‘Sottoterra’
Marco De Lauri from Savona works under the name Sethu, developing his artistic identity alongside twin brother Jiz. Born in 1997, he is taking his first steps into the Ligurian punk/rap scene, and plans to expand towards further musical horizons. Sethu’s unique genre can be describe as an anger, sadness, and euphoric mix, intertwining rap, metal, pop, and urban. He finds music to be his escape, and reflects the melancholy of reality and its raw mood in his lyrics and aesthetics. He has over 35,000 monthly listeners, with over 600,000 streams on his songs ‘Rebecca’, a collaboration with Don Said, Arden, and Jiz (2021), ‘Hotspot’ (2019), and ‘Butterfly Knife’ (2019), with the latter two attracting the interest of insiders. Additionally, Sethu was chosen by MTV New Generation as the Artist of the Month. He will be participating with the song ‘Sottoterra‘.
Shari – ‘Sotto voce’
No stranger to the Sanremo Giovani stage, Shari Noioso, known mononymously, participated in the contest back in 2019, which interestingly was won by Sanremo 2023 artist Leo Gassmann. Her song at the time ‘Stella’ now has almost two million streams. Born in 2002 in Monfalcone, she has been singing and writing music since childhood, also accompanying herself on the piano. Her standout voice has earned her over 160,000 monthly listeners. Notably, her 2021 collaboration with Salmo ‘L’ANGELO CADUTO’ has over ten million streams, and her 2019 Benji & Fede collaboration ‘Sale’ has a huge 17 million streams, and a gold disc certification. Shari also collaborated on the song ‘TESTAMENTO (La resa dei conti)’ in 2020 with BLOODY VINYL, Slait, MILES, Low Kidd, and J Lord, which accompanied the Sky Italia series Gomorra 5. Furthermore, she participated in Il Volo’s 2016 world tour, and knows Elisa, who encouraged her to achieve her dreams. She will be competing with the song ‘Sotto voce‘.
Will – ‘Le cose più important’
Singer-songwriter William Busetti, or ‘Will’, participated in X Factor Italia 2020 under the mentorship of Emma, but was eliminated at bootcamp. Amazingly, his audition song, an Italian interpretation of ‘Someone You Loved’ by Lewis Capaldi named ‘Estate’ has over 40 million streams, 14 million views on Youtube, and is certified platinum. Just over 20 years old, he grew up listening to a lot of music, influenced by Brit-pop thanks to a mother of British origin, and Italian songwriting driven by his father’s passions. His contemporary urban pop hails nearly 500,000 monthly listeners, and he recently partook in his first tour. He will be participating with the song ‘Le cose più important‘.
We’ve finished the initial coverage of the first eight Sanremo Giovani finalists, but a further four were selected to join the lineup from Area Sanremo. The following are the winners from that contest:
Colla Zio – ‘Asfalto’
Colla Zio is a Milanese band with five members in their twenties, Armo, Mala, Glampo, Berna, and Petta (Andrea Arminio, Andrea Malatesta, Francesco Lamperti, Tommaso Bernasconi, and Tommaso Manzoni respectfully). The name is formed from ‘colla’ meaning ‘collettivo’ (‘collective’ in English), and ‘zio’ representing Milan. They originally came together almost for fun, drawn together by their enthusiasm and musical passion, despite coming from different backgrounds without too much in common. They currently have over 10,000 monthly listeners, with more than 200,000 streams on ‘Chiara’, a 2022 collaboration with Selton, and over 120,000 streams on 2021 track ‘Gremolada’. They debuted in Milanese city club festivals, and managed to win over the public with their unique indie/pop/rock/rap blend. They will be competing with the song ‘Asfalto‘.
Fiat 131 – ‘Pupille’
29-year-old Alfredo Bruno’s interesting stage name Fiat 131 was inspired by his grandfather’s car, which hosted many nostalgic adventures accompanied by the songs of Lucio Dalla. He comes from Calabria, and presents a refreshing calm urban sound. Fiat 131 has a respectable 120,000 monthly listeners, with his 2022 collaboration alongside piazzabologna and Antonello Venditti ‘Per sentirsi meno soli’ boasting almost 400,000 streams. In addition, his song ‘Caramelle’, has over 250,000 streams, and won the Radio Deejay contest last summer. He will be participating with the song ‘Pupille‘.
NOOR – ‘Tua Amelie’
Probably the least known member of this lineup, 18-year-old NOOR has just 50 monthly listeners so far. However, she is a fantastic example of someone who can really benefit from this kind of platform. She previously released two acoustic songs in 2021 named ‘Respiro’ and ‘A quando’ under her full name Noor Amelie Mocchi. She is originally from Kurdistan along with her Kyrgyz mother, and her father is from Bergamo. She has been inspired by both cultures, and feels that music bridges her longing for one country when she’s in the other. Her name means ‘light’, and she says that when she sings, it’s as if “I turn on the light of my body, and my voice is the switch of this magic that takes me away”. Music has been her greatest form of communication since childhood, and is a way to express herself and combat shyness. As well as songwriting, Noor studies singing and piano. Moreover, she was one of the protagonists of the 2021 Rai series ‘Tu non sai chi sono io’. She will be competing with the song ‘Tua Amelie‘.
Romeo & Drill – ‘Giorno Di Scuola’
Romeo & Drill is a Roman duo made up of Patrizio Romeo, and Francesco Manfredi respectfully. They originally began collaborating in 2019 after meeting their producer Mr.Brux, and have been working to amplify their musical and human connection from their debut with ‘Chissenefraga’. Their modern pop sound has over 1,500 monthly listeners, and notably their 2020 song ‘Tu Come Stai’ has over 170,000 streams. This year, they have been a guest of the Radio2 Social Club, presenting their latest singles live to be broadcast by dozens of radio stations, including Radio2 Indie. During the summer, they were in the Indiegeno Fest lineup. They will be participating with the song ‘Giorno Di Scuola‘.
So there we have it! Twelve fantastic artists, of whom six will be competing in Sanremo 2023, and potentially representing Italy in Eurovision 2023.
If you’re from Italy, you can listen to all of the Sanremo Giovani entries here. Otherwise, a few competitors have already released their entries on Spotify and Youtube ahead of the competition. We’d like to stress once again that these songs will NOT be their Sanremo 2023 entries should they get there.
The final of Sanremo Giovani 2022 takes place on the 16th December, and will include the announcement of the Sanremo 2023 song titles and writing credits.
Who has caught your attention? Who would you like to see advance to the Sanremo 2023 stage? And are there any artists here you could envision in Liverpool? Let us know!
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