Sanremo Giovani 2022 saw six winners, gIANMARIA, Shari, Colla Zio, Sethu, Will, and OLLY, earn their spots in the main festival lineup. And while none lit up the scoreboard with a contention to win, they did earn many fans and well-deserved recognition in and outside of Italy.
After Amadeus changed the rules to have half of the Giovani lineup win and compete in Sanremo however, this year he has changed the rule BACK to having just three winners once more. Although an understandable decision, it is certainly going to be a difficult choice between the lineup of artists from this year. Once more, 12 artists will compete, and we are here to introduce you to the hopefuls. The latter four artists on our list earned their Giovani spot through the Area Sanremo selection process.
Once again, their Sanremo Giovani songs will NOT be their competing entries in Sanremo 2024 should they get there, and therefore these are NOT potential Eurovision songs, although they could be potential Eurovision artists. That aside, through these entries and their other work, we can get an idea of what to expect, and who could be one to watch.
bnkr44 – ‘Effetti speciali’
Bnkr44, prounced ‘Bunker Quarantaquattro’, is a musical collective formed of vocalists Piccolo, Faster, and Fares, vocalist/producer Erin, vocalist/guitarist Caph, producer Jackson, or ‘JxN’, and manager Ghera. The group originates from Florence, and was formed in 2019, after the members initially got together when they played at the ‘bunker’, a meeting spot for the young people searching for artistic and musical inspiration in their area. They began by uploading songs on Soundcloud, and were eventually signed by their label Bomba Dischi. Their indie pop laced with alternative and drum and bass has gathered almost 750,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Notably, they have gained a lot of streams on their collaborations, namely Tedua’s ‘La Verità ’ (over eight million), and Night Skinny’s ‘Diavolo’ alongside Tedua, Sanremo 2022’s Rkomi, and Sanremo 2024’s Ghali (over 14.5 million). You may remember them from performing ‘Charlie fa surf’ by Baustelle with Sethu on Sanremo 2023’s cover night earlier in the year. They will be competing with the song ‘Effetti speciali’.
CLARA – ‘Boulevard’
Clara Soccini, known mononymously, is an upcoming actress/singer. She was born in 1999 and hails from Varese in the Lombardy region. She made the move to Milan when she was 18 to work as a model. After finding success in fashion and brand collaborations, she decided to focus on her true passion of music during the COVID-19 lockdown. Notably, she joined the immensely popular series ‘Mare Fuori’ in its third season as the role of Giulia, or ‘Crazy J’, a trapper from Milan. Similarly, her character is also a musician. Her pop with trap undertones has earned her 1.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and impressively her song from ‘Mare Fuori’ in collaboration with co-star Matteo Paolillo ‘Origami all’alba’ has almost 55 million streams. Recently she has also collaborated with Sanremo 2023 and 2024’s Mr Rain on ‘Un Milione Di Notti’, which currently has over five million streams. After such successes, she has signed with Warner Music Italia. She will be participating with the song ‘Boulevard’.
Grenbaud – ‘Mama’
Simone Buratti, known as Grenbaud, is a streamer/musician from Milan. Born in 2001, he has been passionate about the world of music and entertainment since he was young. He joined Youtube in 2014, and gained fans from an advice series. He also opened a Tiktok account, which currently has over 500,000 followers and over nine million likes. However, he really found his calling on Twitch, and is one of the most followed Italian streamers with almost one million followers on the platform. Despite this, he continues to maintain an interest in music. His laid-back pop has around 60,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. In particular, his song ‘BallaRe’ has almost two million streams, and ‘Panche’ has almost three. He will be competing with the song ‘Mama’.
Jacopo Sol – ‘COSE CHE NON SAI’
Jacopo Porporino, known as Jacopo Sol, is a singer-songwriter/musician originally from San Severo born in 2002. He has been interested in music since his childhood, thanks to his parents making him listen to such artists as Pino Daniele and David Bowie on car journeys. He took his first guitar lesson at the age of eight, and was only able to play one chord (G major) due to his size. In 2022, he moved to Milan, which has allowed him to experiment with his sound, moving from acoustic to bigger productions involving electronic elements. He uses his music to convey his life experiences, and his stage name is a tribute to the first chord he played. He currently has nearly 30,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. His debut song ‘Ancora’ with Cripo and Mr. Monkey has over 30,000 streams, and his latest song, released before his Sanremo Giovani entry, ‘SLAY’ alongside Cripo and DANTE has over 44,000 streams. He will be participating with the song ‘COSE CHE NON SAI’.
Lor3n – ‘Fiore D’inverno’
Lorenzo Iavagnilio, known as Lor3n, was born in 2001, and is from Isernia in the Molise region. Thanks to his family’s encouragement he has always had a passion for music. The day he discovered his father’s old guitar in the basement was like love at first sight. At around age ten he began playing, and went on to take lessons at a private school. As the years went by, he also became interested in the piano. Lor3n started to write songs at age 14, and released his debut single ‘Come stai?’ in 2019, which currently has over 50,000 streams. This year he was offered a recording contract with Mimmo Mignogna’s independent label Musica è. His most recent release (aside from his entry) ‘Come in un Film’ has over 12,000 streams. Overall, his pop has amassed nearly 6,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. He will be competing with the song ‘Fiore D’inverno’.
SANTI FRANCESI – ‘Occhi tristi’
Santi Francesi (‘French Saints’) is a duo from Ivrea in the Piedmont region, made up of Alessandro De Santis (vocals, guitar, and ukelele), and Mario Francese (producer, keyboard, synthesizer, bass). Their music is a blend of their personal idea of the world in regards to romanticism, sensuality, vital impulse, and isolation. Previously known as ‘The Jab’, they won Liga Rock Park Contest with their first single ‘Regina’, and therefore opened Liga Rock Park in 2016. In 2017, they competed in Amici di Maria De Filippi, the same season won by Sanremo 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2024’s Irama, and featured Malta’s Eurovision 2022 representative Emma Muscat. In 2021, they won the Musicultura festival with ‘Giovani Favolosi’, which featured in the third season of the Netflix series ‘Summertime’. In 2022, they opened for Fast Animals and Slow Kids, whom they also have a collaboration with on ‘Spaccio’ with over 640,000 streams. Following a successful tour, they also appeared in the Sziget Festival in Budapest. Their gentle momentum and powerful sound has earned them around 80,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Most notably, they won the 2022 season of X Factor Italia with ‘Non è così male’ (which has around three million streams), and were mentored by Sanremo 2022’s Rkomi. They will be participating with the song ‘Occhi tristi’.
Tancredi – ‘Perle’
Tancredi Cantù Rajnoldi, known simply as Tancredi, was born in 2001 in Milan. He is the son of Alberto Cantù Rajnoldi, the creative director of men’s fashion at the Giorgio Armani fashion group. He was inspired by the Italian hip-hop scene at an early age, and grew up studying music, writing as a way to vent his problems. In 2021, he participated in Amici di Maria De Filippi, the same season which featured Sanremo 2022 and 2024’s Sangiovanni, and Sanremo 2022’s AKA 7even. His song ‘Las Vegas’ which was presented in the show, has almost 50 million streams. His intent is to bring something different to the Italian rap scene with his pop-rap blend, and has even won the Challenge of Esse Magazine, awarding the best young rappers. Particularly, his song ‘Isole’ from the Netflix series ‘Di4ri’ has over three million streams, and overall, he has nearly 150,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. He will be competing with the song ‘Perle’.
Vale LP – ‘Stronza’
Valentina Sanseverino, or Vale LP, is a singer-songwriter and rapper born in 1999 in Naples. Her influences range from soul to R&B to funk. She has had a love for music and writing since her childhood, and initially released demos onto Soundcloud for fun back in 2018. Mixing rawness and poetry with a unique attitude, she has amassed 30,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. She combines hip-hop with singer-songwriter elements, and strong references to popular culture, and her honest and open songwriting embraces diversity and freedom. In 2020, Vale LP featured on the CoCo track ‘Non Mi Capirai Mai’ with Lil Jolie, which has over one million streams. In 2021, she competed in X Factor Italia, mentored by Italy’s Eurovision 2014 representative Emma, the same season in which Sanremo 2023’s gIANMARIA placed second. The song she presented on the show ‘Cheri’ has nearly one million streams. She will be participating with the song ‘Stronza’.
Dipinto – ‘Criminali’
Armando Di Pinto, known as Dipinto, is an emerging rapper from Naples. Born in 2000, he has always been interested in the hip-hop genre since his childhood, and has found inspiration in such artists as 50 Cent, The Notorious B.I.G., and 2Pac. He initially published a series of independent singles, which lead to a record contract with Capitol Records in 2022. His first single with the label ‘PARTY’ has over 8,000 streams. Dipinto’s work has earned him over 500 monthly listeners on Spotify. He writes lyrics which recounts his daily life and experiences growing up, seasoned with a Neapolitan flair. Also releasing collaborations, his song ‘Senz’ e’ me’ with Plug has nearly 10,000 streams. He will be competing with the song ‘Criminali’.
Fellow – ‘Alieno’
Federico Castello, or Fellow, was born in 2000 in Asti, Piedmont. He began performing back when he was eight years old with his grandfather’s band. He went on to learn guitar, piano, and singing at a music school, and formed a band, as well as performing as a soloist in Turin, writing his own music. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he met Massimo Guidi, who became his manager and vocal coach. In 2020, he won the ‘SIAE’ critics award in Castrocaro. Notably, in 2021 he placed fourth on X Factor Italia, the same season as fellow Sanremo Giovani artist Vale LP. Mentored by Eurovision 2022 host Mika, he released pop ballads ‘Fire’ and ‘Non Farmi Andare’, earning over 750,000 and 520,000 streams respectfully. Fellow then spent time releasing covers, then signed with Warner Music Italia this year. Over his career he has earned almost 7,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, and enjoys such artists as Mika, Imagine Dragons, One Republic, and Michael Bublé. He will be participating with the song ‘Alieno’.
Nausica – ‘Favole’
Giordana Petralia, known as Nausica, is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and performer from Sicily. Born in 2003, she has been interested in music since her childhood. Taking inspiration from rap, soul, and R&B, her explosive voice combines with her harp (which she has named Daphne) to create emotional magic. She studied singing for several years, and learned how to play the guitar, piano, bass, and her signature instrument the harp in music school. In 2019 she competed in X Factor Italia and was mentored by Sfera Ebbasta, reaching the home visits round before elimination. She is now part of the Isola Degli Artisti label, and although she has projects planned, her entry is her first official single under her stage name. Her only other release under her full name ‘CHASING PAPER’ has over 260,000 streams. She has already amassed around 600 monthly listeners, and will be competing with the song ‘Favole’
Omini – ‘Mare Forza 9oi’
Omini is made up of brothers Julian Loggia on bass and vocals, and Zak Loggia on guitar and backing vocals, alongside Mattia Fratucelli on drums. The Loggias are the sons of Alex Loggia, guitarist of the band Statuto, who actually competed in the Sanremo 1992 newcomers category, and Mattia is the son of drummer Alberto Fratucelli. The 20-year-olds come from Turin, and began in 2015 as The Minis. They played live for the first time in 2016, and proceeded to play at many festivals after that. In 2019, they released their first album named ‘Senza paura’. In 2020 and 2021, they evolved their sound into a range of 60s counterculture to British rock, and released a single named ‘Omini’, which has over 86,000 streams, to reflect their new band name. In 2022, they reached the semi finals of X Factor Italia, the same season won by fellow Sanremo Giovani competitors Santi Francesi. Mentored by Sanremo 2021’s Fedez, they released their single ‘MATTO’, which now has over 540,000 streams. With over 11,000 monthly listeners, they have impressively opened for Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Subsonica, Caparezza, and Afterhours. They will be participating with the song ‘Mare Forza 9oi’.
There we have it, the 12 hopefuls. Three of them will join and therefore complete the Sanremo 2024 lineup, and potentially represent Italy in Eurovision 2024. You can listen to the Sanremo Giovani entries here, or on the artists’ respective streaming services. Once again, these will NOT be their Sanremo 2024 entries should they get there.
The final of Sanremo Giovani 2023 will take place on the 19th December, and during the show, the competing Sanremo 2024 song titles will also be revealed.
Who caught your attention? Who would you like to see win and compete in Sanremo 2024? Who would you like to see in Malmö? Let us know!
