The Sanremo Music Festival 2017 ( it, 67° Festival della Canzone Italiana di Sanremo 2017) was the 67th annual

Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annua ...

, a television song contest held at the

Teatro Ariston The Ariston Theatre ( it, Teatro Ariston) is a cinema in Sanremo, Italy. It has been the venue of the annual Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the ...

Sanremo Sanremo (; lij, Sanrémmo(ro) or , ) or San Remo is a city and comune on the Mediterranean coast of Liguria, in northwestern Italy. Founded in Roman times, it has a population of 55,000, and is known as a tourist destination on the Italian Rivie ...

Liguria it, Ligure , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

between 7 and 11 February 2017, organised and broadcast by

RAI RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

. The show was hosted by

Carlo Conti Carlo Natale Marino Conti (born 13 March 1961), simply known as Carlo Conti, is an Italian television presenter. Life and career Born in Florence, Conti graduated in accountancy, then he was a bank teller from 1981 to 1986.. After some experi ...

, who was also the artistic director of the competition, and

Maria De Filippi Maria De Filippi (born 5 December 1961) is an Italian television host and the owner of the television production company ''Fascino PGT''. She is one of the most popular presenters. Biography De Filippi was born in Milan, Lombardy, but grew up in ...

. Each evening show included a satirical sketch by

Maurizio Crozza Maurizio Crozza (; born 5 December 1959) is an Italian comedian, mimic, actor and television presenter. Biography Crozza was born in Genoa. He attended an acting school in the same city, where he graduated in 1980. He has worked for many year ...

. The winner of the contest's main section was Francesco Gabbani, performing the song " Occidentali's Karma". As a result, he got the right to represent

at the

Eurovision Song Contest 2017 The Eurovision Song Contest 2017 was the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, following the country's victory at the with the song "1944" by Jamala. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and ...

. Lele received first prize in the newcomers' section, with his song "Ora mai".

Format

The Sanremo Music Festival 2017 took place at the

. The authors of the 67th edition were

, Ivana Sabatini, Leopoldo Siano, Emanuele Giovannini, Martino Clericetti, Riccardo Cassini, Mario D'Amico and Giancarlo Leone. Maurizio Pagnussat was the show's television director, while Pinuccio Pirazzoli directed the orchestra. The scenography, designed by Riccardo Bocchini for the third consecutive year, was based on the concept of popups, and it was revealed by

in late January.

Presenters

Television presenter Carlo Conti, who was also the competition's artistic director, hosted the Sanremo Music Festival for a third consecutive year in 2017. Conti was joined by

, one of the most popular Italian TV celebrities and the presenter of several shows broadcast by Canale 5, the main private television network in Italy. Italian comedian

also had a minor role, performing

political satire Political satire is satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing political arguments where s ...

sketches during each show.

Voting

Voting during the five evenings occurred through different combinations of four methods: * Public televoting, carried out via landline, mobile phone, the contest's official mobile app, and online voting. * Press jury voting, expressed by accredited journalists that followed the competition from the Roof Hall at the

. * A poll, composed of a sample of 300 music fans, which voted from their homes via an electronic voting system managed by

Ipsos Ipsos Group S.A. () (an acronym of ) is a multinational market research and consulting firm with headquarters in Paris, France. The company was founded in 1975 by Didier Truchot, Chairman of the company, and has been publicly traded on the P ...

. * Expert jury voting, resulting from points assigned by personalities from the world of music, entertainment and culture. The jury was composed of Giorgio Moroder (''president''),

Andrea Morricone Andrea Morricone (born 10 October 1964) is an Italian composer and conductor, known for his film scores. He is the third child, and second son, of late composer and Academy Award winner Ennio Morricone. He composed the film scores for the Americ ...

Giorgia Surina Giorgia Surina (born 8 March 1975, in Milan) is an Italian television personality known for presenting '' TRL Italy'', the Italian version of ''Total Request Live ''Total Request Live'' (known commonly as ''TRL'') was an American television ...

, Greta Menchi, Paolo Genovese, Rita Pavone, Violante Placido, Linus. * During the final, the winner was determined via the combination of public televote (40%), expert jury (30%), and poll (30%).

Costs and incomes

The overall costs for the Sanremo Music Festival 2017 amounted to €16 million. Carlo Conti's compensation amounted to €650,000, while Maurizio Crozza received €120,000 for his performances. Maria De Filippi refused any compensation, and presented the festival for free. In January 2017,

announced an expected income of more than €25.5 million, including €23 million from sponsorships. Ticket prices to attend the Sanremo Music Festival 2017 at the

ranged from €100 for a balcony seat, up to €672 for a ticket in the stalls area during the grand final.

Selections

Newcomers' section

The artists competing in the Newcomers' section were selected through two separate contests. Area Sanremo, organized by the ''comune'' of Sanremo, selected two entries of the main competition, while the remaining six artists where chosen through Sanremo Giovani, created by RAI.

Area Sanremo

Area Sanremo 2016 was a contest created by the ''comune'' of Sanremo. In August and September 2016, an itinerant series of lessons involving Italian music schools and cultural associations, named Area Sanremo Tour, was organized to encourage artists to compete in the contest. 412 songs entered Area Sanremo. In October 2016, a series of lessons about music and the music industry was offered to all competing artists. On 2 November 2016, competing artists were reduced to 70 acts, selected by a commission composed of Massimo Cotto, which also presided it, Stefano Senardi, also serving as the artistic director of the event, and Maurizio Caridi. Cotto, Senardi and Caridi, together with Antonio Vandoni and Andrea Mirò, also composed the commission which selected the 8 winners of the contest—Braschi, Andrea Corona, Marika Adele, Carlo Bolacchi, Carmen Alessandrello, Ylenia Lucisano, Valeria Farinacci and Diego Esposito—which were announced on 12 November 2016. Finally, RAI chose two acts among the eight winners—Braschi and Valeria Farinacci—which were allowed to compete in the Newcomers' section of the Sanremo Music Festival 2017. The selected entries were announced by Carlo Conti on 12 December 2016, during the TV show ''Sarà Sanremo''.

Sanremo Giovani

The contest organized by RAI to select six of the eight contestants of the Newcomers' section of the Sanremo Music Festival 2017 was named Sanremo Giovani. 560 acts entered the contest. On 21 October 2016, an internal commission reduced the number of competing artists to 60, eliminating the remaining ones. Following the rules of the contest, the winner of the singing contest Castrocaro Music Festival 2016—Ethan Lara—was also allowed to compete in the following phase of the competition as an additional entry. On 25 October 2016, the 61 selected acts auditioned in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. Following their performances, 12 artists, announced on 4 November 2016, were selected as the finalists of Sanremo Giovani. The final of the contest was held during the TV show ''Sarà Sanremo'' on 12 December 2016. Artists performed their songs in 4 different groups. One artist for each group was eliminated. ;Group 1 * Carola Campagna – "Prima che arrivi il giorno" (eliminated) * Marianne Mirage – "Le canzoni fanno male" * Maldestro – "Canzone per Federica" ;Group 2 * Chiara Grispo – "Niente è impossibile" * La Rua – "Tutta la vita questa vita" (eliminated) * Lele – "Ora mai" ;Group 3 * Leonardo Lamacchia – "Ciò che resta" * The Shalalalas – "Difficile" (eliminated) * Valeria – "La vita è un'illusione" ;Group 4 * Aprile & Mangiaracina – "Il cielo di Napoli" (eliminated) * Tommaso Pini – "Cose che danno ansia" * Francesco Guasti – "Universo" Finally, among the 8 remaining artists, two were eliminated as a result of a new voting. In both phases, eliminations were decided by a jury, composed of

Massimo Ranieri Massimo Ranieri (born Giovanni Calone on 3 May 1951) is an Italian singer, actor, television presenter and director. Biography Early life Ranieri was born in Naples ( at Santa Lucia), the fifth of eight children in the family. When he was 10, y ...

, Fabio Canino,

Anna Foglietta Anna Foglietta (born 3 April 1979) is an Italian actress. She has appeared in the films '' Escort in Love'' and '' Ex – Amici come prima!''. She has also appeared in several television series such as '' Distretto di Polizia'' and '' The Mafia ...

Amadeus Amadeus may refer to: *Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), prolific and influential composer of classical music *Amadeus (name), a given name and people with the name * ''Amadeus'' (play), 1979 stage play by Peter Shaffer * ''Amadeus'' (film), ...

and Andrea Delogu. Francesco Guasti, Lele, Leonardo Lamacchia, Maldestro, Marianne Mirage and Tommaso Pini were chosen as contestants of the Newcomers' section of the Sanremo Music Festival 2017.

Big Artists section

The artists competing in the Big Artists section were selected by an internal commission and announced by Carlo Conti on 12 December 2016, during the TV show ''Sarà Sanremo''. According to the rules of the 2017 contest, competing artists should have been 20 but, on 6 December 2016, Carlo Conti decided to change the rules, increasing the number of entries to 22.

Competing entries

Shows

First evening

Tiziano Ferro Tiziano Ferro (; born 21 February 1980) is an Italian singer, songwriter, producer and author. He broke through in 2001 with his international hit single " Perdono" and has remained commercially successful since then, in several countries. Ferro ...

opened the show with a tribute to

Luigi Tenco Luigi Tenco (21 March 1938 – 27 January 1967) was an Italian singer-songwriter. Biography Tenco was born in Cassine (province of Alessandria) in 1938, the son of Teresa Zoccola and Giuseppe Tenco. He never knew his father, who died in uncle ...

, marking the 50th anniversary of his death: he sang "Mi sono innamorato di te". During the evening, Ferro also performed his recent hits "Potremmo ritornare" and "Il conforto", in a duet with

Carmen Consoli Carmen Consoli (; born 4 September 1974 in Catania) is an Italian singer-songwriter. She has released 11 studio albums, one greatest hits, one soundtrack album, two live albums, four video album and 33 singles, selling 2 million copies in It ...

. International guests on stage were the band

Clean Bandit Clean Bandit are an English electronic music group, formed in Cambridge in 2008. They have had four number 1 hits and ten top 10 hits on the UK Singles Chart. They direct and produce their own music videos, many of which have been nominated for ...

, with the song " Rockabye", and

Ricky Martin Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...

, who performed a megamix composed of "

Livin' la Vida Loca "Livin' la Vida Loca" () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for his fifth studio album and English-language debut, ''Ricky Martin'' (1999). The song was written by Draco Rosa and Desmond Child, while the production was handl ...

", " Shake Your Bon-Bon", " Vente Pa' Ca", " La Mordidita", " La Bomba", " María" and "

The Cup of Life "The Cup of Life" (Spanish: "La Copa de la Vida") is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for his fourth studio album, '' Vuelve'' (1998). Martin created the song after FIFA requested of him an anthem. The song was written by Lui ...

". During the evening, there have been moments dedicated to: the fight against bullying within Italian public schools; the privacy on the web; the people affected by earthquakes that struck central Italy in recent months. For this reason are intervened: a delegation of Italian armed forces and

Italian Red Cross The Italian Red Cross (IRC, it, Croce Rossa Italiana or ''CRI'') is the Italian national Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff w ...

; the founders of ''MaBasta'' association; actor

Raoul Bova Raoul Bova (born 14 August 1971) is an Italian actor. Bova's European film breakthrough was in the 1993 film ''Piccolo grande amore'', and he's played romantic male leads the following years. His American film credits include ''Under the Tusca ...

; sports journalist and TV presenter Diletta Leotta.

performed a political satire sketch about

Matteo Renzi Matteo Renzi (; born 11 January 1975) is an Italian politician who served as prime minister of Italy from 2014 to 2016. He has been a senator for Florence since 2018. Renzi has served as the leader of Italia Viva (IV) since 2019, having bee ...

Matteo Salvini Matteo Salvini (; born 9 March 1973) is an Italian politician who has served as Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport since 2022. He has been Federal Secretary of Italy's Lega Nord (Northern League) party s ...

and Virginia Raggi. Other guests of this first evening were: comedians

Paola Cortellesi Paola Cortellesi (born 24 November 1973 in Rome) is an Italian actress, singer, voice actress, and presenter. She has starred in about 20 movies as well as a number of theatrical shows, television shows, and radio shows. Biography Cortellesi debut ...

and Antonio Albanese; actress Rocio Muñoz Morales; basketball player Marco Cusin and volleyball player Valentina Diouf. ;''Big Artists'' *

Second evening

The second evening was opened by

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

magician Hiroki Hara. The competition started with four out eight entries in the Newcomers' section. Then it was the turn of the other eleven entries of Big Artists section. Three international guests of the evening were

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

, who performed " Love my life" and kissed

on her lips;

Biffy Clyro Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, composed of Simon Neil (guitar, lead vocals), James Johnston (bass, vocals), and Ben Johnston (drums, vocals). Currently signed to 14th Floor Records, they have r ...

that have sung "Re-arrange"; and

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

actor Keanu Reeves who has been interviewed by

. Another singer on the stage was Giorgia, who performed her new single "Vanità" and a medley of her old hits "E poi", "Come saprei", "Di sole e d’azzurro". During the course of the evening,

Francesco Totti Francesco Totti (; born 27 September 1976) is an Italian former professional footballer who played solely for Roma and the Italy national team. He is often referred to as ''Er Bimbo de Oro'' (The Golden Boy), ''L'Ottavo Re di Roma'' (The Eig ...

was interviewed by

and

about his career and private life. Other guests of this evening were: the trio by Enrico Brignano, Gabriele Cirilli, Flavio Insinna; actress Sveva Alviti. Salvatore Nicotra was the special guests for "Tutti Cantano Sanremo".

dedicated his political satire sketch to the relationship between Italian State and woman rights. ;''Big Artists'' * ;''Newcomers'' *

Third evening

The third evening will feature sixteen acts competing in the ''Big Artists'' section performing cover versions of either Italian songs or international hit songs that have been translated into Italian. The competing acts had an option to perform their cover together with a guest artist. Also, the six songs that are at risk of elimination are performed, and voted on by means of the press room vote and televoting. The four remain songs of the Newcomers section are also performed and by a vote of the press room and the public through televoting and two are eliminated. ;''Big Artists'' – Cover Competition * ;Repechage * * ;''Newcomers'' *

Fourth evening

In this evening all 20 songs remaining were performed again. The scores from the previous evenings are not counted for this evening. The last four songs in the combined votes of the televote (40%), poll (30%) and the expert jury (30%) were eliminated. Also, the winner of the 4 remaining songs in the Newcomers section was determined. ;''Big Artists'' * ;''Newcomers'' *

Fifth evening

On the final evening all 16 remaining songs in the Big Artists section were performed and a winner was determined. ;''Big Artists'' – Final – First Round * ;''Big Artists'' – Final – Second Round

Special guests

The special guests of Sanremo Music Festival 2017 were: * Singers / musicians: Anne-Marie, Alvaro Soler, Beppe Vessicchio,

Davide Rossi Davide Rossi (born 7 August 1970) is an Italian violinist, string arranger, composer, conductor and a record producer, perhaps best known for having been the violinist, guitar and keytar-player for the British electronic music duo Goldfrapp f ...

, Giorgia,

Karen Harding Karen Harding (born 18 November 1991) is an English singer and songwriter from Consett, County Durham. Her first single, " Say Something", released in February 2015, entered the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart. Early life Born to an English fat ...

, LP, Mika, Mina,

Peppe Vessicchio Giuseppe Vessicchio (born 17 March 1956) is an Italian conductor, composer, arranger, musician and television personality. He is often spelled as Beppe Vessicchio or Peppe Vessicchio. Life and career Born in Naples, the son of an Eternit em ...

Rag'n'Bone Man Rory Charles Graham (born 29 January 1985), better known as Rag'n'Bone Man, is an English singer and songwriter. He is known for his deep baritone voice. His first hit single, "Human", was released in 2016, and his debut album of the same nam ...

Robin Schulz Robin Alexander Schulz (; born 28 April 1987) is a German musician, DJ and record producer. On 4 February 2014, he released the first single from his debut album, a remix of "Waves" by Dutch hip hop artist Mr. Probz. This remix later received ...

Zucchero Fornaciari Adelmo Fornaciari (; born 25 September 1955), more commonly known by his stage name Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero (), is an Italian singer, musician and songwriter. His stage name is the Italian word for "sugar", as his elementary teach ...

. * Bands / music groups:

, Ladri di carrozzelle, Recycled Orchestra of Cateura (

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

), Piccolo Coro dell'Antoniano. * Actors / comedians / models : Alessandra Mastronardi,

Alessandro Gassman Alessandro Gassmann (born 24 February 1965) is an Italian actor and film director. Early life Gassmann was born in Rome, Italy, the son of Italian actor Vittorio Gassman and French actress Juliette Mayniel. He is of German, Jewish and French ...

, Antonio Albanese,

Diana del Bufalo Diana Del Bufalo (born 8 February 1990) is an Italian actress, singer, and television host. Biography Diana Del Bufalo was born in Rome on the 8th of February 1990, her father is Dario Del Bufalo; an architect and archeologist and her mother i ...

, Flavio Insinna, Gabriele Cirilli, Geppi Cucciari, Giusy Buscemi, Keanu Reeves,

Luca Bizzarri The last universal common ancestor (LUCA) is the most recent population from which all organisms now living on Earth share common descent—the most recent common ancestor of all current life on Earth. This includes all cellular organisms; th ...

Luca Zingaretti Luca Zingaretti (; born 11 November 1961) is an Italian actor and film director, known for playing Salvo Montalbano in the '' Inspector Montalbano'' mystery series based on the character and novels created by Andrea Camilleri. Zingaretti is a na ...

Marco Giallini Marco Giallini (born 4 April 1963) is an Italian actor. Life and career Born in Rome, Giallini is the son of a housewife and a furnace labourer. After attending the Accademia Nazionale di Arte Drammatica Silvio D'Amico, he began acting on stag ...

, Paolo Kessisoglu,

, Rocio Muñoz Morales,

Virginia Raffaele Virginia Raffaele (born 27 September 1980) is an Italian comedian, actress, impersonator and presenter. Life and career Born in Rome, the daughter of two circus performers, Raffaele studied classical and modern dance at the and in 1999 grad ...

, Ubaldo Pantani. * Athletes:

, Marco Cusin, Valentina Diouf. * Other notable figures: Antonella Clerici, Diletta Leotta, Kitonb, Gaetano Moscato, Hiroki Hara, Maria Pollacci, Stev Otten.

Related shows

Prima Festival

Federico Russo, Tess Masazza,

Herbert Ballerina Luigi Luciano (born 7 March 1980, in Campobasso, Italy), better known as Herbert Ballerina, is an Italian radio host and actor. Since January 2011, he has been that radio show co-host of the Lo Zoo di 105 broadcast by Radio 105 Network. Career ...

present ''Prima Festival 2017'', a small show on air on

Rai 1 Rai 1 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's flagship television channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream and gener ...

immediately after

TG1 ''TG1'' (''Telegiornale 1'') is the flagship television newscast produced by Rai 1, the main channel of state-owned Italian public broadcaster RAI. It is the longest running program in the history of television in Italy as it has been broadcast ...

. The show features details, curiosities and news relating to Sanremo Music Festival 2017.

Dopo Festival

Nicola Savino,

Gialappa's Band Gialappa's Band is the name used by Marco Santin (born 11 February 1962 in Milan), Carlo Taranto (born 16 December 1961 in Milan), and Giorgio Gherarducci (born 1 November 1963 in Milan), the Italian trio of TV and radio commentators. Overvi ...

and Ubaldo Pantani are the presenters of ''Dopo Festival 2017'', a talk show on air on

immediately after Sanremo Music Festival. The show features comments about the televised song contest with the participation of singers and journalists.

Broadcast and ratings

Local broadcast

Rai 4 Rai 4 (pronounced ''Rai Quattro'') is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. Launched on 14 July 2008 with the film ''Elephant'', Rai 4 targets youths with ...

, Rai Radio 1 and

Rai Radio 2 Rai Radio 2 (''radio due'') is an Italian radio channel operated by the state-owned public-broadcasting organization RAI and specializing in talk programmes and popular music from Italy and China. History The origins of the channel can be tr ...

are the official broadcasters of the festival in

. The show is also available in streaming on the Rai Play website.

Ratings Sanremo Music Festival 2017

The audience is referred to the one of

Ratings Prima Festival 2017

Ratings Dopo Festival 2017

International broadcast

The international television service

Rai Italia Rai Italia is the international English language television service of Rai Internazionale, a subsidiary of RAI, Italy's public national broadcaster. Rai Italia operates a television network that broadcasts around the world via 3 localized feeds. ...

broadcast the competition in the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

and Australia.

References

External links

{{Sanremo Music Festival 2017 in Italian music 2017 in Italian television 2017 song contests February 2017 events in Italy Sanremo Music Festival by year