Italy has been extremely successful since returning to the Eurovision Song Contest and it seems that the trend will indeed continue as Marco Mengoni takes to the stage in Sweden with his entry L'Essenziale which he co-wrote with Francesco De Benedittis and Roberto Casalino. Sanremo, the annual festival of music in Italy is known to be a boost in the industry but Mengoni is exceeding all expectations. His winning entry has already been certified double platinium and is at the top of the singles chart for the sixth consecutive week.

L'Essenziale is part of the sophomore album #PRONTOACORRERE, released by Sony Music Italy and the management think that it is best to continue promoting Marco as a versatile artist and lead in with a brand new single, the title track of the studio album. In a video chat with TG1 on Rai Uno, it was said that the decision was unanimous because an uptempo track always follows a ballad. Nevertheless, this is not just any ordinary track having been penned by none other than Mark Owen of the popular group, Take That. As a matter of fact, an English demo of the track has also been released whilst a special version of the song has also been included on the album. This Saturday night, Marco Mengoni will be one of the guests of the Eurovision In Concert alongside Gianluca. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for more news.

Source: Rai Uno, Ilkar.blogspot.com

Marco Megoni, the artist who will be representing Italy at the upcoming edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song L'Essenziale co-written with Roberto Casalino and Francesco de Benedettis is set to head on a promotional tour. Apart from a round of venues in Italy which will encompass support for his latest album #prontocorrere which debuted at number #1 in the charts, it seems that Marco is giving into the desires of his fanbase as he will head to The Netherlands for the annual Eurovision In Concert, an event considered to be a rehearsal for the actual showcase in May. He is the latest artist to join the line-up alongside Hannah on behalf of Slovenia who is set to perform Straight Into Love.

Sanremo is one of the most popular music competitions in the continent and it was the reason behind the inception of the Eurovision Song Contest with the European Broadcasting Union thinking that they could unite the countries through the medium of music. Marco Mengoni was the winner of this years' edition with the same song that he will be representing Italy with at the international competition and with such a high profile locally, it is expected that the viewing figures will soar as both fans of the Eurovision Song Contest and of Marco Mengoni as an artist will be tuning into RAI DUE for the final. Gianluca on behalf of Malta with the song Tomorrow will also be present during the Eurovision In Concert taking place on the 13th April 2013. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for more of the latest news.

Source: Eurovision In Concert

L'Essenziale, co-written by Roberto Casalino, Francesco de Benedettis and Marco Mengoni will be the representative entry of Italy in this years' edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. Since their return to the international showcase two years ago, Italy has been extremely successful managing to finish as the first runner-up in 2011 with the song Follia D'Amore (Madness of Love) performed by Raphael Gualazzi and also in ninth place last year when Nina Zilli took to the stage with the track L'Amore e Femmina (Out of Love). It seems that the professional jury which picked Marco Mengoni might have done the right choice in order to increase viewership and give the showcase more prestige.

Solo 2.0 was the debut album of Marco Mengoni released in 2011 under the RCA Label Group imprint and managing to peak at number #1 apart from being certified Gold but nevertheless, it seems that the Sanremo victory has helped improve on those statistics because his sophomore album entitled #prontocorrere under the Sony Music imprint has also peaked at number #1 whilst looking to be certified even better than Gold. L'Essenziale is one of the tracks on the album and it is also currently at number #1 on the singles charts. Marco Mengoni has just been photographed for the second time in a matter of months for the cover of Vanity Fair and this is definitely a hero in the eyes of the Italians. His fan base is astonishing and the song that will represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest has almost ten million views. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news.

Source: FIMI, Giuseppe La Spada

RAI, the broadcaster responsible for the participation of Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest decided to return to the competition two years ago and has been riding a wave of positive acclaim. In 2011, Raphael Gualazzi managed to finish as the first runner-up with his track Madness of Love (Follia D'Amore) whilst Nina Zilli and her song L'Amore e Femmina (Out of Love) managed ninth  place in 2012. This time round, they selected Marco Mengoni as their representative and following weeks of debacles, it was also decided that the song that he will be performing in the final of this years' international event is L'Essenziale.

The European Broadcasting Union is welcoming the Heads of Delegation from all of the participating countries in Malmo, Sweden this morning and Nicola Caligore was definitely the person whom many were expecting since Italy were the last to submit their song. Whilst many were doubting the choice of L'Essenziale, it was somewhat a foregone conclusion that it would be the song picked considering that the Italians have a habit of loving the winning entries from Sanremo and therefore, picking a renowned singer with a popular song would most likely increase the ratings apart from achieving a good result.

The song will remain in Italian although the three minute edit is surely going to be one of the most intriguing elements of this years' competition. It has an edge due to the language and this means that for the very first time since 1997, Italy will be represented by the Sanremo winner and in Italian rather than a bi-lingual version. The track is co-written by Marco Mengoni, Roberto Casalino and Francesco De Benediittis. The songwriters barely need an introduction in Italy especially considering that they have written for artists such as Nek, Francesca Michielin, Nina Zilli, Gregory Lemarchal, Marco Carta, Francesco Renga and Tina Arena amongst others. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news as soon as it becomes available.

Source: Eurovision.tv, RAI

#PRONTOACORRERE is the name of the second studio album by Italian artist Marco Mengoni prior to taking onto the international stage during the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. In each of the next three weeks leading up to the Heads of Delegation meeting organised by the European Broadcasting Union, Sony Music Italy will be releasing a special track in support of the album and it is expected that the artist and the broadcaster will agree that the song which gets the most fan support would be the one that will most likely represent Italy in the international showcase taking place in Sweden.

The tracks that will be released prior to the album are; 'Non passerai', 'Bellissimo' and 'Non me ne accorgo' respectively. Marco Mengoni gained credibility in the Italian music scene following his triumph in the X Factor competition a couple of years ago but with a second runner-up finish and now a victory in Sanremo, his profile has gone through the roof. The Music Television (MTV) had also awarded him with the prestigious European Award having fended off a number of talented artists such as; Inna, Enrique Iglesias and former Eurovision Song Contest winner, Dima Bilan. 

The renowned Italian performer is currently topping the charts in his native country with the song L'Essenziale, winning entry of the Sanremo competition according to the Federazione Industria Muscale Italiana (FIMI). Sony Music Italy are looking forward to promoting the artist in the best possible way and the promotional tour will commence tomorrow night as he attends the Spanish final where ESDM will be performing three tracks. He will be consulted as part of a jury which will also include 2002 Eurovision Song Contest representative; Rosa. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all the latest news.

Source: Marco Mengoni, TVE, FIMI

Tuesday, 26th February will be marking the selection procedure of the Spanish entry for the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest with the group El Sueño de Morfeo having been internally selected a couple of months ago. The press coverage has been reasonably high following the success of Pastora Soler at last years' international showcase where she placed tenth with the track Quedatè Conmingo. The Nominees for the Best Spanish Act at the MTV Awards in 2005 and 2007 are presenting three entries during the selection evening; entitled Atrévete, Contigo hasta el final and Dame tu voz. One of the people who will help them select the best song is none other than Italian representative; Marco Mengoni.

In recent days, there has been a lot of hype over the selection of Italy due to the fact that Mengoni, a former winner of the Italian X Factor has an extremely high profile especially following his latest victory during Sanremo with the track L'Essenziale. It is unknown whether he will be performing the winning song or another track present in the album he will be presenting next month but it has been decided that he will be in Spain, most likely perform a couple of hits and also choose the song that he things is best. The weighing of the jury vote lies at 50% whilst the public will decide the other 50%. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news. I will be personally conducting the LIVE Report of the Spanish national final.

Source: Marco Mengoni Official Twitter

RAI, the Italian broadcaster responsible for the participation in the Eurovision Song Contest returned to the competition just two years ago but success is somewhat beckoning to occur at any time especially when one takes into account two top ten finishes thus far, one in 2011 with Madness of Love (Follia D'Amore) performed by Raphael Gualazzi and the other one being Nina Zilli and her performance of L'Amore e Femmina (Out of Love) in 2012. As always, an internal panel of professional judges selected the artist and it seems that their decision was to send a male to this years' edition of the international competition, this being none other than Marco Mengoni, an artist who does not need any introduction in the Italian music scene.

Marco Mengoni garnered fame in Italy following his successful endeavours in the third edition of the X Factor which used to air through RAI before moving to the current Sky Italia. As a matter of fact, another contender for the role of Italian representative was the most recent winner of the competition, Chiara Galiazzo, also a competitor in this years' edition of the Sanremo. In the past couple of hours, the Italian media, most notably, Sorrisi had reported that Marco Mengoni had been selected but RAI remained tight-lipped about the selection prior to this evening. It is unknown whether he will be performing the track he performed during this evenings' edition of Sanremo entitled L'Essenziale or another track from his forthcoming studio album. The news had been rumoured by several media outlets including Eurofestival. Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all of the latest news as soon as it becomes available.

Source: RAI

RAI, the broadcaster responsible for the Italian participation in the Eurovision Song Contest is known to have been the mastermind behind the idea of a music competition by virtue of presenting their own national formula in a sense of grandeur. The showcase known as Sanremo is being held for the sixty-third (63rd) time this evening and it seems to be growing in popularity considering that the fourth night managed to attract around eleven and a half million viewers. This evening, the renowned Italian town of Sanremo will be hosting the final night, and thus, all of the artists competing in this years' Campioni category will take to the stage to perform their entries, the ones which the public and the press thought were best to take them to the resounding stages of the competition. As always, the show could be seen through the official website of the broadcaster but the official website of the Eurovision Song Contest is also offering a webcast this evening.

This years' edition of Sanremo is being organised by Fabio Fazio, a renowned television presenter who is leading the showcase for the third year in his career. He is joined by Luciana Littizetto, a comedian who knows when it has become too much of a thing and thus been very light and funny at the same time. RAI 1 has been doing a marvelous job this week and should be commended on such a formal, positive presentation of a world renowned showcase. It is garnering popularity due to the effort put in and therefore, this evening, the viewing figures should be well through the roof. This running order of this evening is going to be uploaded as the show progresses and it will surely be interesting to see who will shine through this evening. Multiple guests are expected amongst them, Andrea Bocelli, the world renowned tenor who won the Giovani Section a couple of years back. 

The Show (Part 1)

The pre-show for Sanremo has just come to an end and following a round of adverts, it is expected that the show will commence. The logo of the European Broadcasting Union has just been showcased and the sponsors of the competition are currently being shown on screen. As always, the Ariston Theatre looking stunning and grand and it seems that this evenings' opening will include a montage of orchestras playing, which will most likely lead to the orchestra of Sanremo playing the same tune but wait, the audience are applauding and Fabio Fazio quickly takes to the stage, in the attire that he has been using for all of the except for yesterday. He hands the conductor his equipment and a grand opening indeed as the orchestra plays a signature classical tune. Indeed, that was slick and wonderful, setting the right tone. 

Fabio Fazio is back on stage and introduces the maestro before welcoming the crowd and the television audience to the final evening of Sanremo. Luciana Littizetto is introduced onto the stage and se is wearing a black shirt, black trousers and a large butterfly costume in honour of the butterfly that Belen Rodriguez showed during last years' edition of Sanremo. Following yet another round of adverts, we're back in the theatre and might commence the show sometime soon especially now having changed into a stunning red and black dress which suits her beautifully! Well, the hosts are both speaking about the running order of the evening as well as the tele-voting which will account for around 25% of the votes this evening. The voting is officially open and therefore the performances can begin.

Raphael Gualazzi: Sai (ci basta un sogno)

The first performance of the evening comes from the former representative at the Eurovision Song Contest, Raphael Gualazzi who seemed to have more charisma in the past. He is playing the piano and is wearing a black suit, minus the bow-tie or the tie, leaving the top button open. The lighting is dark blue and the camera work is just right. The vocals are just right this evening and he seems to have left his power for this evenings' performance especially having literally ruined Luce last night. This is a beautiful song but nevertheless, not expecting him to be chosen to head to the Eurovision Song Contesty once more. I love how the song picks up and everything is live with such a masterful orchestra.

Almamegretta: Mamma non lo sa

I am not the biggest fan of this group but nevertheless, they did win my respect for their stunning performance last night, especially by bringing in their amazing guest female star. Clad in urban clothing gone formal, they are doing the best they could with the genre, which seems to be very much a fusion of pop and r'n'b really. The vocals are hoarse, and sound extremely Italian but they do suit the genre once more and therefore, make up the perfect compilation. This is a strong performance and one has to admire the electric guitar within the performance, as it seems to be the item that indeed gives it an edge. They will not be winning this evening neither will they head to the Eurovision Song Contest.

Daniele Silvestri: A bocca chiusa 

This is one of the favourites with the press this evening especially due to the fact that it has a meaning behind it's message, one which is very much understood beyond the boundaries of music. Daniele takes to the stage on the piano, wearing a dark suit and he is joined on stage by another male individual who is renacting the song through sign language and this is coming across really well on screen. The vocals by Daniele are just overwhelming and they are so good, that you listen to each of the lyrics as they are performed. Epic! He is literally showering the audience with emotion this evening! All of the people on stage are now doing sign language and the people are rather enjoying this element! This is beautiful and silent in the hall as they listen to every word. Well done, this might win but will not be heading to Eurovision!

Modà: Se si potesse non morire

Modà are the fourth act this evening and they are seen to be the ones to beat considering that they have been runners-up of the competition just two years ago alongside Emma. The lead performer is wearing a completely black suit and whilst he starts performing with a microphone stand, he removes it early on and feels the emotion of the song running high and it seems that this is going to be quite the evening. This is a ballad which is built up well through violins. The band give the song authenticity and make it whoel really with their lead oozing charisma throughout the performance. This is wonderful and another contender. It would be fabolous to have this group at the Eurovision Song Contest but I doubt it.

The Show (Part 2)

The hosts are back on stage and speak about the foundation created in the honour of Mike Buongiorno before introducing their second guest of the evening, Balti, a renowned model who shows her beautiful body through a stunning dress. Another long break in between the songs it seems as the conversation between the guest and the hosts continues to flourish. Many comedic moments it seems considering that smiles are all round.

Simone Cristicchi: La prima volta (che sono morto) 

Starting the song off with the title has never really gone down well in my books but it seems that this is one of those songs where you have to pay attention to the lyrics. Italians have been known to be extremely sentimental and their most successful songs are actually those which have a message. Simone won the 2007 Sanremo competition and he takes to a dark stage lit in white only on his persona with the best vocals he has provided all week. The audience is enjoying this performance and some claps were heard mid-way. His conversation mid-way through the song works wonders and despite being a beautifully written track, I cannot see it succeeding this evening. Nevertheless, congratulations in order as I am loving the whole staging of this.

Maria Nazionale: E’ colpa mia

The first couple of notes are clearly copied from Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word by Elton John but then it changes completely because the sultry vocals of Maria Nazionale literally make you listen to what she is performing. One is clearly reminded of Pastora Soler because it is a similar genre, and as a matter of fact many did not realise Maria is Italian. This evening, she is wearing a beautiful floorlength blue gown which suits her skin tone perfectly. The track is a ballad, one which builds up relatively slowly but which the public have grown to enjoy. At some parts, it is so slow that it feels like she is talking to the public. The vocals are strong and at their best, despite never faltering throughout the week. This is beautiful, stunning and should go far if justice is served. Huge applause!

Annalisa: Scintille

The first real uptempo track of the evening is Scintille and it is performed by a potential Eurovision Song Contest representative according to our sources. Annalisa has finally got her fashion sense right considering that she is wearing a beautiful green dress complete with a skirt. The vocals are once more really strong and I wouldn't mind her taking this track to the competition abroad. Last night, she performed with last years' winner, Emma Marrone because they were both students of Amici Di Maria de Filippi. This is a really strong song to be honest and should actually do well with the juries following a bout of slow songs. The public are currently putting this in third place and therefore, a respectably large applause is expected, and indeed, it is well given. 

The Show (Part 3)

As always, the hosts of this evenings' showcase are stting on the steps of the stage, something which has become somewhat a custom in this years' edition of Sanremo. I am honestly going to miss Luciana Littizetto, having somewhat been watching her throughout the weak. Her squeaky voice will not really be missed but her astonishing character will definitely. The hosts are bantering between them but suddenly, it is only Luciana who is left on stage and she is chatting directly with the audience who laugh at every turn possible prior to an applause. She continues her chat with the audience as the orchestra plays background music, meaning that she is most likely telling them a story. A signoro Foster takes to the stage as one of the intervals this evening.

Max Gazze': Sotto Casa

Well, it seems that Max Gazze has managed to scare Fabio Fazio, who did not realise that Max is actually wearing a contact lense in one particular eye. This genre has become extremely typical in Italy in recent years following its introduction by the likes of Malika Ayane and Arisa who are both notable individuals for the music scene. I must say that whilst I have not really been keen on this track, there is an aura of eletronica and rock that I seem to enjoy. This is really not an easy track because the musical tones are going up and down constantly yet Max is handling it like a pro and it sounds really well. He is definitely not heading to the Eurovision Song Contest but well done on a stunning performance which scared many this evening! Gazze gets the crowd going and as it reaches the end, he orchestrated the crowd into a routine clap as well as performing themselves.

The Show (Part 4)

Well, the guests are seemingly popular in Sanremo as another one is introduced and this one seems to be a sportsman, one who looks close to an ogre with that that much hair on his head and his face. There are joking about the earlier butterfly outfit it seems especially because of the furore that was caused by Belen Rodriguez last year. The hall is really going for this because the humour is well understood and it seems that honour plays a part in the performance of each guest really because as soon as he opens his mouth, suddenly, the audience applauds. Nevertheless, wouldn't have introduced a guest just after one performance and a long-ish break just before!

Chiara Galiazzo: Il futuro che sarà

Galiazzo is currently in fourth place with the public this evening and this pop/jazz number is clearly not everyones' cup of tea but nevertheless, it seems to have a new lease of life this evening maybe because the presentation looks more superior. The performer is wearing a beautiful black dress, which is well suited to the body and skin tone. I do not believe that the violinist was being seen before but nevertheless, he gets shown in this performance. The vocals are at their best and following last nights' murder of the Mia Martini classic, she is back to performing what suits her the most and that is pop. This sounds far better this evening and wouldn't mind hearing this at the Eurovision Song Contest considering that indeed it is a favourite as a whole package.

Marta sui Tubi: Vorrei

The opening notes of this performance are very reminiscent of the tracks that are currently being released by the group Fun whose success has recently been recognised at the Grammy Awards. Marta Sui Tubi did not really rank high in my expectations because their addition to the competition was definitely to increase an area demographic, particular to their specific pop/rock genre, which seemed to be lacking in the performers that made up the competition. The vocals by the lead performer are quite good this evening, and doesn't really over do it, which is also a positive. This is a strong performance but they will not trouble the top three this evening.

The Show (Part 5)

Biancha Balti and Luciana take to the stage once more and they seem to have become friends backstage but where is Fazio? Oh there he is coming down the stairs after an orchestrated entrance, with a song which seems to be well dedicated to all the men in the audience. The hosting duties are somewhat well divided now it seems, because Biancha seems to have taken centre stage and all three of them introduce the next act, being none other than Malika Ayane who became popular in the scene not too long ago.

Malika Ayane: E se poi

Malika Ayane is wearing a floor-length black gown and her hair is the only element standing out because the bright yellow/white locks have a lasting effect on the audience it seems. The song is quite slow and we are back to ballads, having seen several uptempo numbers in a row this evening and the vocals are strong, as normal by Malika. She does not have a lot to prove anymore having achieved resounding success in recent years. The performance is simple and she is just aided by stunning visuals behind her. Malika is one of the artists touted to be heading to the Eurovision Song Contest but the problem is that such a song might be forgotten at the event.

The Show (Part 6)

Once more, Fabio Fazio is back on stage and he introduces his next guest on stage, and once more, he seems to be a comedian. Therefore, it seems that if you would like to be a comedian, try not to go to Italy because you might not find work considering how many are seemingly taking to the Sanremo stage. The audience is clapping everytime he utters anything and thus it may prove to be a good thing to take up the profession in Italy. Stunning, he is shouting at them and they clap as well. Another extremely long break ongoing!

Elio e le storie tese: La canzone mononota

Elio is the lead performer of this group and this is set to be quite the comical entry, continuing the trend of this evenings' guests really. He is clad in extremely formal attire for the first time this week. This is a ballad in the beginning but suddenly becomes an up-tempo entry which people start to dance along to and funnily enough, it seems that they gone for a different setting this evening because the track sounds more big band than it used to and funnily enough, sounds much better. They will be trying to win more votes with this presentation. The vocals are strong and people cannot help but enjoy this performance especially due to the fact thart when you think it ihas come to an end, it just continues and thus the applause mid-way through works wonders. I wouldn't be surprised by this doing well tonight.

Marco Mengoni: L'Essenziale

Marco Mengoni receives huge applause prior to walking out on stage and he has decided to ditch the weird hairstyle that he had last night in favour of one without a quiff but nevertheless, he still looks dashing, and young in a dark suit, fashionable as ever in violet/burgundy. This evening, he is literally putting everything into the performance and it seems that the orchestra have changed their arrangement slightly for the overall outcome. The vocals are extremely strong and I would not be surprised that if chosen to represent Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest, he would go with this song. This was just stunning and he might just manage to win the votes of the jury because he has the public in the palm of his hand. The crowd is chanting his name.

Simona Molinari con Peter Cincotti: La Felicita'

Once more, a slight change in the opening chords for this evenings' performance and it seems that Simona Molinaro has stolen Nina Zilli's outfit from the Eurovision Song Contest and is performing this catchy little ditty of a number in the best possible way. It is incredible that with everyone competing this evening, the game has been upped a lot. The male vocals are well needed in this song and Peter does an amazing job with that bit of reverb inserted to give it a bit of electronic touch. This is the type of Charleston genre which the Maltese grew accustomed to thanks to Janvil as a matter of fact. This performance is breathtaking, well done! I mean, it could very much be a dark horse this evening and it would not be out of place at the Eurovision Song Contest, indeed! 

The Show (Part 7)

Fabio Fazio, the producer of this years' showcase is currently on stage and he has closed the tele-voting but nevertheless, he explains that the system this year, if I understood correctly, will be 50% Tele-Voting and 50% Jury-Voting and therefore, it is quite important to vote. The top three will be announced in a super-final soon enough and the vote will be held once more. Another international guest now, in the form of the world renowned tenor, Andrea Bocelli! I cannot believe I am saying this but Birdy is performing at Sanremo and she is doing Skinny Love, what a remarkable performance!

Premio Della Critica 'Mia Martini' - Elio e le storie tese: La canzone mononota

Premio Migliore Arrangamento - Elio e le storie tese: La canzone mononota (Peppe Vessichio) 

Our hosts this evening are now singing prior to announcing the super-finalists. A montage of the city of Sanremo is currently being shown, once more prior to the announcement of the super-finalists and the confirmation of Marco Mengoni as the Eurovision Song Contest representative. Well, the moment that everyone has been waiting for, the announcement of the super-finalists as per the order of the running order they performed within.

Elio e le storie tese: La canzone mononota

In my opinion, despite them being extremely fun to watch and listen, they are the surprising act in the top three but nevertheless, the jury were on the same frame as the critics it seems and the winners of all of the awards thus far are through to perform once more! It seems that this performance is slightly subdued considering that they wtook it up a notch earlier on this evening but nevertheless, they are enjoying themselves. The female backing vocalists are a nice addition. The mixture of genres works brilliantly and could this be a surprise winner? I would definitely not rule it out considering that it has amassed notable awards. The applause mid-way through once more and Elio continues with the performance. Whoa! His higher register is spot on!

Modà: Se si potesse non morire 

Well, this was the expected qualifier this evening, most likely achieving second place in both the jury and the public vote and the audience are enjoying this performance considering that they applauding just a bit after the song commenced. The lead singer has been on form this evening and his vocals are hitting the right notes, the way they should sound. The track in itself is a ballad which evolves as it goes along but one can instantly note that there is a twang of country in certain parts, emphasized through an acoustic guitar. The orchestra enjoy playing this song really, it shows because it is musically strong. The conductor, Adriano Pennino produced the Bosnian entry at the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest. This is a masterful performance from the group and I would not be surprised should this come out as a winner especially if they come second with the juries and the public vote.

Marco Mengoni: L'Essenziale

Marco Mengoni, the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest representative is receiving a strong reaction in the hall for his entry and I believe they might just torch the venue should he not be named the winner this evening. The staging is all in purple, and he compliments it with his attire, a burgundy suit. The song, a ballad is clearly reminiscent of some of the tracks that have won the Sanremo competition in the past and that is quite important, because these elements are definitely always looked at, when the jury is voting. He seems to be the public favourite but what about them, is he appealing to the critics this evening? If so, he might just manage to pull off this victory. He gave his all earlier on this evening and whilst I believe that he is more relaxed this time round, he is still giving a strong performance.

The Show (Part 8)

Luciana Littizzetto is back on stage alongside Marco Mengoni and it seems that there around seven minutes of voting time left. Remember, that the public has around 50% of the final voting this evening. Marco Mengoni will be winning those but nevertheless, the runners-up will somewhat be intriguing to make up the mixture of the 50% set to be put forward by the panel of renowned critics. This might be one of the most intriguing Sanremo results in years. The winner of this years' edition of Sanremo is none other than Marco Mengoni with the track L'Essenziale. So this is a double victory, as Mengoni will be going to the Eurovision Song Contest and he is the winning of Sanremo. This does add to the credibility of the competition.

In February, millions of viewers expect to follow the annual Sanremo competition in Italy and this year is not any different with more then ten million viewers, averaging on each respective evening. The fourth evening has just come to an end with the winner of the 'Sezioni Giovani' revealed to the public following a public and jury vote, both accountable to half of the final votes in this evenings' showcase. The talent was extremely high and out of the four competing entries, there were at least three which deserved to do well and this was well regarded. All of the artists are backed by record labels by virtue of making such a notorious competition and the winner of the evening, Antonio Maggio is definitely gaining ground in the music scene.

Antonio Maggio took part in the first edition of the Italian version of the X Factor alongside another three members, collectively known as ARAM and they managed to triumph ahead of Giusy Ferreri. This was quite the achievement but unfortunately, things did not pan out in a positive manner their debut album did not really post successful results. In the meantime though, Antonio Maggio has been trying to establish a solo career having signed with an independent record label; Rusty Records in 2011 but since entering the Sanremo competition, he was contracted with Universal Music Italia and thus that is through which company his single Mi servirebbe sapere will be released. In second place this evening was Ilaria Porceddu with In equilibrio whilst the Mia Martini Critics Award was given to Renzo Rubino with the track Il postino (amami uomo). Stay tuned to escflashmalta.com for all the latest news.

Source: RAI

RAI, the notable Italian broadcaster who is a member of the elite five at the Eurovision Song Contest has proudly committed to the event in recent years but nevertheless, still hosts a music festival for the Italian music industry with the beginnings of the European competition lying solely on the success of Sanremo. This evening, the renowned Italian town will once more be hosting an evening filled with music and it will be quite an entertaining evening due to the fact that artists competing in this years' Campioni category will take to the stage to perform some of the most notable hits from the history of the showcase. In the meantime, the final four of the Giovani will compete for that elite prize, one which will catapult them to fame in the industry.

This years' edition of Sanremo is being organised by Fabio Fazio, a renowned television presenter who is leading the showcase for the third year in his career. He is joined by Luciana Littizetto, a comedian who knows when it has become too much of a thing and thus been very light and funny at the same time. Her squeaky voice has not gone down well with international viewers but nevertheless, she does indeed get the job down. RAI 1 has been the broadcaster taking lead over the coverage and as a matter of fact, with around ten million viewers in Italy viewing last nights' proceedings, it is still extremely popular and many will tune in once more to see how the evening unravels. The running order for this evenings' show could be seen below and the international public could view the show through the official website of the broadcaster.

The Show (Part 1)

Luciana Littizetto and Fabio Fazio come down the stairs for this evenings' hosting duties and for the first time this week, the male host is wearing a completely different suit, probably due to the fact that this evening is somewhat more significant. He is joined by a lady who squeaks like Minnie Mouse but is wearing a beautiful cream dress. The hosts are somewhat prolonging their opening speech today but nevertheless, they do state that this is a historic evening in which the youngsters will fight to win the competition whilst the established ones will have their take on notable classics.

Running Order (Campioni) 

Malika Ayane con Paolo Vecchione e Thomas Signorelli: “Cosa hai messo nel caffè

Malika Ayani is the first artist to take to the stage and she is wearing a sleek beautiful black dress whilst being accompanied by two male dancers. The staging is just beautiful featuring blue and pruple and it seems that one will be relaxing quite a bit tonight because this showcase is just a reminder of the beautiful history that Sanremo has been proud to offer. The vocals are slick, and right on point and that has been the case with Malika throughout the rest of the week. It is quite intriguing to see this performance develop.

Daniele Silvestri: Piazza grande

Daniele Silvestri is one of the favourites for this years' edition of Sanremo and that is quite easy to denote especially due to the fact that he is presenting a specific message in his entry. Nevertheless, this evening, he has decided to take an intriguing track, away from the piano and more in the element of Lucio Dalla. The vocals are just beautiful and one just enjoys himself listening to the tracks that have made the history of the competition a reality.  He decided to take to the stage by himself actually and that makes it more unique in terms of presentation.

Annalisa Scarrone con Emma Marrone: Per Elisa

Annalisa, another contender to head to the Eurovision Song Contest is joined on stage by Emma Marrone, last years' winner of Sanremo and they are both clad in black clothing for this evenings' showcase. Per Elisa is one of my favourite tracks in Italians and the orchestra is clearly spot on with the performance considering that this track has a lot of violins. The vocals are both strong and strangely enough blend in well together, Both girls are the output of Amici and thus, it shows that some strong talent has been found over the years. A beautiful performance!

Marta sui Tubi con Antonella Ruggiero: Nessuno

Marta Sui Tubi are clearly trying to win back some respect with me personally after having the people listen to their atrocious entry throughout this years' Sanremo competition. The stage is dark, green and blue and they have a guest in the form of Antonella Ruggiero who is clearly the star of this performance. She is clad in dark attire and is wearing a flower on her hair. Her sultry Italian vocals are just stunning and she should take his spot in the competition with a song of her liking as long as her vocals are showcased. The lead performer of Marta Sui Tubi is accompanying her well. It turns into an umtempo number and I quite like this.

Raphael Gualazzi: Luce (tramonti a nord est)

Raphael Gualazzi is doing what may be my favourite ever song in Italian, Luce by the stunning Elisa and he is definitely giving it his touch. He is sitting down on the piano as always, and his eyes are closed and looks like he is constipated, something which does not come across very well. I cannot believe it but despite being a great performer, Luca will always remain best in its respective version and not in a weird jazz like version which is barely understandable. It is hurtful to say it, but he ruined it completely and this has got to be the worst performance of the evening. I really hope that things improve from here on end, because he might have just tarnished his victory chances for tomorrow.

Modà con Adriano Pennino: Io che non vivo

Moda are one of the most popular bands in Italy at the moment and this is shown with their runner-up finish in Sanremo just a couple of years back whilst also being second in tele-voting at the moment. The lead artist has a beautiful pitch to his vocals, and he takes on a remarkable track, giving it a slight rock touch. Io Che Non Vivo is a beautiful track and will definitely stick into the minds of people when the evening comes to an end. With several light changes throughout that performace, have to say, it was pretty incredible and clearly shows Raphael Gualazzi how a take on a song should sound like.

Simone Cristicchi: Canzone per te

Simone is renowned for his big hair and also for winning the 2007 edition of Sanremo but it is remarkable that he has gone for an extreme classic for this evenings' performance. Wearing a classic blaxk suit, he seems to always be sick with rosy cheeky and a red nose but nevertheless, that does not take away anything from his talent, stunning crystal clear vocals this evening. He has been improving with every night this week. The people are enjoying this performance and mid-way through decide to clap. The strings section in the orchestra.

Simona Molinari con Peter Cincotti e Franco Cerri: Tua

Peter Cincotti and Simona Molianari have really ranked high in my estimations as of late and I have been quite impressed with the overall performances they have given this week and this evening is nothing short of breathtaking. They are giving a sultry performance of a classic and with stripped backing in terms of orchestra, it sounds even more beautiful. Such songs have lived through the course of time and their performances tonight reflect on their appreciation by the leading stars in the industry. This was stunning, and heartfelt.

Maria Nazionale con Mauro di Domenico: Perdere l’amore

Perdere L'Amore has got to be the most beautiful song ever and I must say, that I am writing this knowing what a stunning performance Lara Fabian tends to give. Maria Nazionale is in a league of her own and the two vocals are distinct and both beautiful in their own way. The orchestra has decided to adapt the song to the vocals of Maria and nevertheless, there is a certain element of professionalism and lust about the whole presentation. The staging is kept quite dark with blue and red being used. Her tight dress suits her and she is enjoying every second. A class of her own!

Marco Mengoni: Ciao amore ciao

Marco Mengoni is becoming more and more likely to represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest because he is keen on the idea of expanding his career beyond national borders. He is wearing a black suits and keeps very traditional within his performance. Backing vocalists give the track definition but this is the type of song which he should really be singing because that performance was just stunning. An emotional Marco Mengoni finishes off the performance and it shows that this is a track which means a lot to him!

Elio e le storie tese con Rocco Siffredi: Un bacio piccolissimo

The Big Band Brothers would definitely be proud of this performance because following a retrospect introduction come Elio e Storia Tese. All of the members of the group members somewhat have extremely large minds and they have no problem showing them and this is more of an image issue really, giving them distinction amongst the other acts. The song seems to be a mixture of genres and this is coming across nicely on screen. Mid-way through, they have a conversation with the same man who introduced them and the performance continues. They are just mad, but I like them and this performance is great!

Max Gazzè: Ma che freddo fa

Max Gazze, an artist who barely needs any introduction having achieved success during the past two decades. His outfit resembles that of a circus master this evening and turning around to view it in full, it seems that he might have killed a peacock for the back feathers. This is a great vocal performance though and therefore, Max is continuing the trend of great performances this evening. The audience were not really moved with the performance though but nevertheless, they applaud at the end as expected. That was the twelfth performance of the evening and next up will be Chiara.

Chiara Galiazzo: Almeno tu nell’universo

Chiara, still the odds on favourite to win this years' edition of Sanremo is set to sing the ultimate Italian classic, Almenu Tu Nell Universo wearing a long black dress. The winner of the last edition of the X Factor is somewhat lacking the skills to perform this particular song and she sounds at times extremely nasal but nevertheless, she does give it her all. It seems that her soft vocals are just not ready to perform such material and this is the second carcrash following Raphael Gualazzi. The stage is shining in blue lights during this performance and the people are not enjoying this, despite being an overwhelming classic.

Almamegretta & James Senese: Il ragazzo della via Gluck 

Almamegretta have seriously become the joke of the competition because they seem out of touch with regards to the stage and have somewhat presented material which has not really gone down well with the public hence their disappointing tele-voting result. They are joined by Italian James Senese this evening and it seems that this is a mixture of reggae and rap, whilst this is supposed to reflect history and once more, another track is currently being butchered on television. How disappointing when one considers that this was a night of respect towards the great Italian industry!

Running Order (Giovani)  

Following a number of extended breaks, our hosts for the whole week are currently introducing the final of the 'Giovani' this evening and a matter of fact, half of the votes will be decided by tele-voting with the other half being within the hands of a professional panel of judges. Each participant has a conductor and one of them will be crowned winner at the end of the evening.

Antonio Maggio: Mi servirebbe sapere

 A brilliant track and Antonio seems extremely confident of his performance as he takes to the stage wearing a dark suit with a studded purple bow-tie. The genre of the song is slightly unexplainable really although one could instantly get the element that Malika has seemed to have introduced to the seen, made even more popular by Arisa in recent years. The vocals this evening are much better than yesterday and I believe that this could be crowned as the winner at the end of the evening. The male backing vocal is really a qiuant addition to the whole setup. This is coming across as great, and whatever happens, this will chart well. 

Ilaria Porceddu: In equilibrio

The first line of the song is performed without any music but it does indeed introduce something completely different because Ilaria Porcheddu has been coined to be the revelation of this years' Sanremo and the use of various instruments throughout the performance should be praised. It seems that she spent a lot of money on the dress because it returns for a second appearance this evening. She is performing the track well though and her pristine vocals which could also carry her to the finish line in first place. It is well worth noting how strong the competition is! Once more, Italy has found a star within this category and her name is Ilaria!

Blastema: Dietro l'intima ragione

OK! I have no clue how to comment on this song once more having literally obliterated this one during the performance that took place two days ago. I just cannot understand where this pop/rock song is heading, especially with such dire vocals. The staging is the only element which one denotes as brilliant because the change in genres throughout is well noted. Coming after two masterpieces, this sounds absolutely inferior and one would not understand how things came in this manner because there were better songs on the first night. Nevertheless, it is here and should finish in fourth (last) place!

Renzo Rubino: Il postino (amami uomo)

The fourth and final entry from the Giovani section is currently performing on the grand stage of Sanremo. The music is somewhat very similar to what the local people here in Malta would associate with the Għanja tal-Poplu competition which is extremely traditional. Raphael Gualazzi is the first name that comes to mind when I see Renzo Rubino performing his entry but nevertheless he connects much better with the camera and once more, the addition of a tenor as a backing vocal is a good idea because it gives the song an edge. This would have most likely done really well in the context of the Giovani category but Ilaria and Antonio are superior.

Results

Prize for Contribution towards the Italian Language: Il Cile

'Mia Martini' Critics Award: Renzo Rubino

Giovani Award: Antonio Maggio