Diodato represents Italy in Eurovision after winning Sanremo 2020
Italy has been generally doing really well in Eurovision after they came back in 2011. In those nine years they only missed out on a spot in top 10 twice, and finished as the runner-up twice too, most recently last year with Mahmood’s outstanding tune ‘Soldi’. This year they selected their entry once more through the popular Sanremo Festival and although the winner is not obliged to go to Eurovision, this year they decided they want to once more! Although he didn’t win the televote (the same happened to Mahmood last year) singer Diadato emerged as the winner with his ‘Fai rumore’.

In comparison to last year’s entry, the Italians send something quite a bit more traditional this year. ‘Fai rumore’ is a big and dramatic ballad with a massive chorus, something the contestants usually don’t shy away from at Sanremo. I have to say it is stunning though and absolutely strong within its genre. When listening the Sanremo songs for 2020 for the first time, ‘Fai rumore’ immediately stood out as one of the best songs and the fact that this epic cry for love is easily accessible the first time you hear it, sure is a good sign for Eurovision.

And what about the performance? 38-year-old Antonio Diodato (his full name), who released his debut album in 2014, is an excellent vocalist who hits all the big notes of his song, seemingly with ease. He is compelling to watch on stage, although he could profit from some more interaction with the camera. Enough time to work on that before May though. Another thing that needs to be done is shorten the song by about 30 seconds, as it is currently too long according to Eurovision standards.

I am pretty sure that Eurovision juries are going to eat this up and the televoters might well warm to it too. Italy proved in 2013 (7th place for Marco Mengoni) and 2015 (3rd place for Il Volo) that Europe appreciates Italian ballads and ‘Fai Rumore’ is simply a great one. I would be surprised if Italy did not end up in top 10 again this year!

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