There is excellent encouragement. “Among the messages of happiness that I have received, there is also that of Laura Pausini”. The moderator of last year’s Eurovision Song Contest gave Marco Mengoni the impetus for the 2023 edition. This evening it comes alive. There is the first semi-final: 15 countries compete for 10 places, live on Rai2, televoting open to the Italian public. Same formula for the second semi-final on Thursday (Italy does not vote and there are 16 participants). Saturday, this time on Rai1, finale with guest Mahmood singing «Imagine».
Like the other Big Five founders of Eurovision (Spain, France, Germany, Great Britain), Italy will go straight into the final, but an excerpt from Mengoni’s rehearsals will already be broadcast tonight. Ukraine also qualified directly as winners of the last edition in Turin. Due to the Russian invasion, Kiev was unable to host the demonstration and so was everyone in Liverpool, the city of the Beatles. «They are one of the groups that have inspired me the most – says Marco –. And indeed, this year in Sanremo I brought “Let It Be” to the cover night. I think they’re a group that also influenced those who haven’t heard them: if they weren’t there we wouldn’t be talking about music here. They touched every shade of the musical rainbow».
Mengoni plays with «Due vite», the song with which he won the last Sanremo Festival. «The song is about the relationship between the conscious and the unconscious, between dreams and reality. I decided to stage this continuous jumping and changing». Don’t jump randomly. Yoann Bourgeois, French choreographer and acrobat who has worked with Harry Styles, Coldplay and Pink, has created an impressive performance: Against the backdrop of a huge screen depicting the moon, two people climb a double mirror staircase, fall and bounce off a rubber band balance on the steps again.
Marco wasn’t sure about bringing ‘Two Lives’ to Liverpool. «After the festival I went straight to the studio to finish «Prisma». This album, which concludes the “Materia” trilogy (released May 26th), is really close to my heart and I think it contains important tracks for the future of my career. I thought about bringing one of these new songs, but in the end I thought about keeping “Two Lives”, a journey that tells the work I’ve done on myself in these two years”. Mengoni was already 10 years ago at Esc, after winning with “L’essenziale” Sanremo. He jokes: «I’ve had a lot of job interviews and I’m happy with the improvement in my English level». Then he gets serious: «I’m older, I have a lot of experience made and understand the value of this stage. I didn’t enjoy it at the time, I was involved in emotions and pressure. Over the years I have found tools that allow me to enjoy it”.
He does not want to talk about rankings and placements. And to say that he has had some success between «X Factor» and two Sanremos. “There were victories, but it’s more important to feel comfortable with the career you’re aiming for. I don’t like the word “competition”, it puts pressure on me. And it doesn’t even seem to be the spirit of this event, which I love the subtitle for this edition, United by Music. I emphasize the word “united” because at this historic moment, music must be a vehicle to send a message of peace. I wish we were in Kiev, that would have meant the war was over.” Tomorrow would also be the nomination for the David di Donatello for “Caro distant love”, a cover by Sergio Endrigo that was included in the soundtrack of Il colibrì by Francesca Archibugi. “I’m sorry I can’t be at the ceremony, but I haven’t bought a clone yet.”
Eurovision, see the Måneskin case they won in 2021, can be a stepping stone into the world. A tour in Italian stadiums awaits him this summer, and 8 dates throughout Europe in the fall: “I’m happy to be dealing with much larger venues than those I played on my first European tour in 2019. I want to see how many people have joined my music. Since 2013 I have also released a few albums in Spanish, now I would like to do “Two Lives” in more languages»