It’s the time of year when the Post-Eurovision depression is in full swing, but there’s no better cure than to reminisce! Together with ESCDaily Editor, Dennis Van Eersel, we will be discussing each of this year’s competing nations – from their results to how we think they could improve in the future!
Italy
Predictions, Personal Scores and Results
Anita:
Prediction: Top 10
Dennis:
Prediction: Top 10
Results: 1st, Final
Did Italy live up to expectations?
A: This is a no brainer. Italy was one of a handful of nations with the potential to win the contest, and they delivered and delivered confidently. The entry was sure to be a hit with the televoters, but it did exceed my expectations with the jury vote. Nonetheless, it was certainly a deserved winner.
D: Måneskin lived up to the high expectations and even went beyond that. The glam rock group from Italy won with a big margin, due to their high televote. We knew they had a massive voting appeal but that it would be so big to actually win Eurovision? Not everyone was certain about that. It’s nice to see Italy getting their reward for many years of coming up with great entries and giving the Sanremo contest a quality boost and keeping it contemporary after so many years.
How do you personally feel about the song for Italy at Eurovision 2021?
D: Being a rock fan, I loved the Italian entry for Eurovision from the very first time I heard it. Which was at Sanremo. The harmony between the band ánd the orchestra was so amazing. Based on quality it should win Sanremo, but I had doubts whether it would, based on what you’d expect at Sanremo. However, I must say over the years Sanremo has had a way to stay close to the contemporary music styles, whilst including the orchestra. The group Måneskin has big charisma and the four members treat each other like equals. It is a joy to watch them perform and do their thing.
A: I knew Måneskin from when they *almost* won The X Factor Italy, and hoped that one day they would enter Eurovision. Beyond that, I thought that if they were to enter Eurovision, they had a strong chance of winning just based on their music, and their ability to perform live. While they can definitely deliver on more of a ballad type song, it was good to hear a song that really reflects their body of work. Zitti e buoni was such a great song for the Eurovision stage, but it was never a song just with Eurovision in mind, it went beyond that.
D: This is a very valid point you have there. I think in recent years, we have seen a lot of successful entries of which the song was not written specifically for Eurovision. This was a song in their style, no adjustments for the competition. Which I think is a strong move to keep your music sincere.
Could Italy have done anything different?
D: No. Their performance was great. With a focus on all individual band members, making a strong connection within the three minutes they had. Damiano’s bow during the ‘buonasera’-line is a Eurovision-winning shot and one to remember for years, as is his final pose. Italy was a very justified winner in 2021.
A: I think when you’ve won Eurovision, you’ve proved that you’ve done enough. I thought the staging was quite reserved for Måneskin and what I’ve seen them do, but I think they really struck the right balance of being memorable but not too over the top. It’s easy to see why this appealed to the masses.
What can Italy do to ensure success in future years?
D: I think Italy already has a very strong streak of good results at Eurovision and their 2021 win is justice being served. What I love as a long-time Sanremo follower is that they always keep room to include new styles of music in their competition. Having an orchestra there opens up the risk of having only dated songs, but Sanremo offers up a rich flavour of different music styles. There is room for everything, from rap to dance, from glam rock to trap music. It gives artists the chance to come up with the best they have, which is a very great way to find a Eurovision entry as well. Because every genre can do well at Eurovision, as long as it is of high quality.
A: This has been the key to success for Italy. The prestigious Italian song festival has evolved so well over the years, incorporating all those different styles to reflect what is popular in Italy at the time. The other key factor is that the song festival features predominantly big artists. They offer the best of the best, year after year, and the quality of music is always very high. This means that the song that tops the table of Sanremo is by default high quality. This approach has worked well for Italy, and will continue working well in the future.
Which was better, the live-on-tape performance or the actual performance?
A: While the actual stage wasn’t as impressive in the back-up tape, the group still manages to make the best out of it. The key elements were still in the back-up tape performance, but it just wasn’t as refined. Vocally and in terms of stage presence, still incredible in the back-up tape. I personally prefer the Rotterdam performance, but either way Italy would have still succeeded.
D: Måneskin is a group of such charismatic people, that I think you would still see that even if they perform somewhere in a basement. So, of course, their back-up tape is also still good. Is it better than their actual Eurovision performance? Of course not. Musicians in a music style like this live for performing for a live audience and have as much interaction as possible. So for me it is obvious that their gig in Rotterdam is better than the one in an empty studio in Italy. Odds are high that would have still won Eurovision, with the usage of all back-up tapes though. Their televote would still have been sky high.