It was announced today on the official Eurovision website that Diodato, Sanremo 2020 winner and de facto Italian representative at the cancelled 2020 Contest, will finally get to perform live on the Eurovision stage as he sings his Sanremo-winning song, Fai rumore, in the interval of the first semi-final at PalaOlimpico in Turin.
Diodato is noted as having won the 70th edition of the Italian song festival, the first to be hosted by Amadeus and Fiorello, which heralded in an era of international success for the show. He beat 2017 champion Francesco Gabbani and festival mainstays Pinguini Tattici Nucleari into second and third place respectively in order to take the crown, his song topping the charts in several nations and gaining a captive audience worldwide.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Italy was one of the worst-affected countries early on, and with words like “Che non lo posso sopportare, questo silenzio innaturale” (“I can’t stand this unnatural silence”), it was only natural that Fai rumore became the unofficial anthem of Italy’s struggle in the early weeks of lockdown. Diodato was even granted special permission by the Italian government to perform the song at the iconic Arena di Verona for that year’s replacement show, Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light.
The 40-year-old indie rock singer from Aosta, first name Antonio, had performed at the Ariston prior to his victory, but only as a “new” artist or a guest on Covers Night. His victory marked him as a mainstay in Italian music, and he went on to have several other hits in the months after his victory with Il mercante (“The Merchant”), Non ti amo più (“I Don’t Love You Anymore”), Che vita meravigliosa (“What A Wonderful Life”) and L’uomo dietro il campione (“The Man Behind The Champion”), which speaks of his childhood affection for 90s Italian football legend Roberto Baggio, and was used as the theme to a Netflix film about him.
Today’s Eurovision.tv press release said that his performance will “symbolise a return towards normal life after two years of restrictions and social distancing”.
Are you excited to see Diodato finally get his moment on the Eurovision stage in his home country? Let us know on social media, and look out for Italy in our “Public Reacts” series, where your voting continues!
