In the last hour, Sanremo Giovani 2023 concluded on Rai 1, with victory going to 24-year-old Clara Soccini and her bluesy pop ballad Boulevard.

The evening of music, broadcast live from the Municipal Casino theatre in Sanremo, featured 12 artists vying for one of the last remaining three spots at the Festival di Sanremo in February, which takes place just over the road at the Ariston Theatre. Eight of these artists were invited by Rai, while the other four came from Area Sanremo, another round of open submissions that closed in late November.

Along with winner Clara, groups Santi Francesi and bnkr44 were also given the honour of a slot at Sanremo, in a decision made by both Amadeus, the eponymous host and artistic director, and the Rai Music Commission representatives present. Five-man group bnkr44 are no strangers to the Ariston stage, having graced it in 2023 as part of “Covers Night”, performing Baustelle’s rock anthem Charlie fa surf alongside competitor Sethu, who also earned his place at the main festival through Sanremo Giovani.

Sanremo Giovani, sometimes called Nuove Proposte, has existed in some form as an extension of the Festival della Canzone Italiana since the early 90s, as a method of discovering newcomers to the Italian music scene. In recent years, it’s contributed to the rise of such Eurovision representatives as Francesco Gabbani, Ermal Meta, Fabrizio Moro, Mahmood and Diodato, and was won by Italopop megastar and former ESC host Laura Pausini back in 1993 with La solitudine. Clara is, in fact, the first female winner of the spin-off since Arisa in 2009, who is, incidentally, the last female winner of the Festival proper, in 2014 with the song Controvento.

With the final three acts decided for Sanremo 2024, Rai also took the liberty of meeting the “Big” artists throughout the show, each one releasing the name of their songs as they did.

The 30 acts competing at the Festival di Sanremo 2024, now with their song titles, will be:

• Alessandra Amoroso – Fino a qui
• Alfa – Vai
• Angelina Mango – La noia
• Annalisa – Sinceramente
• BigMama – La rabbia non ti basta
• bnkr44 – Governo punk
• Clara – Diamanti grezzi
• Dargen D’Amico – Onda alta
• Diodato – Ti muovi
• Emma Marrone – Apnea
• Fiorella Mannoia – Mariposa
• Francesco Renga and Nek – Pazzo di te
• Fred De Palma – Il cielo non ci vuole
• Gazzelle – Tutto qui
• Geolier – I’ p’ me, tu p’ te
• Ghali – Casa mia
• Il Tre – Fragili
• Il Volo – Capolavoro
• Irama – Tu no
• La Sad – Autodistruttivo
• Loredana Bertè – Pazza
• Mahmood – Tuta gold
• Maninni – Spettacolare
• Mr. Rain – Due altalene
• Negramaro – Ricominciamo tutto
• Ricchi e Poveri – Ma non tutta la vita
• Rose Villain – Click Boom!
• Sangiovanni – Finiscimi
• Santi Francesi – L’amore in bocca
• The Kolors – Un ragazzo, una ragazza

The winner of Sanremo 2024 will have first refusal to compete for Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, an honour that all but one act has taken since this rule was introduced in 2013. The advent of the winner of the biggest music festival in Italy competing at Eurovision has caused something of a golden age for the country at ESC: Italy has finished in the Top 5 on five occasions in the last 10 Contests, and won in 2021 with Måneskin and the song Zitti e buoni. In Liverpool this year, Marco Mengoni matched this run, finishing in 4th place with the love ballad Due vite following his second Sanremo victory.

Who are you excited to see at Sanremo 2024? Remember to follow ESCBubble on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube for more exclusive Eurovision content, and to look out for our national final blogs and polls!