We can not wait for the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö. Therefore, we have a closer look at one of the contestants every day. Today: Italy.
Angelina Mango
Born on April 10, 2001, in Maratea, Italy, Angelina Mango has emerged as a gifted Italian singer-songwriter. Raised in a musically inclined family, her father was the well-known singer Mango, and her mother, Laura Valente, sang for Matia Bazar. Angelina grew up in Lagonegro with her older brother Filippo, absorbing musical influences from the Rolling Stones to Venetian school composers like Giovanni Gabrieli.
Angelina’s formal education at a scientific high school was paused due to her father’s sudden death, leading the family to move to Milan in 2016. Here, she continued her studies and explored music alongside her brother. Angelina’s career took a significant turn with the release of her debut single “Va tutto bene” in 2020, soon followed by her first EP “Monolocale.”
Her musical journey flourished with performances at Milan Music Week and a collaboration with Sony Music and producer Enrico Brun in 2022. Angelina also made notable appearances on television shows and festivals, excelling in the twenty-second season of “Amici di Maria De Filippi” where she finished second and won in the singing category. Her song “Voglia di vivere” became a summer hit in 2023, reaching triple platinum status.
Most recently, Angelina won the 74th Festival Di Sanremo with her performance of “La noia,” continuing her rise as a prominent figure in Italian music.
Festival di Sanremo
The festival of San Remo (Festival di Sanremo) was first held in 1951. The festival was a blueprint for the Eurovision Song Contest. In all those years, many classics came from the Festival Di Sanremo, as well as many stories. The winner of the festival was, on many occasions, the Italian participant for the Eurovision Song Contest. This year, the winner had the first choice to represent Italy. Angelina Mango said yes rightaway. She won the contest out of 30 contenders. Mahmood, Diodato, Il Volo, Ricchi e Poveri and Emma were among them.
Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest
Italy debuted at the very first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. It was in 1964 when they had their first victory with Gigliola Cinquetti’s “Non ho l’eta”. It took until 1990 when this happened again with Toto Cutugno and his “Insieme: 1992”. In 2021 Måneskin won with “Zitti e buoni”. However, many Eurovision classics came from Italy. What to think about Domenico Modugno’s “Volare” and “Piove”? Do you remember Alice & Battiato singing “I treni di Tozeur”, or Tozzi & Raff presenting “Gente di mare”. And let’s not forget, in more recent years, Mahmood’s “Soldi”.
Måneskin, photo: EBU
The Bookmakers
Italy is placed directly for the final. In the betting odds to win this final, Italy is currently 3rd. Will Angelina Mango do the job for Italy for a 4th time? Given the betting odds, it’s not impossible…
The song
And this is the song:
