🇸🇲 Road to Basel: San Marino

Road to Basel: San Marino

Road to Basel: San Marino! As the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel approaches, we continue our daily spotlight on this year’s contestants. Today, we focus on San Marino.

photo: SMRTV/Pier Costantini

Gabry Ponte

Gabriele “Gabry” Ponte is an Italian DJ, remixer, and record producer born on April 20, 1973, in Turin, Italy. He gained international fame in the late 1990s as a member of the Italian Eurodance group Eiffel 65, known for their hit “Blue (Da Ba Dee).” Over the years, Gabry Ponte has established a successful solo career, producing numerous dance hits and collaborating with various artists.

“Tutta l’Italia” (What does AI say?)

His Eurovision entry, “Tutta l’Italia,” is a dance track that combines electronic beats with elements of traditional Italian music, including instruments like the accordion and references to Italian pop culture. The song was co-written by Gabry Ponte, Andrea Bonomo, and Edwyn Roberts. Upon its release on January 31, 2025, “Tutta l’Italia” quickly gained popularity, reaching number fifteen on the Italian singles chart. The track was also used as the official theme song for the Sanremo Music Festival 2025.

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San Marino Song Contest 2025

San Marino selected its Eurovision 2025 representative through the national competition San Marino Song Contest 2025. The final took place on March 8, 2025, at the Teatro Nuovo in Dogana, hosted by Flora Canto and Francesco Facchinetti. Twenty songs competed, with the winner determined by a jury. Gabry Ponte’s performance of “Tutta l’Italia” captivated the jury, securing his victory and the opportunity to represent San Marino in Basel. ​

These are the results of the final:

  1. Gabry Ponte, “Tutta L’Italia”
  2. The Rumpled, “You Get Me So High”
  3. Teslenko, “Storm”
  4. Elasi, “Lorella”
  5. Boosta, “BTW”
  6. Besa, “Tiki”
  7. CRL, “Juliet”
  8. Giacomo Voli, “Ave Maria”
  9. Questo e Quello, “Bella Bella”
  10. Paco, “Until the End”
  11. Pierdavide Carone, “Mi vuoi sposare?”
  12. Marco Carta, “Solo fantasia”
  13. Angy Sciacqua, “I”
  14. Haymara, “Tómame las manos”
  15. Silvia Salemi, “Coralli”
  16. Bianca Atzei, “Testacoda”
  17. Vincenzo Capua, “Sei sempre tu”
  18. King Foo, “The Edge Of The World”
  19. Taoma, “NPC”
  20. Luisa Corno, “Il giorno giusto”
San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest

San Marino has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since 2008. Despite being one of the smallest countries in the competition, it has made notable contributions, with its best result in 2019 when Serhat‘s “Say Na Na Na” finished 19th in the Grand Final. But when we talk about San Marino, we must not forget Valentina Monetta. She participated for her country on no less than four occasions. She was, in 2014, the first one to bring San Marino to the final.​

Serhat in 2019

A Random San Marino Entry

Reflecting on San Marino’s Eurovision history, random.org chose the 2018 entry: Maltese Jessika Muscat and German Jenifer Brening. The song was co-written by ZoĂ« Straub, who represented Austria in 2016. In the performance, there is a main role for robots. During the rehearsals, there was an inside joke: the robot held a paper with the text “Justice for Valentina!”.

Betting Odds

As of now, Gabry Ponte’s “Tutta l’Italia” is 15th in the odds in order to win the Eurovision Song Contest. In the odds for winning semifinal 1, the country is 10th. It is seriously possible that San Marino will have it’s best score ever in the Eurovision Song Contest. If that is really gonna happen? We will wait and see.

We eagerly await the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel and look forward to witnessing Gabry Ponte’s performance on the grand stage.

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It’s Tuesday, November 18, 2025, and time for another weekly update! There’s no single headline dominating Eurovision news this week, but plenty of notable stories. National selection season is in full swing across Europe, with updates from Cyprus, Portugal, Iceland, Croatia, and Malta. Meanwhile, outside the selections, a new film is in the works about a Eurovision classic and a Swedish pre-party weekend has been announced. A fan contest crowned its latest winner, and we bid farewell to two Eurovision legends. Here are this week’s top stories: National Finals and Selections   Cyprus: Antigoni Chosen via Two-Part Internal Selection Cyprus will be represented in 2026 by Antigoni Buxton, selected through a new two-stage internal process. A five-member jury evaluated nine candidate artists, while a public online poll gathered fan input. Antigoni received the highest overall score. She has now been officially confirmed as Cyprus’s Eurovision 2026 artist. source: RIK Portugal: Festival da Canção 2026 Composers Revealed Portugal’s RTP unveiled the 16 songwriters for Festival da Canção 2026. The roster features 8 invited composers and 6 chosen from the open submissions. In addition, one was chosen via the new “Prova de Acesso” public vote and one picked by last year’s winners, band NAPA. source: media.rtp.pt  Iceland: Söngvakeppnin 2026 Submission Deadline Nears In Iceland, RÚV opened song submissions for Söngvakeppnin 2026, with a deadline of November 20, 2025. The broadcaster noted it has already received more entries than last year so far. Interestingly, RÚV has not yet confirmed Iceland’s participation in Eurovision 2026. However, if the country does compete, the Söngvakeppnin winner will go on to represent Iceland in Vienna. source: RÚV  Croatia: Dora 2026 to Be Held in Zagreb Croatia’s Dora 2026 will be held at HRT’s TV studios in Zagreb, moving from its usual home in Opatija. HRT cited an exceptionally busy 2026 as the reason for relocating the show. Song submissions are open until November 23. Thereafter an expert panel will pick 24 entries for the shows in February. The winner will be chosen by a combination of jury and public voting. Opatija.hr Malta: MESC 2026 Semi-Final and Final Dates Set Malta announced that MESC 2026 will consist of a semi-final on January 15 and a final on January 17, 2026. A total of 18 songs will compete, with the submission window open from November 17 to 23, 2025. PBS will reveal the 18 semi-finalists on December 1. A combined jury-public vote will then decide which 12 acts advance to the final night. source: PBS Other News  Norway: Bobbysocks Biopic “La det swinge” in Development A new feature film titled “La det swinge” will bring the story of Bobbysocks’ 1985 Eurovision victory to the big screen. The Norwegian Film Institute has granted 8.8 million kroner in funding to the project, which has a total budget of about 52.7 million NOK. Acclaimed director Per-Olav Sørensen is at the helm of the movie. According to the NFI’s description, the film will portray “the wild, true story of how Bobbysocks changed Norway – taking us from a gray daily life to three minutes that changed everything.” It promises to be a colorful, music-filled crowd-pleaser. The strong backing behind this nostalgic Eurovision tale shows high confidence in its appeal. The film is hoped to resonate with audiences across generations. source: nettavisen.no  Sweden: Melfest WKND 2026 Pre-Party Weekend Announced In Sweden, the popular fan event Melfest WKND will return in 2026. Organizers have announced that the festivities will take place on Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7. The schedule aligns with the weekend of the Melodifestivalen grand final in Stockholm. Like last year, both the Friday night pre-party and the main Saturday night event will be held at Nalen. This classic venue in central Stockholm has become the home of Melfest WKND. Melfest WKND has become a highlight for Eurovision fans. The weekend features appearances by Melodifestivalen and Eurovision artists. It also draws international fans to Stockholm to celebrate ahead of Sweden’s national final. source: eurovoix Italy: Damiano David Wins OGAE Song Contest 2025 The results are in for the OGAE Song Contest 2025, an annual competition among Eurovision fan clubs worldwide. Italy took the crown for the second year in a row. Italian singer Damiano David (of Måneskin fame) won with his song “Born With a Broken Heart,” earning 279 points in the final tally. This is Italy’s second consecutive victory in the fan contest – a back-to-back achievement last seen in 2020. Finland finished in second place with “Kaistaa” by BESS & Käärijä, while Australia came third thanks to pop icon Kylie Minogue’s track “Lights Camera Action”. The OGAE Song Contest is a fan-organized, non-EBU event that helps keep Eurovision spirits high in the off-season. You can watch the contest on Vimeo.  Germany: Kessler Sisters Pass Away Together at 89 Twin sisters Alice and Ellen Kessler – Germany’s Eurovision 1959 representatives – have died at the age of 89. The Kessler Twins were legendary entertainers in Europe during the 1950s and ’60s. According to German media reports, the sisters chose to end their lives together via legal euthanasia in their longtime home in Bavaria. This fulfilled their pact that neither would have to live without the other. The Kesslers leave behind a remarkable legacy as pioneers of European pop entertainment and beloved Eurovision icons. (For more on their life and career, see our in memoriam tribute.)

Read More »
Uncategorized
Martijn

Weekly Update

It’s Tuesday, November 18, 2025, and time for another weekly update! There’s no single headline dominating Eurovision news this week, but plenty of notable stories. National selection season is in full swing across Europe, with updates from Cyprus, Portugal, Iceland, Croatia, and Malta. Meanwhile, outside the selections, a new film is in the works about a Eurovision classic and a Swedish pre-party weekend has been announced. A fan contest crowned its latest winner, and we bid farewell to two Eurovision legends. Here are this week’s top stories: National Finals and Selections   Cyprus: Antigoni Chosen via Two-Part Internal Selection Cyprus will be represented in 2026 by Antigoni Buxton, selected through a new two-stage internal process. A five-member jury evaluated nine candidate artists, while a public online poll gathered fan input. Antigoni received the highest overall score. She has now been officially confirmed as Cyprus’s Eurovision 2026 artist. source: RIK Portugal: Festival da Canção 2026 Composers Revealed Portugal’s RTP unveiled the 16 songwriters for Festival da Canção 2026. The roster features 8 invited composers and 6 chosen from the open submissions. In addition, one was chosen via the new “Prova de Acesso” public vote and one picked by last year’s winners, band NAPA. source: media.rtp.pt  Iceland: Söngvakeppnin 2026 Submission Deadline Nears In Iceland, RÚV opened song submissions for Söngvakeppnin 2026, with a deadline of November 20, 2025. The broadcaster noted it has already received more entries than last year so far. Interestingly, RÚV has not yet confirmed Iceland’s participation in Eurovision 2026. However, if the country does compete, the Söngvakeppnin winner will go on to represent Iceland in Vienna. source: RÚV  Croatia: Dora 2026 to Be Held in Zagreb Croatia’s Dora 2026 will be held at HRT’s TV studios in Zagreb, moving from its usual home in Opatija. HRT cited an exceptionally busy 2026 as the reason for relocating the show. Song submissions are open until November 23. Thereafter an expert panel will pick 24 entries for the shows in February. The winner will be chosen by a combination of jury and public voting. Opatija.hr Malta: MESC 2026 Semi-Final and Final Dates Set Malta announced that MESC 2026 will consist of a semi-final on January 15 and a final on January 17, 2026. A total of 18 songs will compete, with the submission window open from November 17 to 23, 2025. PBS will reveal the 18 semi-finalists on December 1. A combined jury-public vote will then decide which 12 acts advance to the final night. source: PBS Other News  Norway: Bobbysocks Biopic “La det swinge” in Development A new feature film titled “La det swinge” will bring the story of Bobbysocks’ 1985 Eurovision victory to the big screen. The Norwegian Film Institute has granted 8.8 million kroner in funding to the project, which has a total budget of about 52.7 million NOK. Acclaimed director Per-Olav Sørensen is at the helm of the movie. According to the NFI’s description, the film will portray “the wild, true story of how Bobbysocks changed Norway – taking us from a gray daily life to three minutes that changed everything.” It promises to be a colorful, music-filled crowd-pleaser. The strong backing behind this nostalgic Eurovision tale shows high confidence in its appeal. The film is hoped to resonate with audiences across generations. source: nettavisen.no  Sweden: Melfest WKND 2026 Pre-Party Weekend Announced In Sweden, the popular fan event Melfest WKND will return in 2026. Organizers have announced that the festivities will take place on Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7. The schedule aligns with the weekend of the Melodifestivalen grand final in Stockholm. Like last year, both the Friday night pre-party and the main Saturday night event will be held at Nalen. This classic venue in central Stockholm has become the home of Melfest WKND. Melfest WKND has become a highlight for Eurovision fans. The weekend features appearances by Melodifestivalen and Eurovision artists. It also draws international fans to Stockholm to celebrate ahead of Sweden’s national final. source: eurovoix Italy: Damiano David Wins OGAE Song Contest 2025 The results are in for the OGAE Song Contest 2025, an annual competition among Eurovision fan clubs worldwide. Italy took the crown for the second year in a row. Italian singer Damiano David (of Måneskin fame) won with his song “Born With a Broken Heart,” earning 279 points in the final tally. This is Italy’s second consecutive victory in the fan contest – a back-to-back achievement last seen in 2020. Finland finished in second place with “Kaistaa” by BESS & Käärijä, while Australia came third thanks to pop icon Kylie Minogue’s track “Lights Camera Action”. The OGAE Song Contest is a fan-organized, non-EBU event that helps keep Eurovision spirits high in the off-season. You can watch the contest on Vimeo.  Germany: Kessler Sisters Pass Away Together at 89 Twin sisters Alice and Ellen Kessler – Germany’s Eurovision 1959 representatives – have died at the age of 89. The Kessler Twins were legendary entertainers in Europe during the 1950s and ’60s. According to German media reports, the sisters chose to end their lives together via legal euthanasia in their longtime home in Bavaria. This fulfilled their pact that neither would have to live without the other. The Kesslers leave behind a remarkable legacy as pioneers of European pop entertainment and beloved Eurovision icons. (For more on their life and career, see our in memoriam tribute.)

Read More »
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