If the first two attempts don’t succeed, well, third time’s the charm! San Marino will be determining their artist and song for Eurovision this year using Una Voce per San Marino with a new format to narrow down the competition.
Released on 30 January, there will be 129 artists competing to represent San Marino this May in Malmö. This is up from last year’s 106 participants. We didn’t get too many details apart from the list of participants, but here’s a look on the three semi-finals that will be conducted on 15 February:
Eagle-eyed UVPSM veterans will notice a few returnees to the Sammarinese selection, including Edoardo Brogi and KIDA, and one year after participating in Benidorm Fest, MEGARA from Spain. These three semi-finals will take place on 15 February, with two semi-finals dedicated to foreign artists and one semi-final dedicated to Sammarinese artists. It is currently unclear how many artists from each semi-final will advance to the Grand Final on 24 February. The reason for this lack of clarity can be seen in the three rounds happening the next day:
Not only are XGIOVE, DƏVA, and Only Sara returning to the competition, but the Repêchage round is back too. After the two semi-finals with foreign artists, the Repêchage or Second Chance round will return, with previously eliminated acts having another shot at advancing to the Grand Final. All three of these shows will be held on 16 February. Based on how many spots are available in the Repêchage round, there may be a similar system in play from last year in determining the amount of qualifiers from each semi-final. It could be that four acts will qualify from each semi-final, except for the Sammarinese semi-final, which will probably advance less. From each foreign semi-final, four acts will then move onto the Repêchage round where the last four acts will qualify for the Grand Final. Hopefully we’ll learn more about the format in the coming weeks so we can all prepare.
It’s currently unclear when the shows will air, but if it’s anything based on last year, they’ll air the week of 24 February for an entire week of Sammarinese shenanigans. The Grand Final will air on SMRTV on 24 February where the winner will represent San Marino this year at the Eurovision Song Contest.
San Marino was represented last year by the Italian band Piqued Jacks with the song “Like an Animal”. San Marino competed in the second Semi-Final in Liverpool, but failed to qualify, scoring 0 points and finishing in last place in 16th.
Are #YOU ready for Una Voce per San Marino? Who do you think will win the contest out of all these entries? Let us know on social media @ESCUnited, on our discord, or on our forum page!
