De Martino reveals what's new for his first Sanremo: "A possible Måneskin reunion"

Stefano De Martino is starting to outline what his first Sanremo Festival as artistic director will look like, laying out the guidelines for the 2027 edition: 24 Big Artists with no expansion of the field, greater weight given to the public, a new “Performance Night,” online voting, close attention to the use of artificial intelligence, and one guiding principle: putting Italian songs and music back at the center of the event. Even if that means keeping things tighter and trimming the guest list — the stated goal is to wrap up each night just after 1am.
“I want to give back an up-to-date snapshot of what Italian music really is today,” De Martino explained, convinced that the national scene has plenty of artists who have still never set foot on the Ariston stage. So it will be the songs that drive the selection process, with no preset quotas, not even for female representation: “Rather than paying special attention to women, we'll be paying special attention to interesting projects. The songs are what call the shots.”

The Festival format

The Festival format will undergo several changes. De Martino talks about “three competitions in one”: Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday will host the main competition among the 24 Big Artists; Thursday will be devoted to cover songs; while Friday will see the debut of the “Performance Night,” which will determine who represents Italy at Eurovision. These last two competitions will stand on their own, and their results will not affect Sanremo's overall ranking. On top of these changes comes online voting via RaiPlay, which will run alongside the traditional televote from the Popular Jury.

The new voting system

The biggest change concerns the mechanics of the final. On the first nights, the juries will still carry the most weight: on Tuesday the Press, TV and Web Jury will count for 67% against 33% for the Popular Jury, while on Wednesday it will be the Radio Jury's turn to hold 67%. On Friday, the “Performance Night” will be decided half by the public and half by a new International Panel of Experts.
On Saturday, once three to five finalists have been identified, the new vote will be left entirely to the public; the final result, however, will also factor in the “treasure chest” of points built up over the previous nights, which will count for 50%.

Artificial intelligence and autotune

Another key point concerns artificial intelligence. The rules state that songs must be an expression of human creativity and restrict the use of AI whenever it ends up replacing or distorting the creative contribution. De Martino summed up the approach with the phrase “artisanal intelligence”: “We want to put the human touch at the heart of the event.” Checks will also be carried out during the selection process to verify any use of artificial intelligence.

No outright ban, however, on autotune, which may be used when it represents a deliberate stylistic choice consistent with the song. “This is a competition of songs, not of singing,” the artistic director pointed out, clarifying that the effect must be “in service of the genre” and not a tool to mask a performer's vocal shortcomings.

Lineup and guests

As for the lineup, the listening process has only just begun, but De Martino would like to bring some major names in Italian music back into competition. And he leaves the door open to a possible return of Måneskin: “If Måneskin were to reunite, they're welcome at the Sanremo Festival. It would be a great comeback for music in general.” At the moment, however, there is no confirmation of their presence.

There's more caution when it comes to international guests. De Martino sees them as a possible “cherry on top,” but urges people to keep their expectations in check regarding the names already being floated. With 24 Big Artists set to perform every night, space will inevitably be limited, and the intention is to avoid a simple parade of celebrities, favoring instead ideas and projects built specifically for the Festival. Meanwhile, tributes to the greats of Italian music remain confirmed, as does the Dopofestival, which the new artistic director envisions with a spirit that's “a bit more rebellious.”
Finally, De Martino has no intention of shying away from controversy: “What would Sanremo be without a good controversy?” The 2027 Festival will also fall in a pre-election period, and on the political front, the artistic director has pledged to respect equal airtime rules, saying he wants to avoid the “polarization of the narrative” in order to bring “art and music back to the center.”

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google