Sanremo 2025, the report cards of the preview songs: Giorgia, Tony Effe, Olly and Noemi are aiming for the podium. Fedez gloomy and Bresh nice surprise

After five years of Amadeus, the new artistic director (and host) of Sanremo 2025we all know, it is Carlo Conti. And if the owner of the house changes, it is logical that the rest changes too. It is immediately clear upon first listening to the songs that the 30 competing singers will bring to the Ariston stage from next February 11th. First of all, there are many more ballads and fewer “straight drums”. Mind you, there is no shortage of hits for the radio, but the general mood is more of a “Sanremo song par excellence”. More pop and less rap although yes, there are also rappers on stage. There is space for songwriting, but rock is almost completely missing.

But let’s get to the topics. We talk of love – finished stories, stories that last, stories that have yet to begin, drugged stories – but above all we talk about the relationship between parents and children in all possible declinations. There are absent fathers, dedications to newborn children, words of love for when parents become children, and then we also talk – finally – about when the children are not there. It’s just there a political songand another that photographs well the social moment. We talk about depression and of mental health.

Here are the report cards of the songs on first listening, in the order proposed by Carlo Conti.

Francesco Gabbani – Long live life. Rating: 7 and a half

Gabbani has won the Festival twice (the first in the «New proposals» version), and it shows. This year he returns to the Ariston with a classic ballad, totally in his style. We don’t expect any monkeys on stage (as in Westerners’ Karma), but at the first listen everything sounds right: the music, the words, the theme (“Long live life as it is/long live life this life which is only a moment”)

Clara – Fever. Rating 6

Clara Soccini, aka just Clara, returns to Ariston for the second year in a row, and this in itself is a courageous choice. In Fever you can feel Madame’s hand among the authors (the others are Federica Abbbate and Dario Faini). Upon first listening, we were left with «Everyone is bling bling». Also mention for «Your blue eyes Klein”. We expect a matching make up.

Willie Peyote – Thanks but no thanks. Rating 8 (for the text)

Willie Peyote does Willie Peyote. And we are happy like that. His is the only “political” song in the competition, and he uses irony to talk about us and what we have around us. This can already be understood from the title. Among the many things he says to Thanks but no thanks, we choose «You should go to work and not get beaten up in the streets». Bonus: he also mentions Jalisse in the text.

Naomi – If you fall in love you die. Score: 8 and a half

There is Noemi’s voice and there is also a lot of emotion. It’s a song that hits hard, that hits the mark, a ballad that conquers. Among the authors – surprise – there are Blanco and Mahmood who as we know together are from Chills. A great return for Noemi in Sanremo.
Best phrase: «Having children is not, is not, an easy matter to take.” We’ll talk about it for a long time.

Lucio Corsi – I wanted to be tough. Rating 7 and a half

At the Ariston it is expected as the poetry portion of this Festival, and at first listening the slightly Martian singer-songwriter from the Maremma does not disappoint. The poetry quota is there. It doesn’t change its face or register for the Festival. He also mentions his mother (he always does, after all). Authentic to the core, we can’t wait to see him on that stage.

Rkomi – The rhythm of things. Rating 6

Three years after the Sanremo which made him known to the general public, Rkomi returns to Ariston and does not betray the rhythm of the title. A little – allow us the term – “Latin-like”, at times. The text is full of strong images: «It’s a modern descrescendo/it’s a slow-burning hell/love without feeling».

The Kolors – You who you make love with. Rating 7

Stash and the others return for the second year in a row. Surprise: Calcutta is also among the authors. And it’s noticeable. For the rest, we are faced with another hit. There is the dance, there are the names of cities, with the State variant (“From Rome to Puerto Rico” and then “Mykonos”). We warn you: we will all sing it. Best phrase: «It feels like the last bottle in my fridge».

Rocco Hunt – A thousand votes again. Rating 8

It is one of the few songs of this Festival in which rap is heard. It is a song of social denunciation: there is Naples (especially in the chorus), there is the road, there is nostalgia for one’s homeland despite it being a very difficult land. Rocco Hunt tells us a lot in this song and he says it well. It leaves no room for clichés. A phrase that struck us (in reality there are many more): «The state is absent like us/in the midst of those benches».

Rose Villain – Outlaw. Rating 6

She also chose to take the risk of returning to Sanremo twice in a row. Here there is no as in Click boom! the total change of pace between verse and chorus. Rose is aiming more for a ballad, let’s wait to see her on stage. Best quote: «We leave tomorrow/Bonnie and Clyde/with stolen dreams».

Brunori Sas – The walnut tree. Rating 8

And here is a singer-songwriter who takes the stage at the Ariston. Brunori Sas debuts in Sanremo in his best dress and could even get emotional on stage. His is a beautiful ballad, it’s a father singing to his daughter. He keeps inside, as in his style, some shadows: the blood and wine of his Calabria that mix. Brunori’s is not a slutty happiness (cit.), but a happiness that, however beautiful, is scary. It leads us to ask if we deserve it. Phrase to remember: «As always, I kangaroo between the past and the future/I write love songs in search of a safe harbor».

Serena Brancale – Anema and core. Rating 7

She is also a debutant at Ariston. Already from the title it pays homage to Naples, and it also does so in the rhythm and in the lyrics. There’s a bit of everything inside, but we have one certainty: the chorus will enter our heads even before we fully understand the words. Meanwhile, you also make irony about the neo melodicas. Cult phrase «Give me a kiss in a cabrio cabrio». And it’s immediately Capri.

Irama – Slowly. Rating 7

Irama does Irama. It’s a ballad, it talks about love, it pines us. Among the authors there is also Blanco. Tear-jerker. Cult phrase: «It’s better to make love if love is a fire».

Marcella Bella – Diamond skin. Rating 7

Forget Green mountains. Here Marcella Bella does something completely different. So much so that it makes the rounds. «A loose cannon», by his own definition. The lyrics are a hymn to self-love with the cry of «My biggest fan is me». We just have to find out what he will do on stage.

Achille Lauro – Unconscious young people. – Rating 7 and a half

Less rock than usual, Achille Lauro returns to where it all began with a ballad. Pretty. Very. With a final surprise (let’s not reveal anything else!). It pays homage to the streets of Rome, there are parents and children, the rain above Villa Borghese. Cult phrase: «I’ll call you from a service station/ in a hundred lifetimes or so/ You really die of love».

Elodie – Forgetting at 7. Rating 7

It is not Andromeda of Sanremo 2020, but we always like Elodie. You can feel the grit and now also the experience. There’s a straight kick, but it’s still a love song. Best line: «If it’s true that they then rust / I don’t want to cry like this anymore».

Tony Effe – Give me your hand. Score 8 (for the Roman dialect)

At first listen Tony is a surprise. Light-hearted, a little Fred Buscaglione, very Roman, a lot of pace. You don’t take yourself seriously, Tony, at all. He plays and makes you want to play together. On stage we imagine him taking off his sunglasses. «I am the classic Italian man, I only love my mother Annarita», one of the cult phrases. Warning: if the whole text is a game that works well, you can’t help but notice a reference to an abusive relationship: “You raise your hands to me/then you want to apologize.” He’s talking about a woman, but the message doesn’t change.

Massimo Ranieri – A heart in his hands. Rating 6

Classic Sanremo share. Clean ballad, tormented at the right point. It will play well with the orchestra. Among the authors there are Tiziano Ferro and Nek. Best line: «And I will save your heart at the bottom of the sea / life has broken it and it continues to love». Classic.

Sarah Toscano – Amarcord. Score 6 and a half

She is the youngest of the Festival, she comes from Amici di Maria De Filippi. In this passage he mentions the Vie en rose and Edith Piaf. It will work on the radio. We are curious to see her on stage. Best line: «Even if I forget you/in a club on Saturday/It’s all so Amarcord».

Fedez – Beat. Rating 7

After the controversy, the spotlight is on him. Fedez is Fedez, we know it. But here we want to talk about the song. He speaks, as announced, of depression. The text is strong, there are the names of drugs, there is a panic attack. It is, for better or worse, unfiltered. We like that mental health is talked about in such a strong way on the Ariston stage. Let’s hope away from dissing and gossip.

Coma Things – Little hearts. Rating 7 and a half

Great return of Fausto Lama and California to Sanremo. Little hearts It’s a fun song, light but not too much. A song that works well on the radio, but which does not betray the more committed soul of Coma Cose. On first listen it makes us sing the chorus and makes us want to listen to it again. Cult phrase: «I would like to have fun but today a song lasts like a storm».

Georgia – The cure for me. Rating 8

Giorgia does Giorgia, that is, a great voice and a great interpretation. It’s a song that few people could sing. Plus there’s the freshness that an author like Blanco brings.

Olly – Stupid nostalgia. Rating 8

It could be the revelation of this Festival. Olly returns to Sanremo with a beautiful love song, a ballad with a final dedication. Intense, but young at the same time. Full of images that work and excite. Cult phrase: «I would like to go back to when it was enough/Laughing Crying Making love».

Simone Cristicchi – When you’re little. Rating 8

With I’ll give you a rose he had conquered everyone. We tell you: with this song he will do it again, and perhaps in an even more intense way. It talks about when parents become children, about nurturing and caring. A letter that comes to you like a punch. We cried the first time we listened. Cult phrase: «I will repeat my name to you a thousand times because you will forget it».

Emis Killa – Demons. Score 6 and a half

It’s not rap, but he sings about crazy love like a drug. There are Calì’s narcos, bumper cars and mezcal. In a year in which everyone loves each other, Emis brings the least bon ton share: «We do it on the tracks among the abandoned carriages». We are waiting for the debut on stage.

Joan Thiele – Echo. Rating 7 and a half

His is the most international song of all this year. The level is high. We imagine her on stage playing the guitar. «Bang bang woo» are the words that enter your head.

Fashion – I don’t forget you. Rating 7

Kekko Silvestre is the only author of a song immediately recognizable as one of the group, but as one of the best. Cult phrase: «I read it in the horoscope that those of my sign / need to complicate their plans a bit». It will certainly be in the San Siro lineup.

Gaia – I’ll call, you’ll call. Rating 7

The chorus is a little game that gets into your head and never comes out. “I’ll call, you call.” It has a radio beat, and makes you long for summer, which in January is certainly a plus.

Bresh – The Crab’s Lair. Rating 7 and a half

Big surprise at first listen: it’s an unexpected ballad, beautiful already from the title. We expect big surprises at Ariston too. Best line: “I have a wrong word for every sentence / I’m just a man and I don’t know what to do.”

Francesca Michielin – Mud in paradise. Rating 7

Beautiful piece, delicate. Ballad about the end of a love story. Francesca Michielin’s return to Ariston is like a great professional. Best line: «And how much love will I waste / how much broken glass that is plastic».

Shablo feat. Gue, Joshua and Torment – My word. Rating 7 and a half

They go towards pop (while remaining hip pop), but they know how to do it well. They’re reminiscent of the ’90s, and we mean that in a good way. They use lots of English words, some irresistible. An example? «Chatty chatty». Cult phrase that sounds like a declaration of intent: «It’s a street song / to give what I have / I’ll burn until the end». We imagine them on stage «doing things badly».