San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020

Last updated

Eurovision Song Contest 2020
CountryFlag of San Marino.svg  San Marino
National selection
Selection processArtist: Internal selection
Song: Digital Battle
Selection date(s)Artist: 6 March 2020
Song: 9 March 2020
Selected entrant Senhit
Selected song"Freaky!"
Selected songwriter(s)
  • Gianluigi Fazio
  • Henrik Steen Hansen
  • Nanna Bottos
Finals performance
Final resultContest cancelled
San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2019 •2020• 2021►

San Marino planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, which was scheduled to be held in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Italian singer Senhit was chosen to represent the nation with her song "Freaky!". Sammarinese broadcaster San Marino RTV (SMRTV) internally selected the singer, while her song was selected through a national final entitled Digital Battle. Senhit previously represented San Marino in the 2011 contest, but failed to qualify for the final. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe during 2020, the Eurovision Song Contest was cancelled in mid-March 2020. "Freaky!" was subsequently an entry for several replacement events including Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light , Der kleine Song Contest and Sveriges 12:a . Senhit announced during the former of the three that she would return to represent the nation at the 2021 contest the following year.

Contents

Background

Prior to the 2020 contest, San Marino had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 10 times since their first entry in 2008. [1] The nation's debut entry in the 2008 contest, " Complice " performed by Miodio, failed to qualify for the final and placed last in the semi-final it competed in. [1] San Marino subsequently did not participate in both the 2009 and 2010 contests, citing financial difficulties. [2] [3] They returned in 2011 with Italian singer Senit performing "Stand By", which also failed to take the nation to the final. [1] From 2012 to 2014, San Marino sent Valentina Monetta to the contest on three consecutive occasions, which made her the first singer to participate in three consecutive contests since Udo Jürgens, who competed in 1964, 1965 and 1966 for Austria. [4] Monetta's entries in 2012 ("The Social Network Song") and 2013 (" Crisalide (Vola) ") also failed to qualify San Marino to the final, however in 2014, she managed to bring the nation to the final for the first time with "Maybe", placing 24th. The nation's next four entries, "Chain of Lights" performed by Anita Simoncini and Michele Perniola for 2015, "I Didn't Know" by Serhat for 2016, "Spirit of the Night" by Monetta and Jimmie Wilson for 2017 and "Who We Are" by Jessika featuring Jenifer Brening for 2018, did not qualify for the final. San Marino's best placing up to 2020 was in the previous year's contest where Serhat appeared for his second participation and finished in 19th place in the final, singing "Say Na Na Na". [1] San Marino RTV (SMRTV) Director General Carlo Romeo confirmed San Marino's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 on 25 May 2019, a week after the conclusion of the 2019 contest. [5]

Before Eurovision

Senhit was internally selected by SMRTV to represent San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. Senhit.jpg
Senhit was internally selected by SMRTV to represent San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020.

Digital Battle

On 6 March 2020, SMRTV announced that they had internally selected Senhit once again to represent San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. [6] Senhit previously represented San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 under the pseudonym Senit, placing 16th in the first semi-final with the song "Stand By", failing to qualify for the final. [1] Sammarinese Head of Delegation Alessandro Capicchioni cited the success of her single "Dark Room" as the impetus behind his decision to bring her back to the contest. To select her song for 2020, it was announced that an online contest entitled Digital Battle would be organised where the public would vote for the song. [6]

Two candidate songs produced by Gianluigi Fazio took part in Digital Battle: "Freaky!" and "Obsessed". [7] "Freaky!", co-written by Danish songwriters Henrik Steen Hansen and Nanna Bottos, was described by Cristian Scarpone of Wiwibloggs as being a fun disco track following in the tradition of San Marino's recent disco entries from Serhat, as well as Valentina Monetta and Jimmy Wilson. [8] [9] "Obsessed" is a revamped English-language production of Senhit's single "Un bel niente" (2019) with additional songwriting credits for Charli Taft and Olivier Nordh. [7] [9] Both songs were described by the media as being electropop. [9] [10] Voting was made available through Senhit's official website between 7 and 8 March 2020 and the winning song, "Freaky!", was announced on 9 March 2020. [11] [12] SMRTV reported that the event received 31,846 votes from over 200,000 unique visitors to the website during the voting period. [8] "Freaky!" received 16,433 votes (52%), while "Obsessed" received 15,413 votes (48%). [13] Luca Tommassini, who directed the music video for "Dark Room", served as artistic director for the nation's preparations for the 2020 contest. [6]

At Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was originally scheduled to take place at Rotterdam Ahoy in Rotterdam, Netherlands and consist of two semi-finals on 12 and 14 May, respectively, and a final on 16 May 2020. [14] All nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five", consisting of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, would have been required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top 10 countries from each semi-final would have progressed to the final. [15] [16] [17] On 28 January 2020, the allocation draw was held at Rotterdam City Hall, placing San Marino into the first half of the second semi-final. [18] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the contest was cancelled on 18 March 2020. [19] The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced soon after that entries intended for 2020 would not be eligible for the following year, though each broadcaster would be able to send either their 2020 representative or a new one. [20] During the replacement event Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light , which showcased the entries that were set to take part in the contest, Senhit announced that she would return to represent the nation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. [21]

Alternative song contests

Some of the broadcasters scheduled to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 organised alternative competitions. Austria's ORF broadcast Der kleine Song Contest in April 2020, which saw every entry being assigned to one of three semi-finals. A jury consisting of 10 singers that had represented Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest were tasked with ranking each song; the best-placed entry in each semi-final advanced to the final round. [22] In the first semi-final on 14 April 2020, San Marino placed 13th in a field of 14 participants, achieving 35 points. [23] San Marino's song also partook in Sveriges Television's Sveriges 12:a in May, [24] though it failed to qualify for the final round. [25]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest</span>

San Marino has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 12 times, debuting in the 2008 contest, followed by participation from 2011 onward. The nation did not participate in 2009 or 2010, citing financial difficulties. Having failed to qualify in their first four attempts, the nation qualified for the contest's final for the first time in 2014. Valentina Monetta represented San Marino in 2012, 2013 and 2014, making her the first entrant to participate in three consecutive contests since the 1960s. In 2019, Serhat managed to qualify to the final, marking the second appearance of the country in a Eurovision final and achieving their best result to date of 19th place. Following the 2020 contest's cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, their 2020 candidate Senhit was again selected to represent San Marino in the following contest. She qualified to the final, making it the first time that San Marino made it to two consecutive finals.

San Marino debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, held in Belgrade, Serbia. The Sammarinese national broadcaster Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino (SMRTV) officially confirmed San Marino's participation in the contest in November 2007 after deliberation amongst the broadcaster's shareholders.

San Marino RTV is a Sammarinese free-to-air television channel owned and operated by public broadcaster Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino (SMRTV). It is the company's flagship television channel, and is known for broadcasting news bulletins and self-produced entertainment programming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senhit (singer)</span> Italian singer

Senhit Zadik Zadik, known professionally as simply Senhit, is an Italian singer. She represented San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf with "Stand By", but failed to qualify for the final. She would have represented it again in 2020 with "Freaky!", but the contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, she was chosen to represent San Marino at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Adrenalina", where she qualified to the final and placed 22nd with 50 points.

San Marino participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, held in Düsseldorf, Germany. The Sammarinese national broadcaster Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino (SMRTV) confirmed the country's second participation in the contest on 22 November 2010, marking their return after not participating in 2009 and 2010. Italian singer Senhit Zadik Zadik, under the stage name Senit, was internally selected by SMRTV to represent San Marino with the song "Stand By". The entry was promoted through the creation of a music video, a promotional tour throughout Europe and an interview to the press in the lead up to the Eurovision Song Contest 2011. San Marino performed 12th in the first semi-final, held on 10 May 2011, and placed 16th, receiving 34 points and failing to qualify for the final.

San Marino participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012, held in Baku, Azerbaijan. The Sammarinese national broadcaster Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino (SMRTV) internally selected Valentina Monetta with "The Social Network Song" to represent the nation in the contest. SMRTV had initially proposed a different version of the song, titled "Facebook Uh, Oh, Oh", but was instructed to modify or replace the entry due to concerns relating to commercial messaging. The entry was promoted through the creation of a music video, a promotional tour throughout Europe and interviews to the press in the lead up to the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. San Marino performed 11th in the first semi-final, held on 22 May 2012, and placed 14th, receiving 31 points and failing to qualify for the grand final. This marked their best placing in the contest to this point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Social Network Song</span> 2012 song by Valentina Monetta

"The Social Network Song " is a song by singer Valentina Monetta which was the Sammarinese entrant at the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. At the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 the song finished in 14th place in the first semi-final with 31 points, although it did not qualify for the final, this was their best result since their début in the 2008. "The Social Network Song" was the 20th Eurovision entrant produced by Ralph Siegel.

San Marino participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013, held in Malmö, Sweden. The Sammarinese national broadcaster Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino (SMRTV) internally selected Valentina Monetta with "Crisalide (Vola)" to represent the nation in the contest. Monetta had previously represented San Marino at the 2012 contest, placing 14th in the semi-finals. The 2013 entry was promoted through the creation of a music video, a promotional tour that included stops in London and Amsterdam, and interviews to the press in the lead up to the Eurovision Song Contest 2013. San Marino performed second in the second semi-final, held on 16 May 2013, and placed 11th, receiving 47 points and failing to qualify for the grand final. However, this marked the nation's best placing to this point.

San Marino participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, held in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Sammarinese national broadcaster Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino (SMRTV) internally selected Valentina Monetta with "Maybe" to represent the nation in the contest. Monetta had previously represented San Marino in both the 2012 and 2013 contests, though both entries failed to qualify for the grand final. The 2014 entry was promoted through the creation of music videos in both English and Italian, and a promotional tour that included stops in Amsterdam, Moscow and London. San Marino performed 12th in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2014, held on 6 May 2014, and placed 10th, receiving 40 points. The entry qualified for the grand final held four days later, where the nation placed 24th with 14 points. This marked their best placing to this point.

San Marino participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, held in Vienna, Austria. The Sammarinese national broadcaster Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino (SMRTV) internally selected Anita Simoncini and Michele Perniola with "Chain of Lights" to represent the nation in the contest. Both Simoncini and Perniola had previously represented San Marino in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest on separate occasions. The 2015 entry in the Eurovision Song Contest was promoted through the creation of a music video, a tour that included a stop in Moscow and a contest on social media that awarded prizes to winning participants. San Marino performed third in the second semi-final, held on 21 May 2015, and placed 16th with 11 points, failing to qualify for the final.

San Marino participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016, held in Stockholm, Sweden. The Sammarinese national broadcaster Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino (SMRTV) internally selected Turkish singer Serhat with "I Didn't Know" to represent the nation in the contest. The song was written by Olcayto Ahmet Tuğsuz and Nektarios Tyrakis and was presented to the public on 9 March 2016 alongside its music video. While initially a ballad version had been selected, SMRTV subsequently opted to use the disco version of the song for the contest based on feedback from the public. To promote the entry, Serhat embarked on a promotional tour across Europe in the lead up the Eurovision Song Contest. San Marino performed eighth in the first semi-final, held on 10 May 2016, and placed 12th with 68 points, failing to qualify for the final.

San Marino participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, held in Kyiv, Ukraine. The Sammarinese national broadcaster Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino (SMRTV) internally selected Sammarinese singer Valentina Monetta and American singer Jimmie Wilson with "Spirit of the Night" to represent the nation in the contest. Monetta had previously represented San Marino as a solo artist on three previous occasions. The 2017 entry in the Eurovision Song Contest was promoted through the creation of a music video and promotional performances in Tel Aviv, Amsterdam and Madrid. San Marino performed 10th in the second semi-final, held on 11 May 2017, and placed 18th with one point, failing to qualify for the final.

San Marino participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018, held in Lisbon, Portugal. The Sammarinese national broadcaster Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino (SMRTV) partnered with the London-based company 1in360 to stage an online search for their entrant, marking the first time the nation did not select their representative internally. The process, entitled 1in360, culminated in an 11-participant final with acts chosen from three wildcard selection processes and two 11-act showcase events. The winner of 1in360 was "Who We Are" performed by Jessika featuring Jenifer Brening. The 2018 entry in the Eurovision Song Contest was promoted through performances in London, Amsterdam, Madrid and Lisbon as well as a 10-week anti-bullying campaign to raise money for the Diana Award. San Marino performed fourth in the second semi-final, held on 10 May 2018, and placed 17th with 28 points, failing to qualify for the final.

San Marino participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019, held in Tel Aviv, Israel. The Sammarinese broadcaster San Marino RTV (SMRTV) confirmed that a second season of 1in360 would not take place to select the entry. In January 2019, they announced that Serhat had been internally selected to represent the nation in the contest with the song "Say Na Na Na", co-written by himself and Mary Susan Applegate. Serhat had previously represented San Marino in 2016 but failed to qualify for the final. To promote the entry, a music video for the song was released and Serhat made appearances at Eurovision parties in Amsterdam and Madrid in the lead up to the contest. San Marino performed last (17th) in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2019, held on 14 May 2019, and placed 8th, receiving 150 points. The entry qualified for the final held four days later, where the nation placed 19th with 77 points. This marked their best placing to this point and their second final qualification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Say Na Na Na</span> 2019 song by Serhat

"Say Na Na Na" is a 2019 single by Turkish singer Serhat. The song represented San Marino after being internally selected by Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino (SMRTV), the Sanmarinese national broadcaster. The song was released on 7 March 2019. It finished 19th in the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2019.

Albania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with the song "Karma" performed by Anxhela Peristeri. Its entry was selected through the national selection competition Festivali i Këngës organised by Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) in December 2020. To this point, the nation had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest sixteen times since its first entry in 2004. Prior to the contest, the song was promoted by a music video and various television and radio appearances in Albania, Greece, Kosovo and San Marino.

San Marino participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The Sammarinese broadcaster San Marino RTV (SMRTV) internally selected Senhit as their representative with the song "Adrenalina" featuring Flo Rida. Senhit was due to compete in the 2020 contest with "Freaky!" before the event's eventual cancellation and had also served as the nation's 2011 entrant. "Adrenalina" was written and composed by Thomas Stengaard, Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Jimmy Thörnfeldt, Kenny Silverdique, Suzi Pancenkov, Malou Linn Eloise Ruotsalainen and Chanel Tukia, along with Senhit and Flo Rida themselves. While Flo Rida had provided vocals for the track, his participation in the performance of the song on the Eurovision stage was only confirmed on the day of the second semi-final due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrenalina (Senhit song)</span> 2021 song by Senhit

"Adrenalina" is a song by Italian singer Senhit, released on 8 March 2021 through Panini S.p.A. The song represented San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The song features uncredited vocals from American rapper Flo Rida. A new revamped version featuring credited vocals from Flo Rida was released on 12 March 2021.

San Marino participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy, with the song "Stripper" performed by Achille Lauro. The Sammarinese broadcaster, San Marino RTV (SMRTV), organised a new national final concept entitled Una voce per San Marino to decide their representative. The event consisted of 299 emerging and nine established artists competing over a three month period from December 2021 through February 2022 for the opportunity to represent the nation at the contest. The winning entry "Stripper" was written by Lauro, Daniele Dezi, Daniele Mungai, Davide Petrella, Federico De Marinis, Francesco Viscovo, Gregorio Calculli, Marco Lanciotti, Matteo Ciceroni, Mattia Cutolo and Simon Pietro Manzari.

San Marino is set to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom, with "Like an Animal" performed by Piqued Jacks. The Sammarinese broadcaster San Marino RTV (SMRTV) organised the national final Una voce per San Marino in order to select the Sammarinese entry for the 2023 contest. The event consisted of over 1000 emerging and 32 established artists competing over a five-month period from October 2022 through February 2023 for the opportunity to represent the nation at the contest.

References

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  2. ↑ Viniker, Barry (18 December 2008). "San Marino leaves Eurovision Song Contest". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  3. ↑ Floras, Stella (15 December 2009). "No San Marino either for Eurovision 2010". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  4. ↑ "Tonight San Marino present their entry". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 14 March 2014. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  5. ↑ Christou, Costa (25 May 2019). "San Marino: RTV confirm 2020 participation!". ESCXtra. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 "Senhit in gara all'Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in rappresentanza di San Marino!" (in Italian). San Marino RTV (SMRTV). 6 March 2020. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  7. 1 2 "National Finals 2020". Oikotimes. 2020. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Senhit sul palco di Rotterdam con 'Freaky!'" (in Italian). San Marino RTV (SMRTV). 9 March 2020. Archived from the original on 13 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 Scarpone, Cristian (7 March 2020). "San Marino: Senhit releases 'Freaky!' and 'Obsessed' and opens online vote to select song for Eurovision". Wiwibloggs. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  10. ↑ "San Marino Esc 2020: scegli la canzone di Senhit" (in Italian). San Marino RTV (SMRTV). 7 March 2020. Archived from the original on 8 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  11. ↑ "Senhit to represent San Marino again!". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 6 March 2020. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  12. ↑ Scarpone, Cristian (6 March 2020). "Senhit will represent San Marino at Eurovision 2020 and fans will choose her song in a 'digital battle'". Wiwibloggs. Archived from the original on 17 March 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  13. ↑ Granger, Anthony (10 March 2020). "San Marino: 'Freaky!' Won Online Selection By Just Over 3% Of The Vote". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 23 December 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  14. ↑ "Eurovision Song Contest Rotterdam 2020". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 2020. Archived from the original on 6 March 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  15. ↑ "Rules – Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  16. ↑ "Eurovision Song Contest 2020 – First Semi-Final". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 2020. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  17. ↑ "Eurovision Song Contest 2020 – Second Semi-Final". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 2020. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  18. ↑ Groot, Evert (28 January 2020). "Which country performs in which Eurovision 2020 Semi-Final". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 21 April 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  19. ↑ "Eurovision 2020 in Rotterdam is cancelled". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 18 March 2020. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  20. ↑ "Intention to honour Eurovision 2020 songs and artists". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 20 March 2020. Archived from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  21. ↑ "ESC 2021: Senhit tornerà a rappresentare San Marino a Rotterdam" (in Italian). San Marino RTV (SMRTV). 17 May 2020. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  22. ↑ "Mr. Song Contest proudly presents – Der kleine Song Contest am 14., 16. und 18. April in ORF 1" (in German). ORF. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  23. ↑ Vautrey, Jonathan (16 April 2020). "Der kleine Song Contest: Iceland and Malta win the first two episodes". Wiwibloggs. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  24. ↑ Dahlander, Gustav (3 April 2020). "Klart för Eurovision-vecka i SVT" (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  25. ↑ Ek, Torbjörn (11 May 2020). "De röstades vidare i svenska Eurovision-tävlingen". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
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