Sanremo 2018: Baglioni’s Bold Vision for Italy’s Premier Music Festival

Claudio Baglioni, as Artistic Director and leading figure, alongside Pierfrancesco Favino and Michelle Hunziker, has unveiled a revamped Sanremo Music Festival. This year’s competition abandons the elimination rounds for both established and emerging artists, focusing instead on showcasing the breadth and depth of Italian musical talent. Significant rule changes include extending the maximum song length to four minutes—a near sixty-second increase—and amplifying the influence of the press jury in determining winners in both categories. A highlight will be the fourth night, featuring established artists reinterpreting their entries with guest performers and innovative arrangements.

Twenty established and eight emerging acts will compete. All twenty established artists will debut their original songs on the opening night (February 6th). The following two evenings (February 7th and 8th), they will perform again in groups of ten, while the newcomers perform in groups of four. The fourth night (February 9th) presents a second performance, with altered arrangements and special guests, for each established artist, culminating in the announcement of the emerging artist winner. The final night (February 10th) crowns the overall champion of the 68th Sanremo Music Festival.

Baglioni describes the event as a televised musical narrative. The selection of the twenty established artists, from over 150 submissions, prioritized artists with established careers and distinct artistic identities—a process Baglioni termed “challenging,” given the high calibre of submissions. The entries will be evaluated by a combined score from the home audience (via televoting), the press jury, a panel of experts, and a demographic jury.

The final night will feature new interpretations of the top twenty songs. The ranking will be based on a weighted average of each evening’s scores. The top three songs will then undergo another round of voting using the same methodology, with the top-ranked song declared the winner.

The selection of the eight emerging artists, from 650 submissions, prioritized originality and complete artistic vision, favouring well-defined songs and performances over undeveloped potential. The fourth night will determine the emerging artist winner using televoting, press jury, and expert panel scores. A key innovation is the increased weight given to the press jury throughout the week. The expert panel will evaluate not only musical expertise but also lyrical quality and overall performance. The prestigious Bardotti Award, honouring exceptional lyrics, will also be presented.

Rai Radio2 will serve as the official radio broadcaster, providing live coverage with Andrea Delogu, Ema Stokholma, and special guest Gino Castaldo. Comprehensive digital and social media coverage will accompany the event. The detailed schedule, specifying performance and voting procedures for each night, mirrors the original schedule but is rephrased for clarity and stylistic consistency. The final night will also reveal the winners of the Critics’ Award (from the press jury), Best Lyrics Award (from the expert panel), Best Performance Award (from the press jury), and Best Composition Award (from the Festival Orchestra).