ROME Feb 12 Winner of the 73rd Annual Italian pop music «San Remo» was pop singer Marco Mengoni with the song Due Vite («Two Lives»). The results of the song contest, which opened on February 7, were summed up on Sunday night.
For 34-year-old Mengoni, the main prize «Golden Palm» was already the second in his career — in 2013 he also won the competition. This year, the sentimental composition Due Vite was considered the favorite of the contest from the very beginning, having the best quotes from bookmakers.
During the awards ceremony, Mengoni dedicated a new success to the women who took part in the festival. In May, the winner of San Remo will represent Italy at Eurovision.
The final evening of the competition, which ended in the town of the same name in Liguria, was broadcast by the first channel of the Italian television Rai. The main surprise of the hours-long concert was the performance of the legendary band Depeche Mode. On the stage of the Ariston Theater they presented live for the first time the fresh single Ghosts Again from the upcoming album, and completed the performance with the classic Personal Jesus.
Before the announcement of the winner, the host of the evening, showman Amadeus, read out a message from Volodymyr Zelensky. The format of Zelensky's presence at the San Remo created a buzz long before official confirmation from the organizers. Information that Zelensky will send a video message to Italy caused a wide discussion and protests in political and public circles. Then the organizers of the competition announced that Zelensky would not make a video message on the last day of the festival. Instead, his address will be read by the host of the evening. An online petition against Zelensky's invitation gained over 90,000 signatures in a couple of weeks, and on Saturday a rally was held in San Remo against the Rai television and radio corporation, Italy's involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, and government policy in general.
In February 2022, the European Broadcasting Union suspended Russia from participating in Eurovision. The organization explained this decision with concern about the crisis in Ukraine, since the participation of Russia could damage the reputation of the contest.
The West has stepped up sanctions pressure on Russia because of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously stated that the policy of containment and weakening of Russia is a long-term strategy of the West, and sanctions have dealt a serious blow to the entire global economy. According to him, the main goal of the West is to worsen the lives of millions of people. The Russian Federation has repeatedly stated that Russia will solve all the problems that the West creates for it.