Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

  Matia Bazar was in my radar ever since their Eurovision 1979 but only in the 1984 album Tango I became a devoted fan - at least until Antonella Ruggiero was the lead singer until 1989. I also liked the early 90's version with Laura Valente in vocals but it was Antonella's amazing crazy vocals that made Matia what Matia was. Weirdly fantastic! Check out also:

Flop or not, I'll be blogging live from 9pm CET as usual. Tonight for the first time all the Big together, and the remaining newcomers to be sorted out. Do #JoinMe! 20.47 I'm ready. As soon as Sanremo is ready. 20.55 The festival starts with a homage to Claudio Abbado, who joined the heavenly orchestra exactly one month ago.  And we continue with the philharmonic orchestra of La Fenice, directed by Diego Matheuz and some Mozart. 21.05 Fazio sends a thought to Ucraine. It's worth remembering all isn't flowers and songs at this moment. Quick explanation of the voting tonight, it's only televote and the result weights 25% in the final result. Only that it won't be revealed us tonight, it seems.We also get to see and hear snippets of all Big songs tonight. Bling! And the televote is open! 21.13 Enter Lucianina! In simple black outfit tonight. 21.14 We start with Renzo Rubino and his Ora .  I like this song. He's kinda adorable and the song has its ...

Tonight the 62nd festival of Italian song aka Sanremo kicks off in Teatro Ariston in Sanremo. It's the first time the public will hear the songs of the first seven Big, and due to strange events the first time the press will hear the songs by Giusy Ferreri: She was absent of the presentation event due to matters in family, and absent of the rehearsals due to a flu, it seems. Each Big will present two songs and one of them is voted out by the 50-50 vote by the journalists in press center and the televoters at home. They are: ARISA: Lentamente / Controvento FRANKIE HI-NRG MC: Pedala /Un uomo è vivo ANTONELLA RUGGIERO: Quando balliamo / Da lontano RAPHAEL GUALAZZI & THE BLOODY BEETROOTS: Liberi o no / Tanto ci sei CRISTIANO DE ANDRÉ: Invisibili / Il cielo è vuoto PERTURBAZIONE: L'Unica / L'Italia vista dal bar GIUSY FERRERI: L'Amore possiede il bene / Ti porto a cena con me Sanremo wouldn't be Sanremo without countless guests. The Big artis...

Sanremo number 64 starts tomorrow and as always the songs are still a big secret to the TV audience. They may be public only after they have been performed live on stage of Teatro Ariston in coming days, with the exception of the eight newcomers. Their songs have been online and free to publish already.  This year the official compilation will be published only on February 25 as it will include only the song that went to the final by the Big plus the eight newcomers songs. Here are the confirmed releases so far: Already out: Diodato - E forse sono pazzo February 20, 2014: Arisa - Se vedo te Frankie Hi Nrg Mc - Essere umani Noemi - Made in London Giuliano Palma - Old boy Ron - Un abbraccio unico Renzo Rubino - Secondo Rubino Antonella Ruggiero: L'impossibile è certo Francesco Sarcina - Io Riccarso Sinigallia - Per tutti Christiano De André - Come in cielo cosi in guerra - Special edition (re-release) Perturbazioni - Musica X (repackaging with Sanre...

Delusion. That was the first feeling when I saw the final list. Where is Alice? Mango? Nek? Dolcenera? Then it hits that there are only four ladies, all the rest male! And then Antonella Ruggiero! A very welcome back to the great original voice of Matia Bazar. Another Eurovision veteran in the list is Raphael Gualazzi, back again but with Bloody Beetroots. Also nice to see Renzo Rufino back, the one who sung "love me, postman" last year in the newcomers. Well, let's hear the songs before further judgement.... Antonella Ruggiero Quando balliamo, Da lontano Arisa Lentamente, Controvento Cristiano De Andrè Invisibili, Il cielo è vuoto Francesco Renga A un isolato da te, Vivendo adesso Francesco Sarcina Nel tuo sorriso, In questa città Frankie Hi-Nrg Pedala, Un uomo è vivo Giuliano Palma Così lontano, Un bacio crudele Giusy Ferreri L'amore possiede il bene, Ti porto a cena con me Noemi Bagnati dal sole, Un uo...

As a duet partner with Marta sui tubi on Sanremo Story night when all the Big category artists sing a song from Sanremo's past, that is. Anyways, it's great to have her back on the stage of Teatro Ariston. It's five years since hr last studio album with new songs but she's been busy in other fields, like being featured in Scooter 's remake of Ti sento in 2009.  She participated as the lead singers of Matia Bazar in Sanremo five times, winning in 1978 with ... E dirsi ciao! That opened them doors to Eurovision the year after with Raggio di luna . They won the Premio della critica twice, in 1983 with Vacanze Romane and in 1985 with Souvenir .  Antonella returned as solo artists in 1998 with Amore lontanissimo and the year after with Non ti dimentico placing 2nd both times. In 2005 she won the female category and was 3rd in overal with Echi d'infinito . Now Antonella wil sing the classic Nessuno with Marta sui tubi.  Other interesting duets and songs wi...

It has been a couple of days with Sanremo 2013 news. The political situation and coming elections after Monti's goodbye to the sinking ship have caused the rumors about the possible change of dates for Sanremo festival that would take place during the final days of elections and who would care about the politics if the festival is going on? Or is it the other way around? Anyways, today RAI has put the videos of the eight newcomers online here . I still haven't really listened the songs so I won't say more. Tomorrow RAI will announce the names of the Big category singers but Twitter may have betrayed them when you can read some names in a photo published by Duccio Forzano, RAI's director for the festival: Almamegretta,  Anna Oxa, Max Gazzè, Nesli, Annalisa, Chiara Galiazzo, Modà, Antonella Ruggiero and Ornella Vanoni... that's 9 out of the 16 names.... Well, tomorrow we will know better!

Eurovision related artists keep releasing new songs and this time we have Nikki Ponte's Remembering summer nights , her follow up to her Greek Eurovision wannabe I don't wanna dance . Scooter already teamed up with Matia Bazar's Antonella Ruggiero in Ti sento and now Vicky Leandros gets the treatment with L'amour est bleu aka C'est bleu . Another Eurovision winner Dana International visits Subliminal in their Alay . Aurela Gce teamed with MC Kresha earlier this year in Ca$h with its rather futuristic video. Not bad, all four of them!

Matia Bazar has released a 36 track 2-cd with the hits and rarities from the era when Antonella Ruggiero was still the vocalist. Besides the biggest hits including Stasera che sera , Per un'ora d'amore , Solo tu , Vacanze Romane , Souvenir , Stringimi , La prima stella della sera and Ti sento also Sanremo winner E dirsi ciao and Eurovision entry Raggio di luna are included, latter also in Spanish ( Rayo de luna ) and in English (Moonshine), for the first time on cd. There is also a remix of Elettrochock . Various Spanish versions and English version of Ti sento ( I feel you ) and Noi ( Life ) complete the set. A must for Antonella era Matia lovers.

Silvia Mezzanotte returns to Matia Bazar with a new album and a tour in 2011. She was Matia's third lead singer (after Antonella Ruggiero and Laura Valente) and replaces again Roberta Faccani who stayed with the band from 2005 to 2010. "We met casually in TV and realized she's what we need for the songs we have been prepairing" told the guys of the band. "We never had a break-up in personal level, just professionally" comments Silvia. This is the formation that won Sanremo 2002 with Messaggio d'amore and scored other hits like Questa nostra grande storia d'amore and Brivido caldo . My guess they are aiming for Sanremo 2011....

Roberta Faccani leaves Matia Bazar, the group that represanted Italy in Eurovision 1979 with Raggio di luna . Roberta was group's fourth female solist after Antonella Ruggiero (1975-1989), Laura Valente (1990-1998) and Silvia Mezzanotte (1999-2004). Ruggiero and Mezzanotte have moved on to a solo career and Valente married Mango , another fabulous singer that this blog admired deebly. Matia Bazar has participated 11 times in Sanremo winning twice; 1978 with ...e dirsi ciao! and in 2002 with Messaggio d'amore . They have also won the critic's award twice; in 1983 with Vacanze Romane and in 1985 with Souvenir .  Ti sento was an international hit for them, recently remade by Scooter ft Antonella Ruggiero . She also scored a solo hit with an old Matia Bazar song Un'ora d'amore . And here's Roberta's take on ...e dirsi ciao!

Back to normal. Or two categories that is but with a surprise winner. Last year's runner up in Newcomers Simone Cristicchi  takes revenge in Big and wins with Ti regaleró una rosa , followed by veteran Albano with Nel perdono and another practically unknown, Piero Mazzocchetti and his Schiavo d'amore . Paolo Meneguzzi is only 6th with his masterpiece Musica that maybe was the moral and the commercial winner of this festival. Antonella Ruggiero is there once again but scores a last place in the final (10th). Elsa Lila tries for the second time to break through in Italy in Newcomers with Il senso della vita but doesn't reach top-3 but a place in the final only. For me this is a poor and weird year and Paolo Meneguzzi deserved so much more, snobbed by the so called Jury of quality - of course!

In 2005 Sanremo got rather confusing with the introduction of all sort of categories; Men, Female, Groups, Classic and Newcomers. Top-5 of each went on to the final and winners of each category had sort of death matches... After all this confusion Francesco Renga's Angelo came out as the winner (Men) with 54% of the televotes, followed by Come noi nessuno al mondo by Toto Curugno & Annalisa Minetti (Classic), Echi d'infinito by Antonella Ruggiero (Female), Che mistero é l'amore by Nicky Nikolai & Stefano Di Battista Jazz Quartet (Groups) and Non credo nei miracoli by Laura Bono (Newcomers). Many previous winners and/or Eurovision artists were there, too: Marco Masini , Paolo Meneguzzi , Umberto Tozzi , Alexia , Matia Bazar (once again a new singer!) and Peppino Di Capri. Worth mentioning is also Paola & Chiara who's A modo mio was eliminated the first night.... Laura Bono went on to have success abroad and would have been great for Eurovision. Or Alex...

Two big charity events are taking place in Italy this weekend to help the earthquake victims in Abruzzo region. Tonight in Olympic stadium in Rome Corale per l'Abruzzo takes place with Claudio Baglioni, Fiorella Mannoia, Gianni Morandi , Lucio Dalla, Ivano Fossati, Pino Daniele, Gigi D'Alessio and Renato Zero amongst others. They promise a lot of duets between these artists. A full female cast in San Siro stadium in Milan instead (click the banner right hand side) for Amiche per l'Abruzzo tomorrow. The show starts already 2.30pm with Antonella Ruggiero , Senit, Irene Fornaciari, Simona Molinari, Chiara Canzian, Giusy Ferreri, Alessandra Amoroso, Noemi, Malika Ayane, Dolcenera, Karima, L’Aura, Arisa, Donatella Rettore, Fiordaliso, Ivana Spagna, Anna Oxa , Loredana Berté, Mietta, Anna Tatangelo, Alice , Paola e Chiara, Syria and Iva Zanicchi . A lot of duets in the programme here as well. Then a girl band made for the occasion by Nada (vocals), Carmen Consoli (bass), Paola...

The rumours and speculations are running wild while waiting for the announcement of the artists in Sanremo 2009. The latest "sure" names are Paola Turci (winner of Emergenti category back in 1990), Dolcenera (winner of newcomers in 2003), Marco Masini (winner of newcomers in 1990 and winner of 2004), Francesco Renga ( winner of 2005) and Neri per Caso (winner of newcomers 1995). Also ex-Eurovision entrants Albano Carrisi (as Albano & Romina Power) and Antonella Ruggiero (as in Matia Bazar) are also given out as quite sure names. Other names include Mondo Marcio (or Rotten World ), who would bring something else to the stage of Teatro Ariston with his rap, and not so hard pop-rap by Gemelli Diversi . Also Velvet, Sugarfree, Nicky Nicolai & Stefano Di Battista and Anna Tatangelo circulate in rumours.