Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

  After this exhausting and exciting Eurovision season it's time to take a break of it.  First off to my spiritual home,  Rome  and therefor here comes a series of songs celebrating Rome in its lyrics and/or videos.  After that at some point I'll relaunch the  #FinPop  series with all the goodies that have been released since January 2026. Have a good one !

 Matia Bazar have participated in Sanremo 12 times winning it twice. The line up has changed over the years as have the lead female singer since Antonella Ruggiero left in 1989. She was replaced by Laura Valente, these days better known my youngsters as the mother of Angelina Mango. When Angelina takes the Ariston stage she follows not only her mom's but also dad's footsteps and who knows will outdo them both? Anyways, Antonella's Matia was fabulous, Laura's rockier but I liked that version, too, and especially this song, Dedicato a te . Silvia Mezzanotte followed her and brought them their second Sanremo win, while Roberta Faccani is the latest lady. However, none of the original members is left...

Italy took its well deserved third victory - finally! - at the Eurovision song contest 2021. Over the years several other Italian entries would have been worthy winners. In this series I will go through all of them from the worst ranking to the win ners. Italy returned to Eurovision 1983 after two year's break and now I can only recall how the things went in Finland, as I was already a big fan and followed everything in media with a lot of interest. When the first news and reports were out for the previews they stated that Sanremo winner Tiziana Rivale and Sará quel che sará would be the Italian entry. Photos and all. When it was time to air the previews in television it had changed to Riccardo Fogli and P er Lucia because, according the preview host, Tiziana had been disqualified due to some voting scandal and Rai had enrolled Fogli, who just happened to me in Munich already in studio recording his new album. True or false, I don't know. He had also won Sanremo the year be...

Italy took its well deserved third victory - finally! - at the Eurovision song contest 2021. Over the years several other Italian entries would have been worthy winners. In this series I will go through all of them from the worst ranking to the winners.  Raggio di luna (Moon beam) by Matia Bazar in 1979 managed only 15th out 19 despite being very popular band at the time and having also success abroad. They were chosen by Rai for reasons only they know but they had won Sanremo 1978 with ... e dirsi ciao! but their biggest hits were yet to come. And Sanremo itself was having its lowest peak in its history.  The band still exists but of the original members Stellita and Golzi have sadly passed away, vocalist Antonella Ruggiero left for a solo career in 1998 as did Marrale in 1994. The last one Cassano left in 2017 so none of the original members is left.  The band has 12 Sanremos with two victories in its CV, as well as 21 studio albums in various formations Raggio di luna...

  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:

Here are some sounds to fight PED. Enjoy! Jalisse covers another Eurovision veteran, Matia Bazar

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...

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!

Vittoria Hyde, a self proclaimed European alien, who has already secured her place in the Swiss Italian semifinal next month with It's your love . She's also in the running in the German part. In this exclusive interview she tells us the story behind last year's Play the trumpet . Why she was eliminated from X Factor? And she talks about Matia Bazar and Celine Dion. And what would take her to the Sanremo festival? Bella, bionda, alta e magra – what else is Vittoria Hyde? An alien! Hahaha. A singer , a fashion blogger and shortly a Dj and VJ. I'm hungry and foolish. Last year your Play the trumpet was my favourite song of all national finals of the season. The all of sudden you were disqualified, what happened? Were you incazzata ? I was very very sad and incazzata of course. To present myself I have uploaded 30 seconds of the idea of the song, it was only lalala, to the Benetton website "It's my time". This short video was also on my Faceb...

Vittoria Hyde is back! For 2011 she offered the fantastic Play the trumpet , the best song of the season IMO but sadly qot disqualified. This time she is in with It's your love that has again a catchy hook and a touch of Matia Bazar's Carlo Marrale magic I guess judging the video....  and it sounds like that, too. Great track and I surely hope she will make the final! Vai Vittoria!

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!

The German technoband Scooter's latest single is based on old Matia Bazar track Ti sento , one of their biggest hits., originally released back in 1985.  Antonella Ruggiero provides new vocals to the song and stars in the video that takes place in an opera house. Lena Philipsson made a Swedish cover of the song as well.  In 2004 Scooter was in the German selection for the Eurovision and came 2nd with Jigga! Jigga! behind Max.

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...

Matia Bazar won Sanremo for the 2nd time with their 10th participation with Messaggio d'amore but as the band has been through several member changes including the lead singer only the drummer Giancarlo Golzi is left from the original and Eurovision band back in 1979. The singer in this period was Silvia Mezzanotte following Antonella Ruggiero and Laura Valente. The real revelation is however Alexia, the runner up with her Dimmi come (there's also an English version Don't you know ). She followed Spagna's steps and switched from europop in English to pop in Italian with a success and one can only note she was completely wasted singing that europop: she has a huge voice! And would have been such a great Eurovision act as well being already well known all over Europe if Matia Bazar for some reason wasn't willing to do a bis. Ex-Eurovision artists Fausto Leali and Enrigo Ruggeri did well being 4th and 5th. Also Alessandro Safina was there. I have always thought h...