Besa Kokedhima, who represented Albania in Eurovision 2024 but didn’t reach the final, has revealed a sinppet of the song she’ll compete with to represent San Marino at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. Listen to the snippet!
San Marino’s national broadcaster, SMRTV, recently unveiled the complete list of contestants for all semi-finals of the “San Marino Song Contest 2025”, including a separate semi-final for local artists from San Marino. The grand final will take place on March 8th, where the country’s representative for Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland, will be chosen.
The organizers announced the contestants for the last two semi-finals, to be held over several days in February, as well as a separate semi-final for local San Marino artists. Besa Kokedhima, Albania’s representative at Eurovision 2024, who had already announced her participation in the contest, released a preview of her competing song on her Instagram account today. Listen to the snippet:
הצגת פוסט זה באינסטגרם
“TIKI, my new hit, will be available for pre-order from February 10th,” wrote the singer, revealing the name of her competing song. “‘TIKI’ is competing to represent San Marino at Eurovision 2025. I’ll be in the semi-final on February 15th. We’re going to burn the stage!”
This year marks Besa’s third attempt in the Eurovision world. Her journey began in 2009 when she competed in the Romanian national selection with the song “Nothing Gonna Change” but didn’t win. Her second attempt was at Eurovision 2024 when she won the Albanian national selection and represented Albania with the song “Titan“, but failed to qualify for the final.
Changes in Contest Format
This year, the organizers decided to introduce changes to the contest format, including a new voting system that ensures greater transparency and objectivity. Massimo Bonelli, the artistic director, expressed a desire to improve credibility and transparency in the voting process. According to the new plan, judges will be required to publish their votes publicly, a practice not previously done. Additionally, Bonelli will have the opportunity to award up to 10 bonus points to any artist he feels deserves it, while maintaining equal opportunities for all competitors.
Prominent Contestants
Among the contestants are several well-known names:
- Besa – the Albanian singer who represented Albania at Eurovision 2024 with the song “Titan,” failed to advance past the Semi-Finals in Malmo.
- Serafin Zubiri – represented Spain at Eurovision 1992 with the song “Todo Esto Es La Música” (All This Is Music) finishing 14th in the grand finale. Zubiri was also Spain’s representative at Eurovision 2000 with the song “Colgado de un sueño” (Hanging from a Dream), where he finished 18th.
- Atle Pettersen – the Norwegian singer who participated in Norway’s “Melodi Grand Prix” in 2021 and 2023.
- Kida – competed in San Marino’s pre-Eurovision in 2023 and 2024.
- Grisana – the Ukrainian singer who competed for the tenth place in Ukraine’s “Vidbir 2025” and was not chosen by the public. She will try her luck with the same song.
- Teslenko – the Ukrainian singer who withdrew from the competition in “Vidbir 2025” due to an internal Ukrainian political dispute. He will also try his luck with the same song.
- Valeria – the Moldovan singer who was disqualified from participating in Moldova’s pre-Eurovision (which eventually withdrew Eurovision 2025), “Etapa Națională 2025,” because she was 20 minutes late to the audition day. She will try her luck with the same song.
List of the artists participating in the Semi-Finals:
First Semi-Final
- Alessio’s Mind
- Alis Ray
- Atwood
- BARAK
- Carson Coma
- Catch the Giant!
- Cecilia Herrera
- Chazza
- Cristina Macchiavelli (feat. Nymos)
- Dramalove
- Edea
- Effemme
- Evdokia Moisidou
- Fabio Imperatrice feat Cambra
- Galen Borson
- The Usual Dandy
- JUNAH
- Jannike
- Joan
- Justine Mayer
- Kian Butler
- KiNG FOO
- Latent
- TheBlond
- Lenni-Kalle Taipale & Andrea Brosio
- Mark Urbino
- Another Max
- NARBERA
- Natalia
- The Leaf
- The Unknown Voices
- Timea
- TIMO
- VALIS & POLCZI
- Vimoksha
- Vincenzo Bles
Second Semi-Final
- Alexis Strum
- Aniel
- Artemis
- Artemis
- Asia
- Astrid Nicole
- Beatriz Gouveia
- BLITZ UNION
- Claudia F
- Curly
- David
- DENEB
- DIMA
- Erisu
- John Brugnoli
- Giulia DeSisti
- Juliette Kris
- IBLAS
- Ines
- JACK COSTANZO
- LD (The Distances)
- Léon The Singer
- Leonor
- Libra
- Mora
- Miguel Escobar
- Myky
- Phera
- Romeo Zacharias
- SAVE ORTEGA
- SERGIO GOMEZ
- Snap-Out
- Sofia Zaros
- Sonia Nawri
- TADENI
- Unique
Third Semi-Final
- Adasat
- Agnes sings
- Alien Cut feat. Zighi
- Angy – Angela Sciacqua
- Air
- Carlotta
- Delma and Mary Wild
- Eleonora Gangi
- EMHEART
- Frederick Hammer
- Francesca De Braco
- GiambattiSta
- Chaotic
- Magenta#9
- Mario Nucci
- mescaline
- Milad Fatouleh
- law
- Mr&Mrs
- Nadine Randle
- Naike
- Nicky Mushin Soda
- Polarnova
- This and That
- Sick N’ Beautiful
- Silver feat. Skorie
- Sopratenor
- Space Particles
- STAVROS SALABASOPOULOS
- SUPERCHEETAH
- TAOMA
- TBO & Co.
- The Scurbats
- WHERE
- Vicky Navarro
- XSKULL8
Fourth Semi-Final
- Alexander Doghmani
- Aliens Agree
- andrea coast
- ANDROMEDA
- Ann & Dom
- Coating
- Denny Music
- Eleonora Lorenzato
- Elisa De Panics
- ERIKA LETO
- FLIZIR
- Francesca Pichierri
- Gianluca Love
- Georgina
- Haymara
- Hector Mira
- the greek
- Incision
- Kohra
- Lomas
- Lowbrano
- Magdalene
- Heir
- Marti Puerto
- MRTINA
- Links
- Nina Flower
- PierC
- THE PLAN
- Romina Falconi
- Sara
- Stephen Hooks
- Timothy Cavicchini
- VALLERIA
- Water Jack
Fifth Semi-Final
- ALMA
- Angy – Angelica De Carolis
- BESA
- Bradley Jay
- DANIELA FIORENTINO
- Delilah Earnshaw
- ELEKTROKARMA
- Emanuel
- FARMACY
- Gaia Belletti
- Gerónimo Rauch
- Geisha
- GIACOMO VOLI
- GioGala
- Giorgia Pastori
- Giuliana
- Ida Elena
- JB
- LaRed
- Letizia Crincoli
- Leonardo Amor
- Lorenzo Amore
- Luca Grillo Live Band
- Ludovica
- MACCLESFIELD
- Manuè
- Me gustas Fer
- MI LA BAND
- NESHE
- PARK
- Rosetta
- Serafin Zubiri
- Siriaz y Malo
- THE RUMPLED
- Zell
Sixth Semi-Final
- Allegra
- Atle Pettersen
- Beatriz Villar
- Ciro Maddaluno
- Dana
- Despaux
- Energia
- Erjona Qellimi
- Francesco Scagliarini
- Gelida
- Golden Salt
- Grace George
- GRISANA
- Il Cremlino
- Ilenya
- Jorge Del Hierro
- Julius Kamil
- Kyma
- Leimannoia
- Luca Breuza
- Maidomo
- Marco Di Pinto
- Mariva
- Matteo De Angelis
- Matilde
- Mirjam
- Mynd
- Nush Unbrushed
- Olya V
- Onyra
- Paula Madero
- Ri-Style
- Sedona
- Stad
- Teslenko
Seventh Semi-Final – Local Artists
- Paco
- La Mafy
- why xes
- KIDA
- THE REAGENTS
- Folksonic
- AlleBasi
- KIKKA
San Marino Song Contest – All the Details
The San Marino Eurovision national selection will be held on March 8th under the new name “San Marino Song Contest”. The first stage of San Marino’s preliminary includes registration for the contest and the “casting” stage, in which 80 contestants will be chosen to proceed to the Semi-Finals spread across seven regular Semi-Finals, an additional Semi-Final for local artists, and a “second chance” Semi-Final. From the Semi-Finals, 11 artists will advance to the final, with the winner chosen by a panel that includes five judges.
We note that there is one contestant who has already won a direct entry ticket to the first Semi-Final of the San Marino Eurovision Preliminary; she is Justine Mayer from France, who won the “Tour Music Fest” held in San Marino on Sunday, December 1st, 2024. As part of her victory, the winner was guaranteed a ticket to compete in the first Semi-Final, bypassing the audition stage.
The grand finale of the “San Marino Song Contest” was initially scheduled for February 22nd, was postponed by a day to February 23rd, and was delayed again to March 8th, so it will compete with other countries broadcasting their preliminaries on the same date, like Sweden and Portugal.
Here’s the complete list of performance dates for the San Marino Eurovision pre-selection “San Marino Song Contest!”:
– First Semi-Final: Dedicated to artists from outside San Marino, from which two contestants will advance to the final.
– Second Semi-Final: Dedicated to artists from outside San Marino, from which two contestants will advance to the final.
– Third Semi-Final: Dedicated to artists from outside San Marino, from which two contestants will advance to the final.
– Fourth Semi-Final: Dedicated to artists from outside San Marino, from which two contestants will advance to the final.
– Fifth Semi-Final: Dedicated to artists from outside San Marino, from which two contestants will advance to the final.
– Sixth Semi-Final: Dedicated to artists from outside San Marino, from which two contestants will advance to the final.
– Seventh Semi-Final: The first part dedicated only to local artists from which one contestant will advance, the second part dedicated to the “second chance” stage, from which two more contestants will advance.
– The grand final will take place on Saturday, March 8th, where the winner will receive the coveted ticket to Basel, Switzerland, and represent San Marino at Eurovision 2025.
San Marino in Eurovision 2024:
“11:11” is the name of the song performed by the band Megara, which represented San Marino at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 held in Malmö, Sweden. The band participated in the second semi-final of Eurovision 2024 but did not advance to the grand final, finishing in 14th place in the semi-final with only 16 points, 10 of which came from Spain.
Source: Instagram.
Eurovision 2025: This will be San Marino’s 15th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. San Marino joined the competition in 2008 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 2019 when the singer Serhat finished in 19th place with the song “Say Na Na Na” .
