Italy in Eurovision 2025: Singer Olly won the Italian Sanremo Festival, has announced that he has not yet decided if he will represent Italy at Eurovision 2025 and is considering the offer amidst past controversies.
Singer Olly, who triumphed at the Italian Sanremo Festival with the song “Balorda nostalgia,” announced that he has not yet decided whether to represent Italy at Eurovision 2025, and is contemplating the offer. The national broadcaster, RAI, stated that Olly must decide by February 23, but the singer is expected to make a statement to the media today at 18:00 CET.
Following his victory, the burning question remains whether Olly will take on the challenge of representing Italy at the Eurovision 2025 to be held in Basel, Switzerland. If he declines, the offer will go to the runner-up in the festival, Lucio Corsi, who has already expressed his willingness to accept if offered. Watch the performance along with all the details about Lucio Corsi later in the article!
Past Controversies Resurface
This is not Olly’s first competition at Sanremo. In 2023, he attempted his luck at the Italian festival, but old footage of him surfaced, causing controversy. In a 2019 video, when he was 18, the singer was seen performing a rap in which he used homophobic slurs and claimed a person had AIDS. The brief clip resurfaced during the festival period, and in an interview with the Italian magazine FQ, he clarified: “I apologize to anyone offended by it, rightfully so. I admit I used those words carelessly as an 18-year-old.”
But that’s not the only controversy. In his song “Mai E Poi Mai”, Olly sings about his lover: “I will either marry her or kill her” – another line that sparked outrage and accusations of endorsing violence against women. Olly, for his part, changed the lyrics when he performed it in 2023. If he declines, the offer will pass to the second-place finisher at the festival, Lucio Corsi. Don’t miss all the details on Lucio Corsi later in the article!
“Balorda nostalgia” (translated as: “Foolish Nostalgia”) is the title of the song performed by the singer Olly, real name Federico Olivieri, who won the Italian “Sanremo Festival 2025”. The song was written by the singer himself along with Julien Boverod, who has penned several songs for past Sanremo Festivals, and Pierfrancesco Pasini, who has also written numerous songs for past Sanremo Festivals. If he declines, the offer will pass to the second place at the festival, Lucio Corsi.
Should the singer choose to represent his country, this will be the first entry for the creators in the Eurovision contest. The song is performed in Italian. If he decides to go to Basel, the singer will perform his song in the first semi-final of Eurovision scheduled for May 13th, but as he represents a “Big 5” country, he automatically advances to the grand final on May 17th.
The song “Balorda nostalgia” touches the heart with the painful longing for times past, as the main character deals with the difficult emotions stemming from a breakup. The song starts with an evening where the character hopes maybe they will be together again, but the chance seems far away. It conveys the tension between hope and the harsh reality, reflecting the broken routine and the shattered dream. Throughout the song, the character tries to find comfort in the beautiful memories of the past, where it was enough for the couple to laugh and love. Every good memory also becomes a source of pain, as the shared conversations and silences no longer exist. The lyrics express the inner struggle between the need to let go and the ongoing hope of clinging to what was, while dealing with the oppressive loneliness that remains in the absence of the loved one.
Olly won the Italian “Sanremo Festival 2025”, held last night (Saturday), competing against 28 other contestants. Olly came in first place in the superfinal stage of the festival.
Who is Olly?
Federico Olivieri, known by his stage name Olly, is an Italian singer, songwriter, and rapper born on May 5, 2001. Olly grew up in Genoa and studied in the Foce district, enrolling in early music and singing studies at the Conservatorio Niccolò Paganini in his city. From an early age, he showed an interest and novelty in music.
Olly’s musical career began in 2016 when he formed the music collective Madmut Branco, releasing his first musical project, “Piacere Mixtape,” that year. The following year, he released his first solo EP, “Namaste,” in collaboration with rapper Matsby, which included the single “Chiara Ferragni” featuring Italian singer Alfa. These early musical works positioned him as a promising figure in the Italian music scene.
After a period in the UK focusing on his studies, Olly resumed his musical activities in Italy in 2018 with the release of the EP “CRY4U.” In 2019, he continued to release successful singles, and in 2020, he announced the release of his third EP, “Io Sono.” In 2021, he achieved significant recognition with his first record deal with Aleph Records, distributed by Sony Music. With continued success and participation in the Sanremo Giovani competition in 2022, and his participation in the Sanremo Festival in 2023 with the song “Polvere,” Olly proved that he is not just a passing talent but a music star with a bright future.
What Happens If the Singer Refuses?
If the singer rejects the offer to represent Italy at Eurovision 2025, according to the rules of the Sanremo Festival, the offer will be given to the runner-up in the festival, Lucio Corsi.
“Volevo essere un duro” (translated as: “I Wanted to Be Tough”) is the name of the song performed by singer Lucio Corsi, which placed second at the 75th edition of the Sanremo Festival. The song was written by the singer himself along with Tommaso Ottomano. This was his first appearance at the festival. The song is performed in Italian.
Lucio took to the Sanremo stage dressed in a costume reminiscent of a doll, wearing clown makeup in white and red, filling the stage with a charm that melts hearts. The singer sang from the heart, initially playing the piano, then with a guitar at center stage, demonstrating complete vocal and stage control. The atmosphere during the song is very moving and special. The song deals with a person’s struggle with feelings of weakness and the desire to be someone else, someone tough and impenetrable, while trying to cope with the reality that he is unable to fit this image. Watch the performance:
The song describes the identity conflict and the inner struggle of the narrator who wants to overcome his weaknesses and strengthen. It expresses the frustration and longing to be “tough,” a person who doesn’t worry about the future and is unaffected by the harsh reality around him. The song uses images like robots, sumo wrestlers, and criminals to illustrate the ideal figures of strength and self-confidence that the narrator wants to connect with. The song portrays a picture of life in which the narrator tries to fit these roles but always finds himself returning to his true essence, which is less secure and more vulnerable.
During the song, the narrator deals with the realization that he is unable to meet these expectations he has set for himself and that the world has set before him. He describes the difficulty of being an “ordinary person” in a world that demands strength and courage over time. The song ends with the recognition and acceptance of the narrator’s true identity, that he is nothing beyond Lucio, the simple and real person behind the characters he tried to be.
Who is Lucio Corsi?
Lucio Corsi, born on October 15, 1993, in Grosseto, Italy, is an Italian singer-songwriter and musician. He grew up in the village of Vetulonia near where his family runs a restaurant. His mother is a painter, while his father has worked in various roles including as an employee of the Italian national broadcaster Rai and as an artist working with leather. Corsi’s love for music was sparked by watching the movie “The Blues Brothers” as a child, and he began writing songs at a very young age, performing in bars and squares of his hometown from 2011.
He began composing instrumental pieces of progressive rock before turning to lyrical writing. After finishing his high school studies in Grosseto, he moved to Milan with the aim of developing his musical career, initially living near Naviglio Pavese, then in Via Ripamonti, and eventually in Niguarda. This participation was the singer’s first ever in the Italian Sanremo Festival.
Eurovision 2025: This will be Italy’s 50th participation in Eurovision. Italy joined the contest in 1956, was one of the seven founding countries, and has won three times over the years. Italy’s most recent victory was at Eurovision 2021 with the song “Zitti e buoni” performed by the band Måneskin.
