Behind the glamour of the Italian Sanremo Festival: A shocking revelation of years of discrimination, sexism, and marginalization of women. Is the famous Italian festival ready for change, or will it continue hiding the truth behind beautiful flowers?

Imagine a picturesque city on the shores of the Ligurian Sea, bathed in the spotlight of one of the oldest and most prestigious music competitions in the world. The Sanremo Festival, founded in 1951, is not just a cultural event – it is an inseparable part of Italian identity. For five nights every winter, the finest Italian artists take to the stage of the Ariston Theater and sing original songs, hoping to win the coveted title. It is an intense musical battle, accompanied by passion, media drama, controversial speeches, and unforgettable moments that redefine both Italian and global music every year.

Beyond being a musical competition, Sanremo is also Italy’s most direct connection to Eurovision (though every Italian will tell you that the festival is bigger than that). In 1956, Michael Brennan proposed to the British national broadcaster the idea of a international song competition based on the Italian Sanremo Festival – and thus Eurovision was born. To this day, in most cases, the winner of Sanremo is granted the right to represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest (an offer that can be declined), making the festival both a national and international stage. In fact, many artists who started their careers at Sanremo – like Toto Cutugno, Eros Ramazzotti, and even the famous winners Måneskin – later became global stars thanks to the direct link between the festival and Eurovision.

But behind the glamour and musical drama, there lies a deep and troubling issue: why do women almost never win the festival? A look at participation statistics and the results of the past decade raises disturbing questions about gender representation in a competition that should be equitable, yet in practice shows a clear pattern of preference for men. This issue is also reflected in the testimonies of former participants who speak of a domineering and patriarchal atmosphere, as well as controversial statements from festival hosts who have faced criticism for displays of sexist behavior, amidst controversial incidents.

Is this a cultural tendency, a biased judging process, or the result of audience voting choices? This is a question that is increasingly occupying critics, music researchers, and fans of the competition, who point out that in eight out of the last ten years, the first place was awarded to a male singer or a band with a male lead singer. The full investigation follows in the article!

The Last Decade of the Sanremo Festival

To understand the magnitude of the gap, it is important to look at the list of winners and the top positions each year, alongside the ratio of male to female participants in the competition:

2016 – Host and Artistic Director: Carlo Conti

First place: Stadio – “Un giorno mi dirai” (Translation: “One day you will tell me”). A band consisting of four male members.
Second place: Francesca Michielin – “No Degree of Separation“. A female singer.
Third place: Giovanni Caccamo & Deborah Iurato – “Via da qui” (Translation: “Go away from here”). A duo consisting of a male singer and a female singer.
Fourth place: Enrico Ruggeri – “Il primo amore non si scorda mai” (Translation: “You never forget your first love”). A male singer.
Fifth place: Lorenzo Fragola – “Infinite volte” (Translation: “Infinite times”). A male singer.

The male victory in 2016 was expected, as the band led throughout the competition nights. The mixed group managed to sneak into third place, but the remaining spots were dominated by men. Stadio won Sanremo 2016 but chose to forgo the opportunity to represent Italy at Eurovision 2016: “We would have loved to participate, but we already have a planned tour. If we were young men, we would have been simply thrilled.” The runner-up, Francesca Michielin, was instead chosen to represent Italy at Eurovision 2016, an event considered common in Italy. She finished in 16th place in the grand final.

The Sanremo 2016 festival presented a clear picture of gender imbalance among participants and winners. Of the 20 contestants, 35% were women, while 60% were men, and the remaining 5% were mixed duos. Despite women making up over a third of the participants, they did not achieve significant success in the final rankings. Only 20% of the top 5 were women, with Francesca Michielin, who finished second, being the only female representative. In contrast, 60% of the top spots were occupied by men, including the all-male band that won first place. When looking at the top five, it is clear that men had a three times higher chance of making it to the top 5 compared to women.

2017 – Host and Artistic Director: Carlo Conti

First place: Francesco Gabbani – “Occidentali’s Karma” (Translation: “Western Karma”). A male singer.
Second place: Fiorella Mannoia – “Che sia benedetta” (Translation: “May you be blessed”). A female singer.
Third place: Ermal Meta – “Vietato morire” (Translation: “Death is not allowed”). A male singer.
Fourth place: Michele Bravi – “Il diario degli errori” (Translation: “The diary of mistakes”). A male singer.
Fifth place: Paola Turci – “Fatti bella per te” (Translation: “Make yourself beautiful for yourself”). A female singer.

The Sanremo 2017 festival presented an interesting picture regarding the gender distribution among participants and winners. Of the 22 contestants, 31.8% were women, while 59.1% were men. Additionally, 9.1% were mixed duos. Although the representation of women at the festival was relatively low (less than a third of the participants), it can be seen that, unlike previous years, they achieved relatively good results. Of the top five positions, 40% were occupied by women, with Fiorella Mannoia coming in second place and Paola Turci finishing in fifth place.

However, first place still went to a male singer – Francesco Gabbani, who led throughout the competition nights and was even ranked first in the betting tables for winning Eurovision that year. Although 2017 marked a slight improvement for women at the top of the competition, 60% of the top 5 were still men, and most of the places outside the top 5 were also dominated by male contestants.

2018 – Host and Artistic Director: Claudio Baglioni

First place: Ermal Meta & Fabrizio Moro – “Non mi avete fatto niente” (Translation: “You did nothing to me”). A male duo.
Second place: Lo Stato Sociale – “Una vita in vacanza” (Translation: “A life on vacation”). A band consisting of five men.
Third place: Annalisa – “Il mondo prima di te” (Translation: “The world before you”). A female singer.
Fourth place: Ron – “Almeno pensami” (Translation: “At least think of me”). A male singer.
Fifth place: Ornella Vanoni feat. Bungaro & Pacifico – “Imparare ad amarsi” (Translation: “Learn to love yourself”). A mixed group – a female singer and two male singers.

The Sanremo 2018 festival displayed a significant gender gap among participants, with 80% of the 20 contestants being men, only 15% being women, and 5% consisting of mixed duos. Female representation was at its lowest in years: only 3 women out of 20 participants took part in the competition. This marked a significant decline compared to previous years, where women represented at least a third of the contestants. Despite the low representation, the female singer Annalisa managed to reach third place – an impressive achievement given the gender disparity in the competition. Additionally, the mixed group of Ornella Vanoni feat. Bungaro & Pacifico featured a notable female presence and reached fifth place.

However, the data remains concerning: 60% of the top spots were occupied by men only. Only 20% of the top 5 were women – meaning that out of the three women who participated, only one reached the top. The big winners – the male duo Ermal Meta & Fabrizio Moro – reinforced the male dominance in the competition. Not only were women a small minority among the participants, but they were also ranked relatively low, aside from the exceptions mentioned.

2019 – Host and Artistic Director: Claudio Baglioni

First place: Mahmood – “Soldi” (Translation: “Money”). A male singer.
Second place: Francesco Gabbani – “I tuoi particolari” (Translation: “Your details”). A male singer.
Third place: Il Volo – “Musica che resta” (Translation: “Music that stays”). A band consisting of three male singers.
Fourth place: Loredana Bertè – “Cosa ti aspetti da me” (Translation: “What do you expect from me”). A female singer.
Fifth place: Simone Cristicchi – “Abbi cura di me” (Translation: “Take care of me”). A male singer.

The Sanremo 2019 festival once again highlighted the glaring gender gaps in the competition. Out of 24 participants, 75% were men, only 16.7% were women, and 8.3% were mixed duos. Of the 24 participants, only 4 women took part in the competition, making 2019 one of the years with the lowest female representation at the Sanremo Festival in the last decade, second year in a row. Despite the low representation, only one female singer – Loredana Bertè – managed to reach the top and finished in fourth place. On the other hand, 80% of the top spots were taken by men, including the winner Mahmood.

While men dominated 75% of the contestants, they also completely dominated the top rankings, with 80% of the top spots. In contrast, women made up 16.7% of the participants and only 20% of the high-ranking positions – meaning that most women were excluded from the top. Even in the lower rankings, the gap is noticeable – almost all the bottom spots were occupied by men or male groups, with Anna Tatangelo, one of the few women in the competition, finishing in 22nd place.

2020 – Host and Artistic Director: Amadeus

First place: Diodato – “Fai rumore” (Translation: “Make noise”). A male singer.
Second place: Francesco Gabbani – “Viceversa” (Translation: “The opposite”). A male singer.
Third place: Ermal Meta – “Un milione di cose da dirti” (Translation: “A million things to tell you”). A male singer.
Fourth place: Colapesce & Dimartino – “Musica leggerissima” (Translation: “Very light music”). A male duo.
Fifth place: Irama – “La genesi del tuo colore” (Translation: “The genesis of your color”). A male singer.

The Sanremo 2020 festival presented a particularly bleak picture regarding the representation of women in the competition. Of the 24 participants, 70.8% were men, only 29.2% were women, and there were no mixed groups. Despite women making up nearly a third of the participants, none managed to reach any of the top five positions. All five top spots were occupied by men, including the winner Diodato.

For the first time in years, no woman made it into the top five. This is an exceptional statistic, as even in previous years with lower female representation, at least one female singer had managed to secure a high-ranking position. 100% of the high spots were taken by men, without exception.

2021 – Host and Artistic Director: Amadeus

First place: Måneskin – “Zitti e buoni” (Translation: “Shut up and behave”). A band consisting of three men and one woman.
Second place: Francesca Michielin & Fedez – “Chiamami per nome” (Translation: “Call me by name”). A duo consisting of a male singer and a female singer.
Third place: Pinguini Tattici Nucleari – “Ringo Starr” (Translation: “Ringo Starr”). A band consisting of six male singers.
Fourth place: Le Vibrazioni – “Dov’è” (Translation: “Where is it”). A band consisting of four men.
Fifth place: Piero Pelù – “Gigante” (Translation: “Giant”). A male singer.

The Sanremo 2021 festival presented a complex picture regarding gender representation. Of the 26 participants, 61.5% were men, 26.9% were women, and 11.5% were mixed groups (men and women together). Although women made up about a third of the participants, none managed to reach any of the top five positions. In contrast, mixed groups performed exceptionally well, with the band Måneskin, which includes three men and one woman, winning first place, and another mixed duo, Francesca Michielin & Fedez, coming in second.

While 60% of the top 5 spots were occupied by men only, 40% of the top 5 were occupied by mixed groups, which included a female presence, but no solo female singers. Solo women were not represented at all in the top five. The mixed representation showed some progress, but the complete absence of solo female singers in the top five highlights an ongoing issue – solo women continue to struggle to break into the top, while men continue to dominate. The data from Sanremo 2021 show a slight improvement in the representation of mixed groups, but the situation for solo female singers remains particularly problematic. These figures raise questions about the attitude of both the judges and the audience towards solo female singers, compared to their preference for mixed groups or male artists.

2022 – Host and Artistic Director: Amadeus

First place: Mahmood & Blanco – “Brividi” (Translation: “Shivers”). A male duo.
Second place: Elisa – “O forse sei tu” (Translation: “Or maybe it’s you”). A female singer.
Third place: Gianni Morandi – “Apri tutte le porte” (Translation: “Open all the doors”). A male singer.
Fourth place: Irama – “Ovunque sarai” (Translation: “Wherever you will be”). A male singer.
Fifth place: Sangiovanni – “Farfalle” (Translation: “Butterflies”). A male singer.

The Sanremo 2022 festival once again showed a clear picture of significant gender imbalance. Of the 25 artists who participated, 72% were men (including male bands and duos), only 24% were women, and 4% were mixed groups. These figures clearly show that women continued to be a clear minority in the competition, with less than a quarter of the participants being female singers. The problem becomes more apparent when examining the final results: men occupied 80% of the top 5 spots.

The only female representation that made it to the top was Elisa, who finished in second place, but she remains an exception. The data clearly illustrates that women are less prominent in this prestigious competition, even though their participation is not entirely rare. On the contrary – the female singers who participated ended up in relatively low positions. Even the fact that a mixed duo came in second place does not mask the complete absence of solo female singers in the top positions.

2023 – Host and Artistic Director: Amadeus

First place: Marco Mengoni – “Due vite” (Translation: “Two lives”). A male singer.
Second place: Lazza – “Cenere” (Translation: “Ashes”). A male singer.
Third place: Mr. Rain – “Supereroi” (Translation: “Superheroes”). A male singer.
Fourth place: Ultimo – “Alba” (Translation: “Dawn”). A male singer.
Fifth place: Tananai – “Tango” (Translation: “Tango”). A male singer.

The Sanremo 2023 festival once again brought the issue of gender imbalance in the competition to the forefront. Of the 28 artists who participated, 67.9% were men (including male bands and duos), 28.6% were women, and 3.6% were mixed duos (one man and one woman). While female representation was higher than in the previous year, their actual achievements remained weak. A look at the top five positions presents a clear picture: 100% of the top 5 were men. Not a single woman managed to break into the top five, highlighting the significant gap between female participation and their actual success.

However, in positions 6 through 9, four female singers stood consecutively: Giorgia, Madame, Rosa Chemical, and Elodie. It is interesting to observe the concentration of women in these spots, suggesting that while female singers enjoy a certain degree of popularity, they fail to break the glass ceiling and reach the top of the rankings. Another surprising figure is the complete absence of women or mixed groups in the top 5 for the second consecutive year, which strengthens the claim of clear male dominance in the competition.

2024 – Host and Artistic Director: Amadeus

First place: Angelina Mango – “La noia” (Translation: “Boredom”). A female singer.
Second place: Geolier – “I’ p’ me, tu p’ te” (Translation: “I for myself, you for yourself”). A male singer.
Third place: Annalisa – “Sinceramente” (Translation: “Sincerely”). A female singer.
Fourth place: Ghali – “Casa mia” (Translation: “My house”). A male singer.
Fifth place: Irama – “Tu no” (Translation: “You no”). A male singer.

The Sanremo 2024 festival included 30 artists and groups, of which 19 were men or male groups (63.3%), 30% were women, and 2 were mixed groups (6.7%). When examining the top five positions, an extraordinary change was seen: Angelina Mango, a female singer, won first place – an extremely rare event in recent years at the festival. Additionally, Annalisa, also a female singer, reached third place. As a result, women occupied 40% of the top 5.

However, male dominance has not disappeared entirely: 60% of the top 5 were still men. In the rest of the rankings, there was still a clear advantage for male participants, particularly in the lower positions. While this year marked an exceptional success for women, their participation rate (30%) remains relatively low, and they struggled to maintain consistency throughout the competition’s rankings. The mixed groups remained on the fringes of the competition, with low representation and weak results.

2025 – Host and Artistic Director: Carlo Conti

First place: Olly – “Balorda nostalgia” (Translation: “Silly nostalgia”). A male singer.
Second place: Lucio Corsi – “Volevo essere un duro” (Translation: “I wanted to be tough”). A male singer.
Third place: Brunori Sas – “L’albero delle noci” (Translation: “The walnut tree”). A male singer.
Fourth place: Fedez – “Battito” (Translation: “Heartbeat”). A male singer.
Fifth place: Simone Cristicchi – “Quando sarai piccola” (Translation: “When you’ll be little”). A male singer.

The Sanremo 2025 festival included 29 participants, of which 58.6% were men, 37.9% were women, and 3.4% were mixed groups. This represents a significant improvement in female representation compared to previous years, with more than a third of the contestants being women. However, when examining the top five positions, a troubling picture emerges: 100% of the top 5 spots were taken by men only, with no women or mixed groups represented.

This year is marked by a sharp gap between relatively high female representation and their inability to break into the top positions. While many women participated, they were ranked relatively low, with the highest-ranking female singer being Giorgia, only in sixth place. Upon the announcement of Giorgia in sixth place, the audience reacted with great anger, booing during the live broadcast, reflecting the online outrage over the scandalous ranking of the singer who, according to betting odds and assessments, was expected to win the festival.

When the singer returned to the stage to receive the TIA award, considered prestigious at the festival, the audience stood and cheered for five minutes straight. These figures point to the continuing worrying trend of male dominance at the top, despite the increased number of female participants. There is no doubt that the audience is expressing a desire for change. This year, the name Geppi Cucciari emerged as a possible candidate to take on the artistic direction of the festival, and she even hosted the fourth evening of the festival alongside Mahmood, an act that might have seemed forced to the viewers.

Few Women, Few Achievements

Between 2016 and 2018, the Sanremo Festival was characterized by clear male dominance, with women constituting only about a third of the participants on average, and their achievements were very limited. In 2016, women made up 35% of the participants but only 20% of the top 5, with Francesca Michielin being the only standout in second place. In 2017, the situation was similar, with female representation around 32%, and Fiorella Mannoia being the only woman to reach the top, but first place was still dominated by a man. In 2018, female representation plummeted to just 15%, with Annalisa being the only woman to make it to third place, while men completely dominated the top spots.

In the years 2019–2022, female representation increased slightly, but the gap in achievements between men and women widened. In 2019, women made up only 17%, with only Loredana Bertè reaching fourth place. 2020 marked another low point: despite a female representation of about 29%, no women made it into the top 5, which was completely dominated by men. In 2021 and 2022, a slight change was recorded: the band Måneskin won in 2021, but solo female singers still failed to break into the top. In 2022, even though women made up 24%, none were ranked in the top 5, and the high places remained a male-dominated territory.

In the years 2023–2025, female representation increased significantly, reaching 38% in 2025, but success remained limited. In 2023, despite 28.6% female representation, no women managed to enter the top five, which was entirely male. In 2024, a breakthrough occurred when Angelina Mango won the competition and Annalisa finished third, but they were exceptions to the general trend. In 2025, the gaps expanded again: despite impressive female representation of almost 38%, 100% of the top 5 spots were occupied by men, with the first woman appearing only in sixth place. The gap between the number of female participants and their success highlights that, although representation is improving, true equality is still far from reality.

The Sexist Scandals That Shook the Sanremo Festival

A major uproar surrounded the Sanremo Festival 2020, hosted by Amadeus, after his sexist remarks toward the female hosts sparked outrage in Italy. Amadeus explained that the women chosen to co-host with him were selected because they were “very beautiful” and even described one of them as a “sexy icon.” He also praised Francesca Sofia Novello, a model by profession, saying she was “super beautiful” and emphasized her “ability to stand behind a great man” (referring to her partner, the famous rider Valentino Rossi). These comments provoked a massive backlash on social media, with hundreds of people calling for a boycott of the festival in response.

The Italian Journalists’ Association condemned Amadeus’ remarks as a blatant violation of the contract he had with the Italian television network RAI. “The Sanremo Festival and RAI have regressed decades and have shown they cannot understand the demand for change from Italian society. We ask RAI if this is the new cultural criterion for public television?” said the association in a statement.

The previous year, the festival had already stirred controversy on social media due to the tradition where only women receive flower bouquets. Francesca Michielin decided to break the tradition when she handed the flowers to her performance partner, Fedez, saying, “Fedez and I are sharing; today the flowers go to him,” sparking a chain reaction. Victoria De Angelis did the same with Manuel Agnelli, Arisa with Michele Bravi, and the queer band La rappresentante di lista shared the flowers among themselves. Some of the audience viewed this as an unnecessary politically correct act, while others saw it as a modern and brave step against an anachronistic tradition.

In 2022, Amadeus introduced five women as co-hosts and explained his choice by stating, “I started with the idea of honoring the world of cinema, theater, and TV series, which had suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In selecting the faces, I relied on my feelings.” However, the selection of Lorena Cesarini, an Italian-Senegalese actress, sparked racist reactions from the Italian public, with claims that she was a “cover story” for the Black Lives Matter movement.

The most recent controversy surrounding the festival relates to the 2025 edition, where Gaia, a contestant, received derogatory criticism from television critic Davide Maggio, who reminded her that she had placed last in the audience votes. Elodie, a fellow singer, defended Gaia, stating, “Women always have to perform somersaults, sing perfectly, be great performers, even dance on a pole. It’s never enough. It’s not victimhood, it’s an objective fact, statistics. We are always a minority, and it’s infuriating: we are not artistically inferior.” Elodie also expressed frustration over the performance of the highly regarded Giorgia, who only reached sixth place despite receiving critical acclaim. “I was angry for Giorgia. It was disrespectful to her career, her talent, the song she had. It was unfair,” Elodie remarked. Giorgia herself responded, saying, “My victory is that I made a song that the audience loved, that I reached the people. And anyway, Olly deserved to win.”

Despite the long-standing tradition and prestige of the Sanremo Festival, this extensive investigation reveals a particularly troubling picture: behind the scenes, women continue to struggle for equal recognition and rightful representation. Over the course of a decade, from 2016 to 2025, women were excluded from the top rankings, subjected to harsh sexist remarks, and faced offensive criticism from both the media and the public. While several brave female artists, such as Elodie and Francesca Michielin, have attempted to alter the situation, the disparities remain glaring. Organizers of the Sanremo Festival must recognize that change is not only possible but necessary. As long as the beautiful flowers continue to conceal the ugly truth, both the audience and artists will continue to question whether the time has truly come for the iconic Italian festival to undergo a transformation.

Italy at Eurovision 2025

“Volevo essere un duro” (translated as: “I Wanted to Be Tough”) is the song performed by singer Lucio Corsi, which came second at the 75th edition of the Sanremo Festival. The song was written by the singer himself along with Tommaso Ottomano. This was the singer’s first-ever appearance at the festival. The song is performed in Italian.

According to Sanremo Festival rules, after the winner declines, the offer passes to the festival’s runner-up, Lucio Corsi. It should be noted that the Italian Sanremo Festival, which also serves as Italy’s Eurovision national selection, is the most prestigious music festival in Italy and has been held for 75 years. To this day, in most cases, the winner of Sanremo is granted the right to represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest. For most artists competing in the esteemed festival, Eurovision is not the primary goal and does not play a significant role in their decision to participate. It is not uncommon for the festival’s winner to refuse to represent Italy at Eurovision; however, the last time this occurred was in 2016.

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.

Source: Wikipedia, Eurovisionworld, ifj, Internimagazine, Nssgclub, Direcontrolaviolenza, Nssgclub, Nssmag, Billboard, Aussievision

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.

Misogyny? The Shocking Investigation into the Italian Sanremo Festival!