Two months after Olly, winner of Sanremo 2025, gave up representing Italy at Eurovision in Basel, he finally talks about his decision – does he regret walking away?
A few months ago, we reported that Olly, who won Italy’s Sanremo Festival with the song “Balorda nostalgia” (“Foolish Nostalgia”), announced that he would forgo the right to represent Italy at Eurovision 2025, which took place in Basel, Switzerland. In his place, runner-up Lucio Corsi represented the country with his song “Volevo essere un duro” (in English: “I Wanted to Be Tough”), bringing Italy to an impressive fifth place.
At the time, Olly announced his withdrawal from the opportunity to represent Italy via an Instagram post:
“I truly believe that I need to reconnect with everything happening to me right now, before looking further ahead, before continuing with my beloved live performances… That’s why I’ve decided to give up the opportunity to take part in Eurovision”.
Now, for the first time since the contest ended, Olly reflects on his decision.
Does Olly Regret Turning Down Eurovision 2025?
In several recent interviews, Olly confirmed that he stands by his choice with no regrets. “I made the right decision”. He said firmly. The artist added that television feels distant from his world and that he prefers to nurture his relationship with fans directly – through music that connects both with them and with himself.
“The songs are for Olly, to help Federico (his real name)”.
Olly’s Year After Sanremo Victory
Despite walking away from Eurovision, Olly’s 2025 has been nothing short of successful. As of now, he is considered the most commercially successful Italian artist of the year, with two singles topping the charts and a multi-platinum album. His Sanremo-winning single, “Balorda nostalgia”, became the country’s best-selling song in the first half of 2025. Currently, he is in the midst of his first major tour, which has been met with overwhelming success. Listen to the song:
Dates and Format of Festival Di Sanremo 2026
Like every year, the festival will span five nights, structured as follows:
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First Night (Tuesday, February 24th, 2026):
24 artists will perform their competing songs. A jury composed of professional journalists from television and online media will vote. RAI will then announce, in random order, the top five entries receiving the highest scores. -
Second Night (Wednesday, February 25th, 2026):
12 artists will perform. Voting will be split between the public (50%) and a radio jury (50%). The top five will be announced randomly. -
Third Night (Thursday, February 26th, 2026):
The remaining 12 artists will perform. Voting will again be divided between the public (50%) and the radio jury (50%). The top five will be announced randomly. -
Fourth Night (Friday, February 27th, 2026):
Contestants will perform cover versions of existing songs in Italian, English, or other languages. They may collaborate with guest performers. Voting will be divided between the public (34%), a professional jury of journalists (33%), and a radio jury (33%). Results from this night will not count toward the overall competition. -
Fifth Night (Saturday, February 28th, 2026):
All 24 artists will perform again with their competing songs. The public vote will be added to the cumulative scores from previous nights to determine the five superfinalists. These five will then perform again, with the winner chosen based on votes from the public (34%), the journalists’ jury (33%) and the radio jury (33%). The performance with the highest score will be declared the winner of Sanremo 2026.
In addition to the main competition, the festival will feature the “Nuove Proposte” category for young artists. On the second and third nights, four emerging performers will showcase their songs. One artist from each night will advance to the final, where, on the fourth night, the winner will be chosen through a mixed vote of the public (34%), journalists (33%), and the radio jury (33%).
Italy at Eurovision 2025
“Volevo essere un duro” (in English: “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. The song finished fifth in the grand final with 256 points.
Italy returns to the Eurovision Grand Final Top 5 after last year achieving “only” seventh place.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Italy’s 51st 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.
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Ilay Gaist is a leading Israeli content creator and writer specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest. He is a well-known commentator with extensive expertise in the contest’s history, rules, and dynamics. His passion for Eurovision drives him to deliver rich, professional, and innovative content to his audience.
Ilay holds a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and has a multilingual background. He also engages in cultural research, with a particular focus on global culinary traditions and the evolution of local cuisines around the world.
