Today the rehearsals for Eurovision 2023 continue in Liverpool. Countries rehearsing on Day 5 include Germany, France, Italy, Ukraine, Spain and the UK, who are having their first rehearsal on the Liverpool stage. Up next is Marco Mengoni, representing Italy.
Marco Mengoni’s first rehearsal
The third act to take to the Eurovision 2023 stage at M&S Bank Arena today in Liverpool was Italy’s Marco Mengoni. Marco Mengoni will be competing in this year’s competition with his entry “Due vite” following on from his victory at Festival di Sanremo.
Following Mengoni’s first rehearsal, a clip of what went on was posted on the official Eurovision Song Contest TikTok account. The clip showed Mengoni before and after he took to the Eurovision stage for the first time, as well as giving us some insight into how his first rehearsal went.
What did we learn about Italy’s staging?
Not much is said about Marco’s staging in the Eurovision liveblog. Marco brings his classic and timeless ballad with simplicity. Marco wears a glittery outfit, backed with swirling clouds at the LED who are joined by a big moon.
What we thought of Marco Mengoni’s first rehearsal
After Marco’s first rehearsal, Rory gave his initial thoughts on the snippet that we saw.
Who is Marco Mengoni?
Marco Mengoni rose to fame in Italy after winning the 2009 series of The X Factor, winning €300,000 and an automatic spot in the following year’s Festival di Sanremo. During the 2010 edition of the festival, he performed “Credimi ancora” and finished in third place. The song was later certified platinum. Later that year, he became the first Italian artist to win the Best European Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
In 2011, he released the first of his seven studio albums, Solo 2.0. This was followed by #prontoacorrere in 2013. In 2015, he released two albums – Parole in circolo and Le cose che non ho. That year, he was awarded the Best European Act prize for the second time. Between them, his seven albums have gone 69-times platinum.
Mengoni is no stranger to the Eurovision stage. Following his victory at Sanremo in 2013, he represented Italy in 2013 with “L’essenziale”, finishing in 7th place. After the contest, he shared in an interview how his Eurovision experience had left him “a little astonished” and that he would compete again without a second thought.
In an interview with Vanity Fair Italia, Mengoni explained how “Due vite” was inspired by the work of singer-songwriter Lucio Dalla, and talked more about the meaning of the song.
“It is my never-ending story because it is the story of a relationship between the ratio and the unconscious. I am devoting a lot of hours a week to my thoughts with a professional and I am realising that my unconscious gives me more realistic input than everyday life. In the song I told this double life: the life of the night and dreams that becomes more real than the dreams themselves, and the life I live every day. […] I am a sinner, I am one who makes mistakes. There are slaps and you have to go on in life. There are moments of boredom and downsides that are needed like all things: for me, “Due vite” is this.”
Marco Mengoni
The song is the lead single from his upcoming eighth album, the third part of his Materia trilogy.
“Due vite” is written by Mengoni alongside Davide Petrella, Davide Simonetta and E. D. D.
Italy’s Eurovision Journey
Italy have participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since the very beginning and have always been considered a powerhouse in the contest. They have won the contest on three occasions – in 1964, 1990 and 2021. Italy did withdraw for a while after 1997, returning again in 2011 with Raphael Gualazzi who sang ‘Madness Of Love’ Raphael placed second in the 2011 Eurovison Song Contest after scoring 189 points. Italy’s most recent entry in 2022 was “Brividi” by Mahmood and Blanco, performed on home soil after rock band Måneskin won the previous contest in 2021. At the close of voting, Italy scoring 268 points in the Eurovision 2022 Grand Final, placing 6th.
What do you think of “Due vite”? Can Marco Mengoni bring Eurovision back to Italy? Let us know your thoughts! Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok as we prepare for Eurovision 2023!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: Corinne Cumming / EBU
