Now Eurovision 2026 is firmly behind us and we’ve had a chance to properly digest the wild ride of Vienna, it’s now time to discuss What Went Wrong. We’ve all had a chance to mull over the results of the contest. The Eurovision 2026 final saw some very dramatic results, but 10 acts did not get a chance to see that.
In our thirteenth part Kittens, Tom, and Molly discuss what went wrong with San Marino.
Who is Senhit?
Senhit Zadik is a well-known face in the Eurovision community, having represented San Marino on three separate occasions. The 46-year-old, born in Bologna, became a well-known face in the Italian music scene in the mid-2000s, releasing three albums before her first Eurovision participation in 2011. Since then, she had released a number of songs, and has competed at Eurovision another two times – in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
In 2026, Senhit once again represented San Marino at Eurovision with “Superstar”. The song was written by Senhit herself, as well as Boy George, Anderz Wrethov, Julie Aagaard, Thomas Stengaard and John-Emil Johansson.
What are the issues with the selection?
Kittens: What to say about this whole mess. I just don’t think San Marino can see past the selection as anything but a money making enterprise. The whole thing feels like a sham – and that feels unfair to the other artists in the selection. If you’re going to choose a specific artist anyway, at least have the dignity to not pretend that it’s a competition.
Tom: Where do I start? Look San Marino is infamous for the chaotic national final process, and it’s part of the joy of San Marino in Eurovision. But they may has well have internally selected Senhit this year because she was winning this selection the moment she entered. And that’s fine, but don’t run a whole national final if that is the case. There were better songs that never stood a chance.
Molly: Oh San Marino, how can you even describe your selection process? Once Senhit was announced on the “Big Artists” list, it was clear she would be chosen given her history with the contest, but still, out of all the songs received, not one of them was stronger than Superstar? It worked last year, but San Marino’s luck ran out, and they did not have the impact of Mr DJ himself, Gabry Ponte, to help them.
Was the song and act good enough to be in Eurovision?
Kittens: Straight up, no. Or at least not Eurovision now, maybe 20 years ago. I’m actually glad it didn’t qualify a bit because it would have been such a shame to do that given this song is just… Not good. The whole construction of it felt so low effort and it’s just not what I expect from a Eurovision act in 2026.
Tom: I adore Senhit. She’s such a star. But this was not it. The song was borderline okay, I don’t think it was at all great, but the Boy George feature absolutely killed this for me. Why was he there!? What did it add!? I am so confused how you go from Flo Rida as a featured artists, someone more current and way more likeable, see that it didn’t work too well in terms of public vote, and think the answer is to get another foreign featured artist that is somehow worse?! This was such a confusing decision for me. I actually think this song, but solo with Senhit, would’ve had more chance at a qualification. No way would it have been easy, but I think the Boy George feature made it worse. And he’s undeniably a musical icon in certain countries. But not one of those countries could vote for this. SO WHAT WAS THE POINT?!
Molly: It was a song. Maybe a couple of years late in style, but it sure was ….. something. After delivering the masterpiece of Adrenalina, Superstar was never gonna be able to compete against it. Senhit is a Queen though, but her support …….
I won’t go into detail about it, but BOY GEORGE! I don’t know why it was him (I could’ve done a better job, to be honest), but I have been warned to keep my Boy George critique to a minimum. She could’ve performed this herself and got a better result, fight me.
Did the staging compliment the song and stand out?
Kittens: I feel like this all adds to the feeling of everything being dated. As someone who regularly frequents disco club nights nowadays, even disco has moved on! This was not the opulence I would have expected, but ended up almost a parody of itself. Just living in another time and that’s not a compliment.
Tom: Pffft I mean actually, okay, sure. The bright, chaotic, disco energy of it made it so much that it almost became likeable for that reason. There was nothing half arsed (except Boy George) about this performance. It’s camp. The props are great. The energy is great. The lighting is great. Senhit looked FABULOUS. But its the whole polish a turd / roll it in glitter metaphor that sticks in my mind…
Molly: The assignment of “Camp” was understood. It was an improvement on the national final and fit the theme of the song, with Senhit looking marvellous. It is San Marino, so I can’t compare it to the likes of Melodifestivalen staging or the precision of UMK staging, but it worked and had its own unique charm. Such a shame Boy George forgot he had to show a fraction of enthusiasm and AutoTune was against the rules.
Could this song have qualified if changes were made?
Kittens: No. Not under any circumstances. This was poor in nearly every way, and I don’t see any way forward for it to qualify apart from corruption.
Tom: Get rid of Boy George. Maybe then. Not easily, but I think chances would’ve been better.
Molly: If Boy George was gone (wait, who said that) and the contest took part in 2006, not 2026. The prior collab of Adrenalina haunted the narrative of this song. I don’t know if this song was written last minute or was just a passion project for Senhit, but it stuck out like a sore thumb in the 2026 lineup. While Semi 1 was the “weaker” semi of 2026, it got the result I thought it would. The audience was still stuck remembering Adrenalina.
What are our outlooks for future contests?
Kittens: I do genuinely feel like San Marino have a reputation problem that needs to be solved. Until they solve that, it’s going to be a struggle. They need artists who are going to take this seriously and not as novelty. However, I think that San Marino think we’re laughing with them rather than at them – and until the realisation kicks in, they’re going to have a poor time. I don’t see a good verdict on the cards for San Marino next year, or the next, or the next – unless they luck out and manage to catch a desperate Sanremo reject – and that’s not what this should be about.
Tom: Let Valentina Monetta have another go? At this point I truly don’t know what will happen with San Marino, and that is part of their charm every year. I genuinely look forward to the chaos of the national final. I don’t have the highest hopes for greatness, but it’s truly too hard to tell what will win the San Marino Song Contest 2027. A FiK song that came fourth? A random Italian DJ? Monetta? Who knows. And I can’t wait!
Molly: Whatever I say to improve on will be ignored, as it is San Marino; they do their own thing every year and are full of surprises. Another Senhit entry can work in the future, and I believe the right San Marino entry is out there waiting for its chance to shine among the 240 acts. Never lose your underdog appeal, San Marino. I have no clue who is gonna be in your lineup next year but please make it a good one.
Watch the accompanying discussion video here:
San Marino’s Eurovision Journey
As one of the smallest countries in Europe, San Marino made its debut in the competition in 2008 with Miodio and the song “Complice”. Since then they have participated in the competition 14 times, qualifying for the grand final in three. Their best result was in 2019, with Serhat and “Say Na Na Na”.
Eurovision alum Senhit returned to represent San Marino in 2026 with her song “Superstar” – accompanied by 80s legend Boy George. Performing in the first semi-final, San Marino failed to qualify for the final, eventually finishing in 14th place with 41 points. Of these, 23 points came from the televote and the remaining 18 came from the jury.
What do think about our thoughts? Do you think San Marino could have qualified? Let us know in the comments or on social media! Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2027!
Source: That Eurovision Site
Image Credit: Panini Spa / Mary Stuart