“With my hand on my chest, I promise you before God: it will be you and me from here, it will always be yes”. It’s difficult to read these words without intoning them. This is a verse from “Per semper Sì”, the song that Sal Da Vinci brought to the Sanremo Festival 2026. A song that immediately captured attention. Net of the joy and even the hilarity that it can unleash, “Per semper Sì” is a pleasant song to listen to and that stands out, in a more general rather flat Sanremo musical context (even if Brancale, Arisa, Ditonellapiaga and Levante have done theirs).

Rhythmic, passionate, engaging and sung by a voice that, despite what some might think, has a story behind it made up of: study, sacrifices and real apprenticeship. Already during the pre-Sanremo press conference, the Neapolitan singer-songwriter (but born in New York, we will return to this shortly), had spoken about some exaggerated (and gratuitous) criticism he had received. Someone – Salvatore Michael Sorrentino, this is his real name, had pointed out – had “written things like this just to fill”, then had claimed his background (“I wasn’t born the other day”), recalling for example having participated in the Sanremo Festival in 2009, coming in third place with “I can’t make you fall in love”.

Sal Da Vinci: “Italian music was born in Naples. Am I popular? Yes and I’m proud of it. In Sanremo I sing a promise of love”

Sal Da Vinci: theater debut at 7 years old

Those words of his, bitter and sometimes harsh, now seem so distant. The Neapolitan artist, in fact, is among the absolute protagonists of this edition of the Festival. The public loves him, some of the press too. To those who had judged him to be “neo-melodic” with a negative meaning, he replied that he was so if understood as “carnal and emotional”, not with other meanings. In short: it was very clear. And he was right.

Sal Da Vinci, 56 years old, has a great story behind him. Treat him as the last of the “neomelodics” (of the ‘bad’ ones, of which there are). A story that cannot be ignored. Son of Mario Da Vinci, famous singer and actor, Sal made his theater debut at just 7 years old. Even before that – at the age of 6 – he was alongside his father in the 45 rpm record Miracle ‘and Christmas. And then, while still a boy, he acted in the film “Il motorino” and again in “Too strong” with Verdone and Sordi. In short, not exactly the first ones to pass by. In 1995, in the presence of Pope John Paul II in the Loreto basin, he sang the Latin song Salve Regina by Francesco Palmieri, in front of over 450,000 young people present.

A complete artist, a performer. In fact, each of his performances is a true interpretation. You may like it, you may not like it, but the stuff is there. Nothing to do with other colleagues, even idolized ones, but who have half his skills. As an actor (he also acts in some musicals), as a singer (since 1994 – winning the Italian Festival on Canale 5 with the song ‘Vera’ his career officially began). He has collaborated, among others, with Ornella Vanoni, James Senese and Renato Zero.

The success of “Lipstick and Coffee”

Last, but not least, the great success of “Rossetto e Caffè”, a single which became a truly unprecedented phenomenon, dominating the charts and collective imagination. With over 120 million streams, collected across YouTube, Spotify and all digital platforms, the song obtained two platinum records and became one of the most listened to songs of the year.

The video clip reaches first place in the YouTube Italy charts, confirming itself as the most viewed video of 2024. To date, there have been over 450 million streams for “Rossetto e Caffè”, now a classic of contemporary music: a figure that underlines the extraordinary impact that this song has had on the public. Now the new, great success with the Sanremo song and soon a tour. So Sal Da Vinci silenced the (specious) criticism: “Today I realize a dream, this song comes from below and is entering the hearts of many people. I’m not happy, more. I’m disconcerted by this outcry, it’s surprising to me”, he said in a press conference on 28 February 2026.

Sanremo 2026, the final lineup: who votes, guests and singers in order of performance

Sal Da Vinci: “They didn’t consider me a real singer. With lipstick and coffee I found my lost success again, it was born in the elevator”