Habemus list of singers competing at Sanremo Festival 2026. Carlo Conti’s announcement yesterday. And immediately there’s a lot of talk (“The Festival without big names” or even worse “It will be a failure”). But then again it is Sanremocontroversy is included in the package. But let’s not exaggerate. Some are understandable, others unjustified, others still banal. Suffice it to say that last year many were wondering who Olly was. Then he won (and in any case he was already doing his numbers). Lucio Corsi was also a complete stranger to many and instead Sanremo and Eurovision they went very well. And this year?

Let’s proceed in order. For days there had been rumors of an “escape from Sanremo”. The Messenger he was the first to warn everyone, talking about a completely different situation compared to previous years, with a cast not up to expectations and some heavy “no thanks”: from Tiziano Ferro to Annalisa, but also Emma, ​​Annalisa and Tananai. All actually confirmed. Other names that many expected to see at the Ariston are also missing: Elodie, Irama, Noemi, Gianni Morandi, Blanco and Madame. Therefore, there are many singers who will not participate: who did not show up or who did but were discarded. Conti on Tg1 spoke about a lot of variety, different flavours. Of many debuts but also of confirmations. And precisely: “The hope is to have broadened the range of flavors and musical tastes as much as possible, to satisfy all the spectators who love Sanremo”, said the host and artistic director of the event yesterday.

Escape from Sanremo? The reasons

Around 300 songs arrived, 30 were chosen (there should have been 26, the record companies will be happy). There are those who are absent. Why some big names didn’t even show up remains a mystery, but talking about a conspiracy seems excessive. There are many hypotheses. Among the most widespread, the economic one (singers do not receive a real fee, but rather an “expense reimbursement”). However, it does not appear that this year there was an agreement for a lower reimbursement than in the past. Among other hypotheses, the fear of televoting. We saw it last year with Giorgia and “La Cura Per Me”, unfairly in sixth place. But even this hypothesis does not appear to be very well founded. If it is true that televoting benefits those who have a fan base that is very active in televoting, perhaps to the detriment of the song, it must also be said that Lucio Corsi or Brunori Sas (who came second and third respectively) were not exactly the singers with the strongest fan bases. And then it is not necessary to reach the podium to benefit from the strength of Sanremo. An example: Marcella Bella, last place, with “Pelle Diamante” yet has 7.7 million streams on Spotify. There are quite a few for its target audience. Rkomi (second to last) and his “The rhythm of things” is almost at 35 million. Not only that. History teaches that often those who finish last go on to achieve great success. A recent example? Tananai and its “Occasional Sex”, last place in Sanremo in 2022.

The return of some singers to the Ariston stage is impossible

Rather, the most plausible reason is that the Bigs, those with a capital B, tend not to participate in the race regardless: Elisa and Giorgia were two rare exceptions and it was impossible to think of their return. And the situation is not so different for other big names such as Zucchero Fornaciari, Laura Pausini or Eros Ramazzotti. Truly big names who knew Ariston in an era when everything was very different. Artists who, let’s be honest, don’t need the Rai 1 event to fill the concerts (really, not with the fake “sold out”). Tiziano Ferro never participated and the rumors of his presence with Madame weren’t even that tempting. Maybe he will return, but as a super guest.

In recent years, a whole host of established singers has emerged. Maybe they are not “veterans” like those just mentioned but certainly not beginners either. Who are you talking about? Annalisa, Marco Mengoni, Mahmood but also the former talents Alessandra Amoroso, Emma, ​​Noemi, Irama. Some for one reason, some for another, they won’t be there. But it’s not surprising. Annalisa has participated 5 times in the last ten years, Mengoni won it in 2013 (“L’essenziale”) and then in 2023 (“Due Vite”). It’s risky to go back now. Mahmood also: first place in 2019 (with “Soldi”), then in 2022 (with “Brividi”) while in 2024 “only” a sixth place with “Tuta Gold” (which became an incredible success). Amoroso became a mother a few months ago and her last album came out just over 6 months ago, so it’s difficult to think that she could tackle such a large and demanding work project. Emma did not present any songs, and in any case she has already participated 4 times throughout her career. Noemi (who did not present the song) 8, Irama 6. A break doesn’t hurt, on the contrary it is legitimate, human and healthy.

Sanremo 2026, who they are and how those excluded reacted after Carlo Conti’s announcement

Sanremo 2026: who are the competing singers

The big names are there

Of course, there’s a bit of a bad taste left in the mouth for some, there’s no point in denying it. A few (other) strong names wouldn’t have been amiss: Blanco’s return would have created great expectations, for example. It’s also a shame for some young talent like Settembre, who won last year Sanremo Youth. It would have been interesting to see him on stage, this time as a big name. And speaking of “big” how can you say that they aren’t there? Patty Pravo, Francesco Renga, Ermal Meta, Raf, Arisa, Fedez, J Ax, Marco Masini and Tommaso Paradiso what are they? In short: the names are there and, above all, Sanremo is the Festival of Italian Song, not of singers. Let’s wait to listen to the songs, at which point we will all draw our considerations. And then the most beautiful aspect is certainly the surprise effect. This time, at least, there is no clear favorite.

The most anticipated concerts in December 2025: Baglioni, Venditti, Giorgia, Elodie, Noemi and all the others. The details