Sanremo 2026, rehearsals: Ditonellapiaga, nayt, Fulminacci stand out

They are not Alone rehearsals and the singers know it too: it is the first real signal that tells how much a piece may or may not pierce. Monday at the Sanremo Festival is the day of the last rehearsals: all the competing competitors, on the Ariston stage, perform their songs in sequenceset in the scenography designed by Riccardo Bocchini and accompanied by the orchestra. In the audience, the press and professionals watch the various performances, and the songs take shape with the staging and directorial choices. For those who follow the Festival directly from the City of Flowers, the rehearsals are one of the most important moments: the various evenings, in fact, will be seen on the giant screens in the press room, but this is the opportunity to breathe the theater and understand the artists on stage, their strength, their effectiveness and how much they could grow during the week.

It certainly cannot be a definitive judgment, but it is certainly a passage that has weight. Among the songs that we liked most in this first round are those of Ditonellapiaga, nayt, Fulminacci, Colombre and Marie Antoinette. The songs that convince us are not necessarily those that will compete for the podium or the final victory: among the candidates for the top there are Sal Da Vinci, Serena Brancale and the duo Fedez and Masini. Watch out for the loose cannon Eddie Brock. Proving that there are too many songs in the competition, we were not able to attend all the performances, we were sent away early. So you will not find the evaluations at the tests of Elettra Lamborghini, Leo Gassmann, Michele Bravi, Patty Pravo and Samurai Jay.

Arisa – “Magical fairy tale”
Arisa’s voice is a blade live, the song grows compared to the number of listeners thanks to the interpretation, even if it remains one of the many ballads in the competition. Simple staging, with the stage covered in smoke and plays of lights.

Dargen D’Amico – “Ai ai”
Dargen-style piece: try to make the body and brain move, talking about humanity and artificial intelligence. Dargen tries to involve the audience, going down to the audience. The song has a catchy chorus, nothing more. The staging has a decisive weight with his figure, behind him, on the LED wall, which is revisited by the AI ​​following the themes of the song.

Francesco Renga – “The best of me”
First the violin, the piano and then comes the voice, which grows as the song flows. The production is designed to enhance his interpretation, which will please those who follow him, while it will be a phone call for everyone else. A more modern “regatta”.

Tononellapiaga – “How annoying!”
It was one of our favorite songs to listen to, and on stage it’s even better: nice electronic sound, nice choreography that enhances the song. And it’s perfect for landing on social media. Maybe it won’t go very high in the charts, let’s hope we’re wrong, but it’s a piece with a lot of ideas, which works well.

Eddie Brock – “Vultures”
Greeted at the rehearsals by a roar (many Romans in the audience or were they the record companies?). He told us that being here is already a success for him, and it’s true: until a few months ago almost no one outside the capital knew him. On stage the song is a little more “beaten”, but it remains a mystery, it is a crazy variable that could very well function as going unnoticed.

Mara Sattei – “The things you don’t know about me”
Ballatona interpreted in the most classic way, without any particular twists in terms of staging. She is very elegant and skilled in dominating the song, not easy to bring to the stage. It flows without leaving a real imprint, for now.

Luchè – “Labyrinth”
Luché has written some of the most beautiful love songs in the rap world. “Labirinto” is also emotional and intimate, also thanks to the contribution of the orchestra: the Neapolitan artist interprets it with his voice and body, giving a sense of research and constraint. There are some flaws that can and must be corrected. Luché arrives in Sanremo doing Luché, without masks, at most with sunglasses.

Enrico Nigiotti – “Every time I don’t know how to fly”
The Nigio aims to move grandmothers, mothers and daughters. A piece that is based entirely on interpretation: microphone placed askew and voice to be kept under control. It’s not one of the most striking episodes.

Rag dolls – “Stay with me”
They have stage presence and the play of concert lights rather than TV ones helps, even if they embody a very classic (if not a little stereotyped) idea of ​​rock. The song is a power ballad, with Coldplay-esque nuances that remain in your head: seeing headbanging on the Ariston stage has a great effect.

nayt – “Before”
A song with many musical layers, rich, dense, which grows and can grow further. It tries to investigate the role of the single individual in society, among others. The orchestra makes the rap piece more powerful than the studio version: the idea of ​​including the choir’s voices is very perfect. The artist on stage is a samurai. It’s one of our favorite pieces.

Thirteen Peter – “Man falling”
A poorly performed R&B-tinged piece. The singer overdoes it, puts too much emphasis on it, within an arrangement that seems less interesting than the studio version. He also got a second chance, but improved little.

Sal Da Vinci – “Forever yes”
A mash-up between “Rossetto e caffè” and “Se Bruciasse la città”: the song, the staging, complete with ballet in the audience and final meme-gesture that we won’t reveal, are made to win, to become viral and the soundtrack of every Neapolitan wedding. Welcomed with a roar by Ariston: confirming the status of absolute favourite. He must be making spells.

Malika Ayane – “Nocturnal Animals”
Malika has fun and entertains on stage with a piece based on rhythm and disco-vintage atmospheres, while behind her the moon of nocturnal animals rises. It doesn’t aim for victory, but of its kind, which stands out from the majority of this Sanremo, it is perfect.

Thunderbolts – “Stupid bad luck”
A nocturnal melancholy envelops a sweet and refined piece, which has a beautiful arrangement. It seems to take on the legacy of what Lucio Corsi was in the last edition. The voice of the Roman singer-songwriter is counterbalanced by the choir, creating a beautiful embrace. It is one of the best written songs of this Sanremo Festival.

Sayf – “I like you a lot”
Between Gazzè and Capossela, Sayf brings a song with a chorus that captures everyone and verses that are anything but banal, but imbued with meaning. There is a huge spotlight on him and he deserves it. He needs to take away some fear and let go.

Fedez & Marco Masini – “Necessary evil”
Masini’s voice, Fedez’s semi-rap: the two meet halfway. A nice piece, built to try to reach the top, if not to win. Both at times lead to overacting.

Levante – “It’s you”
Levante presents herself without filters: a piece that is not simple in interpretation, which falls within the ballads (and she has always avoided them in Sanremo), but with a dry and powerful performance.

Ermal Meta – “Stella Stellina”
Multi-ethnic sound and text that tells the story of a little girl from Gaza, without ever naming her or directly mentioning the theme of war. A song that doesn’t want to scream, but strike delicately. We’ll see if she succeeds or will remain stuck among the unsaid.

J-Ax – “Italy Starter Pack”
On stage with banjo and violin, if the genre wasn’t clear enough: he appears with a country gentleman’s hat and cane with Irish influences too. Then the cheerleaders enter, a “ye-haw!” and it all becomes a bit too much. The Ariston audience seems to appreciate it.

Chiello – “I always think of you”
The Alien of the Festival presents a bittersweet piece, with an underground rock charge that develops a little more towards the end. The sensation of a pulled handbrake remains.

Serena Brancale – “Here with me”
A very courtly piece, performed very well. It is certainly one of the most intense performances we have witnessed, so much so that it took home a semi-standing ovation. It could reach the top. In a Sanremo ten years ago he would have won with his eyes closed, but now the rules of the game have changed.

LDA & AKA 7even – “Clandestine Poems”
We dance to warm rhythms and sing: it seems like summer, but we are in February. We can easily do without it.

Tommaso Paradiso – “The romantics”
Romance in spades and soft atmospheres: the Roman singer-songwriter arrives at the Ariston for the first time with the house specialty. Some put him among the possible winners. But the piece doesn’t take off on stage.

Raf – “Like a fairy tale”
A performance from Sanremo of the past: just a well written and arranged song and a good singer who doesn’t look for special effects or vocal muscularity. Out of time, in the good sense of the term.

Marie Antoinette and Colombre – “Happiness and that’s it”
Once upon a time it was indie pop, today it’s just pop done well, a little retro in its sounds and imagery. Forget the comparisons with Coma_Cose: they have fun on stage, without playing too pimpily on the theatricality of the couple. Well done.