Carlo Conti and the lack of Big in Sanremo: “It’s all relative”

The reactions to the announcement of the Sanremo cast are always skeptical and mixed, but this year more so: journalists and the public have noticed the absence of big names. Thus Carlo Conti, host and artistic director of the Sanremo Festival, responded by speaking this morning on RTL 102.5, starting from the assumption that he reads the comments little or nothing: “I have my own somewhat particular way of living, detached from everyone. I’m not very social myself, but always have been. It’s my choice and I can’t do anything about it, I listen to the radio. Up to this moment the most important thing and the fundamental thing for me for the Festival was to create this cast and also cause discussion, because obviously Sanremo travels with discussions”

As for the absence of big names, for Conti it’s all relative:

For example, my mother-in-law doesn’t know who Samurai Jay is, but she knows who Patti Pravo is. Conversely, maybe there is a kid who doesn’t know who Patti Pravo is and knows Aka7eve very well”. So this big or not big is all relative. Indeed the strength of these last years of Sanremo has been to mix and broaden as much as possible to the various generations, mixing the one best known by one generation with the one least known by another and vice versa. I believe that the songs that are then proposed are important. Last year I made a name for everyone, Lucio Corsi, who was practically unknown to most and look what he managed to do and how he also represented Italy at Eurovision. Yet when I said it the other year many said “Who is he?””

Conti also reflected on his role as Artistic Director

As always, it is a role that is the most difficult thing about the Sanremo Festival. From this moment on, the rest is finished for me, that is, the easiest part arrives, the television one, so it is part of my job, that is, the easiest part. The choice of songs is a great responsibility and I repeat and underline the choice of songs, because we do not forget that Sanremo is the Italian song festival and therefore it must be a cross-section of what is, at that moment, the musical proposal of our country. Fortunately, in recent years there is a great ferment, you too notice it, you know it too and you teach me, how much in the last ten years the production of good and excellent Italian music has increased a hundredfold with many new proposals constantly, many new sounds and many new flavours, such as for example a return of young singer-songwriters of depth and quality.

and about the process of choosing songs:

It’s very difficult, the last fifteen days, I always tell it, I don’t sleep on it at night because maybe at night I wake up with a song that I’ve put aside and instead it comes back to me so you have the doubt that it’s a strong piece, right? Because then, as a good old DJ, I also think a lot, after all, as Amadeus did masterfully, we have a radio ear and therefore we go looking above all for songs that can play on the radio, remain over time for a while. So when you wake up at night and think of a refrain or a song that you might have put aside, you wonder whether it might be stronger than the one you included. It’s a bouquet of flowers, so you have to try to make it as varied as possible and trying to satisfy many tastes, following the trends of the moment, the colors that work in the moment and having the hope every year of having chosen the best, obviously right? Last year I was particularly lucky because, as you remember, practically out of thirty songs, twenty filled the hits and radio airplay, so I was lucky. I hope this year too I have had a good nose, a good sense of smell.