Sarah after “Friends”: “I've grown, but there's still a lot to do”
It ended with the victory of Sarah (Tuscan) the 23rd edition of the talent Friends of Maria De Filippi. The young singer, eighteen years old from Vigevano, competed for the title in the final against the dancer Marisol (Castellanos) a newly 18-year-old from Biella (who won the Critics' Award). During the final evening the singers were eliminated Holden (which won the radio award), Petit And He gives me in singing and the other dancer, Dustin.
It was the public that rewarded Sarah. But how did we arrive at determining the final ranking based on televoting? Here are the results of the listeners' satisfaction that led the singer to victory, which was built from the first match in the final, where she collected 40.5% of the votes. Petit collected 27.4% of the votes, followed by Holden with 21.2%. Last and therefore first eliminated He gives me which stopped at 10.95%.
In the second part of the final, still reserved for singers only, Sarah received 44.8% of the votes, Petit 30.2% and, the eliminated, Holden the 25%.
In the next part the two dancers also entered the competition, thus balancing the number of competitors in both categories. These are the results obtained from televoting. In the challenge between Sarah And Petit, the former obtained 54.8% against 45.2% for the latter, a result eliminated. Between the two dancers Marisol he won with 65.4% against 34.6%. Dustin (eliminated, but with contracts in his pocket).
In the final between Sarah And Marisol the winner was the singer who collected 53.4% of the televote while Marisol “stopped” at 46.6%.
Therefore a victory built on public approval. “I'm very happy about it – said the winner after just a few hours of sleep after the victory – this gave me confidence in myself.” Self-esteem is a concept that often recurs in the words that the new winner says close to the final evening. “As a child I was convinced of whatever I did and I was a winner. It was like this for skiing and then for tennis.” However, her sporting career was interrupted when she realized that she could not turn professional. And it was then that she took advantage of her piano and music studies (her father is a teacher of the instrument and her mother a pianist) which she began at the age of 4, however declining them in the field of singing. “In these long months at school I have started to have that confidence and esteem for myself again that I had lost for some time.” “I'm very self-critical and not very indulgent towards myself” admits the young woman.
His path is the one of greatest growth in the singers' panel. Even without becoming a force on stage, she was able to deal with the vocal and stage presence elements essential for a career. Sarah herself is convinced that there is still ample room for growth. “I have a lot to improve – she admits – I have professionals who help me, but the change must come only from myself. For now I've learned to stay calm during performances, I feel like I'm in my own world doing what I wanted to do. I feel in a bubble of freedom.”
At the moment, although she tries to appear otherwise, Sarah on stage seems like a quiet, somewhat shy girl, even though a lot has changed since the beginning of the journey. “As soon as I joined 'Amici' I only appeared as a sweet and shy girl (she also took some Lolita from Anna Pettinelli ed.), but I am also something else and I wanted to make it understood and seen. It was only my fault that this aspect of mine didn't arrive. One day – she says – Lorella Cuccarini (with whom she was in the team) called me after an “afternoon” and I thought it was to compliment me but instead it was to 'bullshit' me, telling me that I was too stuck and tense during the performance. Since then – she confesses – I understood that I had to change, even if only to honor her for the fact that she had chosen me. From there my real journey began.”
Musically, Sarah, yet to be defined artistically, moves within the pop genre often associated with dance with a model in mind which is Dua Lipa. He still doesn't have clear ideas about his future path, but only some desires. “I'm still too busy with Amici to think about what I'll do next,” she says. “I would still like to move in a world similar to that of Dua Lipa but also abandon certain dance tendencies. I don't deny that I would like to do Sanremo, like Angelina Mango, but I don't know if it will happen and I dream of a featuring with Ultimo who I respect very much.”
Meanwhile on Friday 17 May, on the eve of the final, the young singer released her debut EP of the same name, six tracks, one of which is live, four of which were presented among the unreleased songs during the talent show, such as the single “Sexy Magic” (“I feel a bit like this”) e “Touché”, “Violas and Violins” And “Globe” all already “streammatissimo”
Thus, immediately, she evaluates her experience in Amici's house and the path she followed: “I acquired an awareness of myself that would have been difficult to achieve outside of school. I also take home a wonderful relationship with all my colleagues and coaches.”
Sarah promised to invest the 150 thousand euros in gold tokens that are the prize for the victory to continue her education and support her artistic career with tools and study.
As regards the other finalists, it should be noted that Holden, perhaps the most “formed” among the competitors, in addition to a debut EP due out on May 24th (“Joseph” as his name in the registry office) announced, after the instore presentation of the album, a real club 11-date tour in November in support of the album. Holden, born Joseph Carta, is the son of Paolo, Laura Pausini's husband and guitarist.
Also Petit (Neapolitan with a French mother) has released a debut EP of the same name for him too, released on May 17th. Six songs: four already heard on the broadcast (“Che Fai”, “Guagliò”, “Tornerai” and “Mammamì”) and two unpublished.
In the end He gives me, the first excluded from the final. Even for the young artistborn in Caracas in 1999 to a Venezuelan mother and an Italian father and Milanese of origin, a first debut EP “The sun inside”, with six tracks including the songs presented in the competition.
