Sanremo 2026: Who are the competing singers and their songs?
The Sanremo Festival 2026 It airs on five consecutive evenings, from 24 28 to February, broadcast live on Rai 1, RaiPlay, and Rai Radio2. The format remains faithful to the established format, but the cast marks an interesting shift between returning performers, new collaborations, and names representing diverse musical languages. The thirty Big names competing form a mosaic that blends singer-songwriters, radio-friendly pop, rap, rock, and light experimental music. Alongside them, there's also room for Newcomers, completing a framework designed to appeal to a diverse audience. Knowing in advance who will take the stage helps you understand the Festival not just as a television event, but as an updated snapshot of Italian music.
Who are the Big names competing at Sanremo 2026?
The Bigs group appears to be built to balance recognizability and renewal. Alongside artists with long Sanremo history, there are names connected to a younger audience and transversal figures capable of moving between genres. A single direction isn't emerging, but rather a variety of narrative paths that reflect the current state of the music market. The announced songs explore personal themes, intimate reflections, social observations, and declared returns to the classic ballad form.
The full list of Big names in the competition includes:
- Thomas Paradiso – The Romantics
- Chiello – I always think of you
- Serena Brancale – Here with me
- Fulminacci – Stupid bad luck
- Finger in the wound – What a nuisance
- Fedez and Marco Masini – Necessary evil
- Leo Gassmann – Natural
- Sayf – I like you a lot
- Arisa – Magical fairy tale
- Thirteen Peter – Falling Man
- Sal Da Vinci – Forever yes
- Samurai Jay – Obsession
- Malika Ayane – Nocturnal animals
- Luché – Maze
- Raf – Now and forever
- Rag dolls – Stay with me
- Ermal Meta – Star star
- Nayt – Before
- Elettra Lamborghini – Voilà
- Michele Bravi - Sooner or later
- J-Ax – Italy starter pack
- Enrico Nigiotti – Every time I don't know how to fly
- Marie Antoinette and Colombre – Happiness and that's it
- Francesco Renga – The best of me
- Mara Sattei – Things You Don't Know About Me
- LdA and Aka7even – Clandestine Poems
- Dargen D'Amico - Ai Ai
- I raised - It is you
- Eddie Brock – Vultures
- Patty Pravo – Opera
The result is a large cast, which focuses more on variety than on a dominant stylistic line.
Which collaborations and returns stand out in the cast
Sanremo 2026 also stands out for its collaborations that have a distinct narrative weight. Some duets arise from a meeting of different generations, others from the synthesis of parallel musical journeys. The Festival thus becomes a place of convergence, more than a simple promotional showcase.
Among the most notable elements are anticipated returns and presences that strengthen the connection with the event's history. Names like Raf, Patty Pravo, and Francesco Renga ideally engage with artists who have built their audiences in a digital, post-radio context. The collaborations are also effective on a television level, broadening the focus beyond individual fandoms.
The most significant cases include:
- Fedez and Marco Masini, a meeting between contemporary pop and melodic tradition
- Marie Antoinette and Colombre, an artistic couple with a proposal outside the classic Sanremo logic
- LdA and Aka7even, generational union linked to the younger audience
Sanremo thus confirms its role as a shared space, where different languages find common ground.
What is the role of New Proposals at Sanremo 2026?
The lineup is rounded out by the four Newcomers, selected from Area Sanremo and the television program Sarà Sanremo. Their presence represents not just a separate segment, but a carefully observed transition, even by industry insiders. In recent years, this category has often anticipated future trends and directions in Italian music.
The New Proposals competing are Angelica Bove, Nicolò Filippucci, Blind & El Ma, and Soniko & Mazzariello. Different in background, style, and writing style, they share a common denominator: their first appearance on a high-impact, generalist stage. Their space remains limited compared to the Bigs, but they retain a key function: testing new languages before a broad and diverse audience.
Their participation allows us to understand Sanremo as an observatory, not just a celebration.