San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Encyclopedia
San Marino participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008, marking its debut in the long-running international contest. The Sammarinese national broadcaster Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino (SMRTV) officially confirmed San Marino's participation in the contest in November 2007 after deliberation amongst the broadcaster's shareholders.
The pop-rock band Miodio
represented San Marino at the contest in Belgrade
with the Italian language
song "Complice
". However, San Marino's debut entry in the contest was not very successful, with the song placing last in the first semi-final of the contest with just five points.
After participating for the first time, San Marino withdrew from the 2009 contest due to financial difficulties at SMRTV, having originally submitted its application for participation. It returned again in 2011.
, the Italian
broadcaster which withdrew from the contest in 1997. SMRTV, however, officially announced its participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
, held in Belgrade
, Serbia
in November 2007.
As the Sammarinese broadcaster of the event, it was SMRTV's job to organize a process to select the country's entrant. For its first Eurovision appearance, SMRTV sought to host an internal selection process.
, was appointed to select the entry from a pool of songs submitted by those interested; the deadline for songs to be submitted was set at 25 February 2008. When the deadline passed, fifty songs had been submitted to San Marino RTV from all across Europe. Many Italian artists wishing to enter Eurovision applied to San Marino RTV, including the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1997
, Jalisse
. Other entries submitted to SMRTV included those by Massimo Bertacci and Michele Imberti. Entries from other Eurovision national selections in other countries were also submitted to SMRTV and included "If You Never Back" by Elnur Hüseynov
and "We Are One" by Alexa from the Azerbaijani
and Moldovan
national finals.
On 11 March 2008, the jury made its decision and selected the Italian–Sammarinese band Miodio
to be the first Sammarinese entry with the song "Complice
", sung in the Italian language
. Miodio consists of Nicola Della Valle (vocals), Paolo Macina (guitar), Andrea Marco 'Polly' Pollice (bass), Francesco Sancisi (keyboard) and Alessandro Gobbi (drums). Upon the announcement of their participation, they stated that they embody "a new way of thinking, born by anger and the will to react [to what] each individual carries in their ego".
Miodio performed in the first semi-final on 20 May 2008, appearing fifth out of the nineteen countries. The performance featured the band wearing black suits, but with each member wearing it in a different style. Aniko Pusztai, set designer and dancer at La Scala
in Milan
, joined the group on stage. SMRTV said that they believed that choreography was as important part of the group's performance as the song itself, deciding to use "emotional impact" for the performance. The broadcaster said that Pusztai would "move on the words of the text, merging the music with dance, a sort of angel, a white that will contrast with the dark soul of the group". The background on the large television screens on stage was a wavy light blue colour.
Miodio's performance did not manage to inspire the crowd, and San Marino only managed to receive five points with its debut entry: two points from Andorra
and three points from Greece
, placing it last of the 19 entries. Each country is allowed to give a maximum of twelve points to a song, and only the top ten countries went on to the final. Placing last in the semi-final, San Marino did not qualify for the final and became the eighth country to debut in the contest with a last place finish.
in Romania
, as well as the Pjesma Mediterana
contest in Montenegro
. They also went on tour in Italy, San Marino and Moldova during the summer. In 2009 the group took part in the online section of the 59th Sanremo Festival
, placing in the top 10 with their song "Evoluzione genetica". In 2010 the group took part in the Sanremo festival again, taking part in the Nuova generazione category with the song "Perdo contatto".
It was announced in May 2008 that the Winner's Tour for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 would finish in San Marino after traveling through Europe. During the tour, the Sammarinese Minister of Youth stated that San Marino had "good hopes to return" in 2009
. Artists later announced their wish to represent San Marino at the contest, including Little Tony of the 2008 jury.
It had been rumoured that SMRTV would withdraw from the 2009 contest due to poor results in their debut attempt, however SMRTV rebuked that claim and confirmed its interest in the 2009 contest. However SMRTV were forced to withdraw from the 2009 contest, having earlier applied to enter, due to financial difficulties faced by SMRTV. SMRTV again declined to participate at the 2010 Contest
after failing to receive sponsorship to send an entry to the contest in Oslo
, Norway
. This came after SMRTV had successfully selected Italian duo Paola & Chiara
to represent the country. However, San Marino will come back to ESC in 2011.
The pop-rock band Miodio
Miodio
Miodio is a band that consists of three Italian and two Sammarinese members. They represented San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, performing the song Complice. This was the first time San Marino had entered the competition...
represented San Marino at the contest in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
with the Italian language
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
song "Complice
Complice
"Complice" , is a song by pop group Miodio from San Marino. The group was chosen internally to represent this Republic for their first entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade. 50 entries were in the race to represent San Marino in this year's Eurovision...
". However, San Marino's debut entry in the contest was not very successful, with the song placing last in the first semi-final of the contest with just five points.
After participating for the first time, San Marino withdrew from the 2009 contest due to financial difficulties at SMRTV, having originally submitted its application for participation. It returned again in 2011.
Background
San Marino's debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008. Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino (SMRTV) announced in November 2007 that it was considering entering the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in 2008, all depending of the share holders of San Marino RTV. Half of the stock of SMRTV at the time belonged to Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI)RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
, the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
broadcaster which withdrew from the contest in 1997. SMRTV, however, officially announced its participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Contest. It was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. This year was the first contest to have two semi-finals which were held on 20 and 22 May, and the final held on 24 May 2008...
, held in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
in November 2007.
As the Sammarinese broadcaster of the event, it was SMRTV's job to organize a process to select the country's entrant. For its first Eurovision appearance, SMRTV sought to host an internal selection process.
Selection process
A jury, headed by singer Little TonyLittle Tony (singer)
Little Tony is an Italian-born Sammarinese pop singer and actor. He achieved success in Britain in the late 1950s and early 1960s, as the lead singer of Little Tony & His Brothers, before returning to Italy where he continued a successful career as a singer and film actor.-Life and career:He was...
, was appointed to select the entry from a pool of songs submitted by those interested; the deadline for songs to be submitted was set at 25 February 2008. When the deadline passed, fifty songs had been submitted to San Marino RTV from all across Europe. Many Italian artists wishing to enter Eurovision applied to San Marino RTV, including the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1997
Eurovision Song Contest 1997
The Eurovision Song Contest 1997, was the 42nd Eurovision Song Contest and it was held at the Point Theatre Dublin, Ireland, on 3 May 1997. Boyzone member Ronan Keating and Carrie Crowley were the presenters of the show....
, Jalisse
Jalisse
Jalisse is an Italian musical duo consisting of Alessandra Drusian and Fabio Ricci, who have been performing together for 14 years, and are still active....
. Other entries submitted to SMRTV included those by Massimo Bertacci and Michele Imberti. Entries from other Eurovision national selections in other countries were also submitted to SMRTV and included "If You Never Back" by Elnur Hüseynov
Elnur Hüseynov
Elnur Hüseynov is an Azerbaijani pop singer.He was selected as Azerbaijan's representative to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008....
and "We Are One" by Alexa from the Azerbaijani
Azerbaijan in the Eurovision Song Contest
Azerbaijan made its debut at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008, after İctimai Televiziya became an active member of the European Broadcasting Union...
and Moldovan
Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest
Moldova has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest six times, debuting in 2005. Following the poor result in the 2006 contest, the Moldovan broadcaster, Teleradio-Moldova announced that it would withdraw from participation and did not allocate a budget for the 2007 Contest...
national finals.
On 11 March 2008, the jury made its decision and selected the Italian–Sammarinese band Miodio
Mi Odio
Miodio is a band that consists of three Italian and two Sammarinese members. They represented San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, performing the song Complice. This was the first time San Marino had entered the competition...
to be the first Sammarinese entry with the song "Complice
Complice
"Complice" , is a song by pop group Miodio from San Marino. The group was chosen internally to represent this Republic for their first entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade. 50 entries were in the race to represent San Marino in this year's Eurovision...
", sung in the Italian language
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
. Miodio consists of Nicola Della Valle (vocals), Paolo Macina (guitar), Andrea Marco 'Polly' Pollice (bass), Francesco Sancisi (keyboard) and Alessandro Gobbi (drums). Upon the announcement of their participation, they stated that they embody "a new way of thinking, born by anger and the will to react [to what] each individual carries in their ego".
At Eurovision
As only the "Big Four" and the winner of the previous contest were guaranteed a place at the final, San Marino had to qualify through a semi-final. The 2008 contest featured a new system for semi-final allocation in order to reduce the problems of neighborly and diaspora voting that occurred in years past. Following a draw held on 28 January 2008, San Marino was allocated a place in the first semi-final, held on 20 May 2008. Though only participating in the first semi-final, SMRTV announced that it would air both semi-finals in San Marino, which in turn allowed parts of Italy in its broadcasting area to watch the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in several years.Semi-final
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, joined the group on stage. SMRTV said that they believed that choreography was as important part of the group's performance as the song itself, deciding to use "emotional impact" for the performance. The broadcaster said that Pusztai would "move on the words of the text, merging the music with dance, a sort of angel, a white that will contrast with the dark soul of the group". The background on the large television screens on stage was a wavy light blue colour.
Miodio's performance did not manage to inspire the crowd, and San Marino only managed to receive five points with its debut entry: two points from Andorra
Andorra
Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...
and three points from Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, placing it last of the 19 entries. Each country is allowed to give a maximum of twelve points to a song, and only the top ten countries went on to the final. Placing last in the semi-final, San Marino did not qualify for the final and became the eighth country to debut in the contest with a last place finish.
After Eurovision
After coming last in Eurovision, Miodio went on to compete in the Golden Stag FestivalGolden Stag Festival
The Golden Stag Festival is an annual international music festival held in Braşov, Romania. The main organiser is Televiziunea Română, Romania's state-run television network. The festival has two main components: an international contest and guest performances by both Romanian and foreign stars...
in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, as well as the Pjesma Mediterana
Pjesma Mediterana
Pjesma Mediterana is a pop music festival held every summer in Budva, Montenegro.The festival began in 1992 There have been various sponsors of the festival, including:Komuna Belgrade, Music Star Production and the Municipality of Budva. From 2008, the Municipality of Budva, together with HTP...
contest in Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
. They also went on tour in Italy, San Marino and Moldova during the summer. In 2009 the group took part in the online section of the 59th Sanremo Festival
Festival della canzone italiana
The Festival della canzone italiana di Sanremo is a popular Italian song contest, held annually in the city of Sanremo, in Italy, and consisting of a competition amongst previously unreleased songs...
, placing in the top 10 with their song "Evoluzione genetica". In 2010 the group took part in the Sanremo festival again, taking part in the Nuova generazione category with the song "Perdo contatto".
It was announced in May 2008 that the Winner's Tour for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 would finish in San Marino after traveling through Europe. During the tour, the Sammarinese Minister of Youth stated that San Marino had "good hopes to return" in 2009
Eurovision Song Contest 2009
The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia....
. Artists later announced their wish to represent San Marino at the contest, including Little Tony of the 2008 jury.
It had been rumoured that SMRTV would withdraw from the 2009 contest due to poor results in their debut attempt, however SMRTV rebuked that claim and confirmed its interest in the 2009 contest. However SMRTV were forced to withdraw from the 2009 contest, having earlier applied to enter, due to financial difficulties faced by SMRTV. SMRTV again declined to participate at the 2010 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2010
The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was the 55th annual Eurovision Song Contest, broadcast from the Telenor Arena in Bærum, Greater Oslo, Norway. It was the third time Norway had hosted the contest, having previously done so in 1986 and 1996. The 2010 winner was Germany with Lena singing "Satellite",...
after failing to receive sponsorship to send an entry to the contest in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. This came after SMRTV had successfully selected Italian duo Paola & Chiara
Paola e Chiara
Paola e Chiara is a pop duo consisting of two sisters born in Milan, Italy.Their national career began when the manager of Max Pezzali's pop band 883 saw the sisters playing in Milan, and signed them to the band...
to represent the country. However, San Marino will come back to ESC in 2011.