Sanremo Music Festival is ready to captivate the audiences again in 2025, but offstage happenings have overshadowed the performances this year. A radical overhaul, as well as the ups and downs that came with the 2025 version of Sanremo, received heads turning on the news in the world. With a new voter system and backstage dramas, let us take a more in-depth approach to the happenings of this year’s biggest music festival in Italy.
Table of Contents
Evolution to Sanremo 2025
Behind-the-Scenes Drama and Scandals
Cultural Impact
Looking Forward: What Next for Sanremo?
Final Thoughts
Evolution to Sanremo 2025
For Sanremo, a launch pad for advancement in Italian music, the year 2025 came to charge it with that spirit. The festival underwent a complete review under the supervision of Carlo Conti, with important structural changes made to achieve fairness, raise audience involvement, and modernization of competition.
1. Changes in the Voting System
One of the most noteworthy changes was the new voting system finalized for Sanremo 2025. Traditionally, the winner was a mix of jury votes, televoting, and press votes. This year, it was all about transparency, controlling the power of specific jury panels, and lending great power to the general audience.
• 50% Televote: Italian viewers participated more directly in the evaluation of the contestants.
• 30% of Press Jury: Made up of accredited journalists offering a more professional view.
• 20% of the Demoscopic Jury: Comprising music lovers selected from various fan levels as representatives of different demographics.
The evolution of this scheme split sentiments. While some fans welcomed the change as bringing about a democratization, others voiced concerns that it would give more fawning favor to commercial over artistic, novel, or niche acts.
2. Revamping of the Cover Night into a Valued Role
A switch occurred as to Cover Night, which would, traditionally, have been an opportunity for artists to present songs of yore or other world tunes. In 2025, the segment was recharged into a collaboration of different, more established, and rising artists. Thus was seeded the spirit of mentorship on a stage for introducing big stars.
The results were phenomenal, containing unexpected duets and reinterpretations of treasured oldies. One particular incident that got the audience talking was when a major pop star lent her strong voice to Lucio Battisti’s “Il Mio Canto Libero”, alongside a rising indie singer.
3. Tougher Rules for Song Eligibility
To keep the festival’s quality and originality intact, in 2025, Sanremo laid down strict rules for song eligibility. In order to qualify, all songs had to be unreleased and performed for the first time, live, at the competition. These measures were aimed at preventing leaks and ensuring fairness but also resulted in a couple of disqualifications when it became public that some songs had been unofficially heard on the Net before.
Behind-the-Scenes Drama and Scandals
No major event is without controversy, and Sanremo 2025 wasn’t going to be different. While the format overhaul sought to create a more inclusive and transparent competition, various off-stage incidents and scandals lent a little spice to the festival.
1. Achille Lauro and the Chiara Ferragni Controversy
One of the most spoken-about moments were the rumored personal affairs of the singer, Achille Lauro, with the influencer, Chiara Ferragni. The thing heated up when the tabloids were already suggesting a connection between the two, with hot debates on Twitter. Matters intensified when Chiara’s husband, Fedez, was set to perform as a guest at Sanremo as well.
Though none of the parties concerned made any official comments on the rumored flings, the public fixation on serious backstage flirting overshadowed the actual performances. This controversy showed that Sanremo is more than a music competition. It is, instead, a pop culture phenomenon where personal lives take center stage many times.
2. Allegations of Favouritism and Allegations of Rigs
Despite the new voting system, allegations of favoritism came flying. Several artists and fans questioned the role of the press jury. Many felt it favored a few acts and did not treat others fairly. The social media debate over whether industry-backed performers had an unfair advantage was ravaged. What many alleged to be backstage lobbying robbed the person of another vote. Allegations were disputed by the festival organizers, and therein lies some intrigue regarding the results.
3. Unforeseen Technical Problems
The live nature of Sanremo means that anything can happen, and this year saw a fair share of technical problems. Among the most disappointing moments of this year’s festival occurred during a major sound failure during one of the second night’s key performances, during which the artist visibly bristled. While no longer a problem soon after, it brought back the focus toward the production solidity of the festival. This, of course, further raised concerns of fair play in performances in the live scenario.
Cultural Impact
Among the controversies arose that Sanremo 2025 re-establishes the very heart of Italian music. The festival continued to trend and inspire new generations of artists. A few key takeaways have upheld its influences:
The rise of a new generation: With the focus on collaboration and original songs, some young talents are steadily coming into the limelight.
A mix of different musical styles: Italian and modern electronic sounds, affectingly paralleled throughout this year’s lineup.
A lack of international presence: For the first time, tides of interest poured in toward an audience as wide as ever, attracting attention from the scope of streaming services and wide broadcast coverage.
Looking Forward: What Next for Sanremo?
With Sanremo 2025 establishing a new benchmark, talks already start to pop up concerning Vienna 2026. Further alterations to the voting system, contingent on organizing around this uneasy balance between tradition and innovation, set out the stage for speak about what surprises await for Sanremo 2026.
One thing for certain is that Sanremo continues to evolve with time, mirroring both cultural and technological tides. Whether you tune in for the music, the drama, or both, this festival remains an unmissable event.
Final Thoughts
The Sanremo Music Festival 2025 was a landmark edition, not just because of its musical performances but also due to the behind-the-scenes developments that kept audiences engaged. From a redefined format to headline-making controversies, this year’s festival demonstrated why Sanremo remains a defining force in the music industry.
As fans and critics debate the changes and scandals, one thing is clear: Sanremo is more than just a competition. It is a cultural phenomenon that will continue to shape the future of Italian and global music.