🇸🇲 UVPSM Day 1 is Over. Big Artists, AI, and a Semi-Final, Find Out What Happened Today

Photo Credit: SMRTV

It’s day 1 of 6 for Una Voce per San Marino. Any expectations you may have had by the end of the day are already shattered. How you may ask? Did any Big Artists get revealed today? Yes! Here’s a complete guide to the events that happened in the smallest country participating in Eurovision this year.

Before the semi-final aired on SMRTV, the Big Artists and the winning entry from the Casperaki AI selection were announced as automatic finalists. Una Voce per San Marino has garnered lots of nostalgic talent to the Sammarinese national selection, and this year’s Big Artists proves no different. The list of Big Artists are:

Aaron Sibley (who participated in 2022’s UVPSM selection as an emerging artist)
Aimie Atkinson (an English singer-songwriter and actress)
Jalisse (yes, that one, who represented Italy in 1997 with “Fiumi di parole”)
La Rua (an Italian band that’s been around since 2009)
Loredana Bertè (yes, that one, who just tried representing Italy this year in Sanremo)
Marcella Bella (a singer whose career started in 1965 and has participated in Sanremo)
Pago (a singer and TV personality who was in a season of Italy’s Temptation Island VIP)
And Wlady, DJ Jad, Corona and Ice MC (this eclectic act features the group who produced “Rhythm of the Night” in the 90s)

Not all of the Big Artists have revealed their entries, but we’ll know for sure on Saturday, 24 February. In addition to the Big Artists, the winner of the Casperaki AI selection was also announced. The winner was Dana Gillespie with the song “The Last Polar Bear“. She will automatically advance to the final.

We now know 9 finalists, but we’ve still got five semi-finals to go through. The first semi-final aired today on SMRTV and featured 31 acts. It was a tight show with few breaks, minimal interviews, and the classic quality Sammarinese entries tend to inspire. Below is the list of all of the artists and their songs that were shown today in running order:

1. Alabaster – “Antartide”

2. Aleph – “Amami”

3. Alessandro Bruni – “Un secondo eterno”

4. Alis Ray – “Flow of Love”

5. Allegra – “Re Mida”

6. Amanda – “Dejavu”

7. Cabiria – “Fable”

8. Dafne – “Dentro la mia testa”

9. Daudia – “With You”

10. Ela – “Parthenope”

11. Elena – “Macchina in corsa”

12. Frammenti – “Weekend”

13. Giada Fazi – “Us”

14. Héctor Mira – “Siente”

15. Ilenia Suffredini – “Adrenalina”

16. Isoladellerose – “Se andrò all’inferno tu verrai con me”

17. Isotta – “Coming Out”

18. Itama – “Chorizo”

19. Julia – “Viola sotto zero”

20. Kija – “Disco Love”

21. Loco BoomBox – “In forma”

22. Lord Spark – “Close to You”

23. Mace – “Vivimi”

24. Masala and Foresta – “Paranoia”

25. Miki Spire – “Fulmine”

26. RanMa – “Window”

27. Sciaco – “KO”

28. Simon Evans – “Anywhere to Go”

29. Tommaso Sangiorgi – “Il canto delle paure”

30. Venn Smyth – “Jumper”

31. Zaira – “Sacchetto di plastica”

After the final ad break, the top five acts were announced, putting fear into this author’s heart. Daudia, Itama, Mace, Masala and Foresta, and Simon Evans were all announced as the top five entries based on the scores of the jury, but only one act would advance to the final. That act was Daudia with the song “With You“. However, Itama, Mace, Masala and Foresta, and Simon Evans weren’t out of the competition yet, because there’s a Second Chance Round that will most likely air on Friday, 23 February. It’s unclear how many will this round will make it to the final, but my guess is 3 (at least for now).

Una Voce per San Marino returns tomorrow with semi-final 2, where 31 new acts will compete for 1 guaranteed spot in the final and (sighs) 4 second chance spots. You can watch the madness of today’s semi-final on SMRTV’s official website.

Are #YOU watching Una Voce per San Marino? What do you think of these automatic finalist? The AI entry? Do you think the right entry qualified? Let us know on social media @ESCUnited, on our discord, or on our forum page!