Sanremo 2026 Winner Sal Da Vinci: the triumph of reassuring banality.

The winner of Sanremo 2026 Sal Da Vinci conquered the Ariston with Forever yes, a song that perfectly embodies the national popular. A necessary premise: those who regularly follow the RickyVerso You know I shy away from "musical Nazi" snobbery. I don't label the Festival as rubbish out of hand. On the contrary, I'm curious about the quality of the lyrics, the vocals, and the masterful work of the producers and orchestra members. It's they, with their arrangements, who bestow a majestic dignity on songs that, if stripped of their strings, would collapse under the weight of their own banality. If you're interested in understanding how complex it is to construct substantial orchestral textures, I invite you to read my Interview for Metal FM about Symphonic Reverie.

The Great Absentee: The “Wow!” Effect”

As my wife rightly pointed out, that shiver down my spine, that unexpected blow to the heart, was missing. The infamous "effect" was missing.“Wow!”. That rare feeling that hits you when you listen to a song that might not even win, but that forces you to whisper: “Wow, how beautiful!”. It's a bit like the earthquake that Giorgia gave us last year or the explosive magic of Mahmood and Blanco with Brividi a few editions ago. This year, unfortunately, the stage seems to have preferred the warmth of a reassuring herbal tea to the burning fire of pure wonder. Luckily there is the evening "“duets” to always give something magical.

The National Popular as a Comfort Zone

This lack of courage leads me to a sad reflection on the winner of Sanremo 2026. The label “national popular” should not necessarily be a synonym of “banal”, and yet deep down, looking at the rankings, it always confirms itself to be so. Sal Da Vinci triumphed with Forever yes, a song in which trite and hackneyed images construct a hymn to the most obvious stability. I've learned not to argue with popular tastes, but it's heartbreaking to realize that such a reassuring text, devoid of the slightest lyrical risk, is still the perfect recipe for success.

The True Hidden Poetry of Young People

While veterans have retreated into the comfort zone of chewed-over sentiments, it's the youngsters who have brought lyrics with greater emotional and semantic depth to the stage. Here are two clear examples of how you can write about fears and relationships while escaping clichés:

• Sayf with “I like you so much”Behind a title that sounds like a love nursery rhyme, the Ligurian rapper hides a cynical and disillusioned attack on Italy's contradictions. He throws floods, precarious employment, and tax evasion in our faces with sharp lines like: “And while we laugh / And make love / Your taxes must be spent / In a hotel by the hour”.

• Thirteen Peters with "Falling Man"“: Abandoning purely street rap, he has given the audience a vulnerable portrait of failure. Risky comparisons and fragility merge in a song that reminds us how often we run away from emotional responsibility: “Sometimes we are good at disappearing / but to avoid the risk of getting hurt.”.

• Nayt's existential quest in "Before"“With a pen that can be incredibly intimate and philosophical, the rapper has deconstructed the reassuring certainties of postcard love. In his lyrics, he questions identity and the value of feelings in an artificial world. The verse in which he sings “I don't believe in those who love me, moreover, I don't believe it has any value / Because in all this stuff that I have on me I get confused” It's a punch in the stomach for his cruel honesty. And that verse, “Support each other / Put up with each other by saying / It's worth it”, is probably the most sincere, adult and anti-banal definition of human relationships that has passed on the Riviera this year.

A Rock Spark: Praise for Rag Dolls

Yet, amidst this sea of predictability, a beacon of healthy rebellion has been lit. A round of applause goes to Rag Dolls, the only real band in the competition and the only exponents of the rock attitude of this edition. Their song Stay with me boasts the only refrain capable of sticking in your brain and staying there forever. They could have dared even more, because they have the ability to do so: they demonstrated it masterfully during the cover night. They set the Ariston alight with a wild Cristina “Metal” D'Avena in Cat's Eyes, embellishing the performance with an unexpected and biting mash-up of Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin.

In a world that rewards those who promise you everything will be okay, I choose those who have the courage to tell you how to fall, or those who scream in your face with a distorted guitar. Because, as I always remember, If true beauty isn't already there, it's up to us to create it.