She’s Baaaack…Valentina goes for the Three-Peat
We haven’t even had time to get over 2013’s round of PED, but fans are already eagerly looking ahead to what will happen in Denmark next May. Unlike this past year’s announcements from Sanmarinese broadcaster SMRTV, where we had to wait until January for an artist and until March for a song, the delegation from the Serenissima Repubblica have not only anonunced their participation in 2014, but they’ve revealed their performer: 2012 and 2013 alum Valentina Monetta, likely with yet another Ralph Siegel composition. 
She’ll be the first lead artist to perform in three consecutive Eurovisions since Austria’s Udo Jürgens struck gold in 1966 with “Merci, Cherie“. (That pool is a bit deeper if you add backing singers to the mix; most recently, Iceland’s Hera Björk sang backing in 2008 and 2009 before her starring turn in Oslo.)
In a way, we really shouldn’t be surprised! Over the past two years, Valentina has proven herself to be a consistently talented performer with a strong vocal capacity, even if she’s not given the appropriate vehicle to showcase her abilities. When we saw her croon about Facebook (pardon, “Social Networking”!) in Baku, she delivered the country its highest score. She beat that high-water-mark even further the next year, bringing San Marino within spitting distance of the Grand Final with fan-favorite “Crisalide”. Simply put, she knows how the Eurovision system works, even if victory (or even qualification) eludes her. She’s been through the press scrum twice, has a feel for the rehearsal process, and knows how to bring the house down at the Sanmarinese Party, which has become one of the hottest tickets in town during Euroweek. But will it be enough?
(And let’s be honest here…it’s San Marino, population 32,000. It’s not like there’s a massive pool of local artists to pull from.)
Of course, it’s way too early to discuss her eventual song. If Ralph Siegel does end up being the composer of the entry, the genres of his past contributions have ranged from ballads to pop to ethno and back again, with Valentina’s own musical wheelhouse incorporating more jazz-infused tunes. The customary “opening date” for ESC songs to be revealed is September 1st, just under two and a half months away, and details on an actual song don’t technically need to be revealed until the March Head of Delegation Meeting, a staggering nine months away. Let’s see what the next few eons hold, shall we?
Posted on June 20, '13, in 2014, San Marino and tagged Eurovision Song Contest, ralph siegel, San Marino, Valentina Monetta. Bookmark the permalink. 9 Comments.
The ESC Insider 
I still think Siegel is the main problem here. Valentina’s a competent enough singer (we’ll overlook the opening note of Crisalide for now, shall we..) and if she had sung one of the more universally appreciated entries in 2013, I reckon she would have achieved a higher position than she eventually did. The only problem is that her Siegel compositions so far have been either gimmicky or niche. And San Marino doesn’t need gimmicky or niche, they don’t need a Senit-esque ballad which takes four or five listens to hook the listener, they need a straight-down-the-line pop number to comfortably get them into the final. Once they’ve done that, they can afford to be more experimental.
With the right song, Valentina could easily be the one to do it 🙂
Makes me wonder what would have happened if Senit had sent the other song that was in the running for 2011…would a success with a more standard pop number have brought in other (non-Siegel) composers?
Yeah I’ve wondered about that one too. Through The Rain was a great song – maybe still borderline, but hey it would have been in THAT semi-final where Sasenko went through. Anything was possible 😛
They just need a qualification don’t they. I think that’s their best bet at attracting more composers and/or artists 🙂
I came here to say … what James already posted. So I’ll restate. 😛
Valentina isn’t the problem. Ralph Siegel is. He’s delivered two songs in a row that would have been a bad idea for any singer from any country. What makes San Marino think his judgment will be any better the third time?
He wouldn’t be bankrolling the entry, would he?
I honestly don’t know enough about the inner workings of San Marino’s ESC budget to say…but frankly, it wouldn’t shock me.
Keep in mind, though…”Crisalide”, while it wasn’t a personal favorite of mine, wasn’t a bad song. If we didn’t know it was a contribution from Uncle Ralph, would we have guessed?
Oh, I strenuously disagree, in that the 2 minute ballad / one minute “Disco ’79” thing was a terrible idea. Any positive merits the song may have had were moot because of that.
My concern with Uncle Ralph is not his songwriting ability per se, but that he has submitted two entries in a row that were scotched by extreme lapses in taste. Hopefully Valentina will be given veto power this time “No, Ralph. Forget it. We’re NOT doing a modern jazz number about the Atkins Diet with a kazoo band dubstep polka in the middle.”
Oh God, please let her qualify this time! I want to see someone new from San Marino.
Pingback: Preview: Ukraine’s National Final | The ESC Insider