This past month, Italian broadcaster RAI announced their roster for the 64th annual Festival di Sanremo, and Eurofans were quick to notice a few familiar names on the list: Arisa, Giusi Ferreri, Noemi, and, of course, 2011 Eurovision runner-up Raphael Gualazzi (paired up, interestingly enough, with electro-house act The Bloody Beetroots).  Would we see an artist from the Champions category, as we saw in 2012 and 2013, or would a fresh-faced act from the Giovani list go to Copenhagen?

It turns out, RAI had a fabulous ace up their sleeve the entire time.  While ESC fans were scouring the list, trying to glean some sort of clues from the twenty-two acts performing during the week of February 18th, RAI had been in talks with  Emma Marrone, arranging for the multiplatinum-selling artist to carry the Tricolore to Denmark in May.

Not only do we have an internal artist selection from the Italians, but they already have a song lined up: the energetic, gutsy “La mia città (My City)”.

(Maybe I’ve been watching too much hockey, but I feel like RAI just served up a Mighty Ducks-style Triple Deke. Nice.)

Those who have been following Sanremo since Italy’s return to Eurovision in 2011 would remember Emma’s fabulous contributions to the contest.  Her collaboration with pop-rock group Modà, “Arriverà“, came in second place that year, only to be topped by a solo victory the following year with the powerful “Non è l’inferno“.

The 29-year-old Marrone first came to fame in her home country back in 2003, when she won the second season of the local edition of “Popstars”, “Superstar Tour”.  Forming a girl-band, called “Lucky Star”, with co-winners Laura Pisu and Colomba Pane, the group found moderate local success.  After their breakup, Emma tried her hand at another televised talent show, eventually winning the ninth season of “Amici di Maria De Filippi” in 2009.

Since then, Emma’s released three studio albums and an EP, staged four national tours, claimed a mantle-load of critical accolades and racked up six Top-5 singles on the Italian charts.  Come the evening of May 10th, will she have a Eurovision Trophy to add to her collection?  Time will tell…