Since Italy returned to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011 they've used their popular Sanremo Festival to pick the artists or songs that would represent them in front of Europe: Raphael Gualazzi, Nina Zilli and Marco Mengoni, all finished in the Top 10.
This year RAI, the Italian national television, has decided in an internal selection that the act that should represent them in Copenhagen is the successful female artist Emma.
Who is Emma?
Emma Marrone, born in Florence in 1984, started singing as a child. She recalls listening to Mina or Take That, whithout having any particular idols. It wasn't until 2010 that she made her breakthrough in the talent show Amici, which she won, and since then her career can be summarize in hit after hit achieving several gold, platinum and multiplatinum discs for the sales of her music and other accolades of the Italian music industry.
In 2013 she released her third album Schiena, which was the 5th biggest selling album of the year and the top selling by a female artist. Besides Italy Emma is also popular in Switzerland.
Even though she hasn't been chosen from the list of artists participating in the 2014 Sanremo Festival, coincidentally, Emma came second in Sanremo in 2011 in a collaboration with the band Modà and the song Arriverà. She won the festival on her own the following year with Non È L'Inferno.
Italy will air both Semi-Finals of the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest, in RAI4 on the 6th and 8th of May, and the big Final on RAIDUE on the 10th of May, when Emma will participate. The song that Emma will perform in Copenhagen hasn't been confirmed yet.
