San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020

San Marino originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. On 6 March 2020, The Sammarinese broadcaster San Marino RTV (SMRTV) announced that Senhit had been internally selected to represent San Marino in the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Senhit represented San Marino back in 2011 under the name Senit but failed to qualify for the final. However, due to 2019-20 pandemic of Coronavirus, the contest was cancelled.

Eurovision Song Contest 2020
Country San Marino
National selection
Selection processArtist: Internal Selection
Song: Digital Battle Eurovision
Selection date(s)Artist: 6 March 2020
Song: 9 March 2020
Selected entrantSenhit
Selected song"Freaky!"
Selected songwriter(s)Gianluigi Fazio
Henrik Steen Hansen
Nanna Bottos
Finals performance
Semi-final resultCancelled
San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2019 • 2020

Background
Main article: San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest

Prior to the 2020 contest, San Marino had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest ten times since its first entry in 2008.[1] Their debut entry in 2008, "Complice" performed by Miodio, failed to qualify to the final and placed last in the semi-final it competed in. San Marino subsequently withdrew from the contest in 2009 and 2010, returning in 2011 with Italian singer Senit performing "Stand By", which also failed to take the nation to the final. Between 2012 and 2014, San Marino sent Valentina Monetta to the contest on three consecutive occasions, which made her the first singer to participate in three consecutive contests since Udo Jürgens, who competed in 1964, 1965 and 1966 for Austria. Her entries in 2012 ("The Social Network Song") and 2013 ("Crisalide (Vola)") also failed to qualify San Marino to the final. However, in 2014, Monetta managed to bring San Marino to the final for the first time where she placed 24th with the song "Maybe". In 2015, the nation once again failed to qualify to the final with the song "Chain of Lights" performed by Anita Simoncini and Michele Perniola. In 2016, San Marino failed to qualify with "I Didn't Know" sung by Turkish performer Serhat. In 2019 San Marino sent Serhat again with the song "Say Na Na Na ", finishing in 19th place with 77 points, giving San Marino its best result to date.

The Sammarinese national broadcaster, San Marino RTV (SMRTV), broadcasts the event within San Marino and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. SMRTV confirmed San Marino's participation at the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest on 25 May 2019.[2]

Before Eurovision

Artist selection

On 6 March 2020, the Sammarinese broadcaster announced that Senhit was selected internally to represent San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. Senhit previously represented San Marino in the 2011 contest, performing the song "Stand By" and failed to qualify for the final receiving 34 points. It was also announced that the song will be chosen by the public in an online contest.[3]

Five songs were shortlisted for Senhit and an international focus group was arranged to rate the songs from demo's the artist recorded. Eurovision fan sites were included, as well as former artists, producers and DJ's, which included BBC commentator Scott Mills and San Marino's Eurovision host John Kennedy O'Connor. The five shortlisted songs were Freaky! Freaky! Freaky! (later renamed Freaky!), Cleopatra, High Love, This Love Is Dangerous and Unlove You. Cleopatra was later withdrawn, as the writers opted instead to submit it to Ictimai TV for Azerbaijan. It was replaced by Obsessed. The top two songs were then submitted to a global online vote to decide the winner.

Digital Battle Eurovision

An online poll was open for two days from 7 March 2020 until 8 March 2020 in order to select the song Senhit will perform in the 2020 contest. The winning song, "Freaky!" was announced on 9 March 2020.[4]

Song Composer(s) Votes Place
"Freaky!" Gianluigi Fazio, Henrik Steen Hansen, Nanna Bottos 16,433 (51.6%) 1
"Obsessed" Charli Taft, Gianluigi Fazio, Olivier Nordh 15,413 (48.4%) 2

At Eurovision

In the Eurovision Song Celebration youtube broadcast in place of the heats, it was revealed that the song would have performed 5th in Semi Final 2, having been preceded by Moldova and preceding Czech Republic.[5]

References
  1. "San Marino Country Profile". EBU. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  2. Christou, Costa (25 May 2019). "San Marino: RTV confirm 2020 participation!". escxtra.
  3. "Senhit to represent San Marino again!". Eurovision.tv. 6 March 2020.
  4. Scarpone, Cristian (6 March 2020). "Senhit will represent San Marino at Eurovision 2020 and fans will choose her song in a "digital battle"". Wiwibloggs.
  5. Eurovision Song Contest (14 May 2020). "Part two of Eurovision Song Celebration". Retrieved 3 June 2020.
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