Over the next week, and under the artistic direction of the popular Italian presenter Amadeus, 24 artists will perform their songs live from the festival’s home, the Ariston Theatre.

In the first of the five live shows, two annual competitions got started: one for the newcomers (Nuove Proposte) and one for the established artists (Big).

According to the rules of Sanremo 2020, “the winning artist of the Big section will participate, representing Italy, in Eurovision Song Contest 2020, at the request of RAI (the Italian broadcaster)”.

The 12 Big acts who performed on Tuesday night were:

  • Irene Grandi - Finalmente Io (4th)
  • Marco Masini - Il Confronto (5th)
  • Rita Pavone - Niente (Resilienza 74) (10th)
  • Achille Lauro - Me Ne Frego (9th)
  • Diodato - Fai Rumore (3rd)
  • Le Vibrazioni – Dov’è (1st)
  • Anastasio - Rosso Di Rabbia (8th)
  • Elodie - Andromeda (2nd)
  • Bugo e Morgan - Sincero (12th)
  • Alberto Urso - Il Sole Ad Est (6th)
  • Riki - Lo Sappiamo Entrambi (11th)
  • Raphael Gualazzi - Carioca (7th)

In the first show, a demographic jury were in charge of judging the songs and provided the preliminary ranking (above).

In the final on Saturday, the demographic jury will only account for a third of the total result.

The first four contestants from the newcomers cateogry also sang on Tuesday, battling it out to claim a spot in the semifinal on Thursday.

The evening’s winners were Tecla and Leo Gassmann.

This year, Sanremo boasts a glamorous atmosphere and tonnes of glitter and sequins.

With the use of augmented reality, the graphic aspect of the festival has never been so modern and avant-garde.

The first evening featured special guest appearances from Tiziano Ferro – who sang his personal rendition of Italian classics Nel blu dipinto di blu by Domenico Modugno and Almeno tu nell’universo by Mia Martini, along with his recent single Accetto miracoli – and Eurovision 2014 act Emma Marrone.

Emma performed her latest single Stupida allegria and a medley of her hits including Sanremo entries Non è l’inferno and Arriverà.

Sanremo veterans and Eurovision 1976 and 1985 acts Al Bano & Romina Power also graced the stage, performing a repetoire of their successes and a brand new song called Raccogli l’attimo.