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ESC 2017 REVIEW - ITALY (01): FRANCESCO GABBANI - OCCIDENTALI'S KARMA


Pictured is Italy's national flower lily


Italy used Sanremo festival again as the platform to choose its entrant.The winner of the festival had the first choice to accept the challenge, and should the artists in question decline the offer it would go to the runner up, then the third etc. Francesco Gabbani took a somewhat surprise win, and gladly accepted the offer - it even looked a bit like he was waiting for it tbh - and Occidentali's Karma, written by himself with brother Filippo, Fabio Illacqua and Luca Chiaravalli, became an Youtube sensation overnight and took Italy by storm becoming a phenomenon that would be breaking all possible records in weeks and months to come....

Francesco Gabbani (34) grew up in a music shop as his family owned a shop for music instruments. He learned to play drums, guitar, piano and bass, and has also done mixing and sound engineering so he knows his stuff. In his late teens he was in Trikobalto band and they released two albums and got to perform in some major festivals and got their videos on music channels. They also toured in France and opened Stereophonics concert in Italy. 
In 2011 Gabbani goes solo and released his solo album that includes a few singles that are more liked by the critics than great public. By 2015 he's ready to concentrate on songwriting for others than dreaming of being a star himself. However he has a lot of material and almost as a joke and with Whatever attitude his team sent a song Amen to Sanremo 2016 newcomers.... The rest is history. He wins, scores a hit album, comes back to Sanremo. Wins the main category - first time ever back to back - and sells multiplatinum, gets the most watched Eurovision video ever, is among the top-10 most watched Italian videos ever.... (Check out after the jump for detailed record breaking news by Gabbani....). Meanwhile hid odds to win are the lowest ever (even below 2) and his scoring a new record in the OGAE Fan poll - 29 out 33 clubs have placed him first so far...

What can I say? I liked Amen last year. It was my favorite. The expectations were high for Occidentali's Karma and it was love after a few first lines. I was so hoping he would win even if it wasn't at all likely when the festival started, not even midway the festival. Not even seconds before Carlo Conti annonced it. But he did it. This song is perfect in every aspect; the lyrics, the arrangement, his voice, the performance, even the video. Can't find a fault anywhere. I wouldn't change a thing. Gabbani comes across as a genuine and wonderful person, his stories have deeper sense. His music comes out from a real songwriting inspiration. He's amazing live performer. A well deserved, welcome and worthy winner of Eurovision song contest 2017. If he doesn't win..... I will be so disappointed and Italy's rapidly growing interest in Eurovision might just vanish in the air again..... But at this point, how could he not win? Only the juries could do that and by doing so they would just be more hated than ever....























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