During the first semi-final of the 69th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, Lucio Corsi captivated the European audience with a live harmonica solo and English subtitles to ensure that the message of "Volevo essere un duro" was understood by all. The Tuscan singer-songwriter, who came in second place at Sanremo 2025, performed his song on the international stage for the first time, representing Italy, already qualified for the final on May 17th as a member of the “Big Five.” In fact, starting this year, even the nations that have direct access to the final evening perform their full songs during the semifinals. In addition to Corsi, Melody from Spain and Zoe Me from Switzerland performed. The race for the Grand Final continues: ten spots are still available, while countries such as Norway, Albania, Sweden and Ukraine are already secured for the final. In the final, Italy will also be well represented by Gabry Ponte (San Marino), Tommy Cash (Estonia) with the satire Espresso Macchiato, and Shkodra Elektronike (Albania), who have been living in Italy for years. The second semi final takes place tonight, with 16 more countries competing for a spot in the final. The return of Montenegro, absent since 2022, is also expected. During the evening, there will be two intermission shows: Eurovision Unseen, a tribute to the artists from the cancelled 2020 edition, and On Time, a musical about freedom and the value of time. The grand finale will see Sandra Studer performing Insieme: 1992 by Toto Cutugno.According to the bookmakers, Israel, Finland, and Austria are the favorites to advance, while Malta hopes for its first victory. For Italy, all eyes are on Lucio Corsi and Gabry Ponte, both rated at 50.