The countdown has begun, the excitement is skyrocketing, and in Sinnai there's already one certainty: no matter what happens, the X Factor final will be a celebration to be enjoyed by all. A special event at the Teatro Civico, which, after closing out the summer season last September with eroCaddeo's show, "Scrivimi quando arrivi – Live," will open its doors next Thursday to cheer on its illustrious fellow citizen with a live broadcast of the evening from Piazza del Plebiscito in Naples.
The appeal
Just under 400 people will be able to watch the event—the second consecutive outdoor event in the format's history—with the same excitement as a World Cup final. This unmissable event (with special guest Laura Pausini) will be available not only on Sky and streaming on Now, but also on free-to-air TV8. So, even from the comfort of your own home, anyone can support the 27-year-old by televoting. "Vote for my brother, his talent is shining," is the appeal of his sister Morena, who was at the theater in Milan last Thursday with her mother Eva cheering him on. Voting is simple and free: online, you can access xfactor.sky.it from your computer or mobile phone, download the X Factor 2025 app from your smartphone, use your Sky Q decoder (by pressing the green button on your remote control), or use Sky Glass with the interactive button.
Challengers
In less than a week, four finalists will compete for the title and a coveted recording contract with Warner Music Italy. One for each judge: EroCaddeo with Achille Lauro, Rob with Paola Iezzi, Delia with Jake La Furia, and PierC with Francesco Gabbani. There will be three rounds, and all the singers will perform, with no elimination mechanism: first will be the Best of, a medley of the best songs they've performed during their career, followed by their unreleased song, and finally their signature tune. The four judges will be able to cast their opinions at the end of each round but will not have any influence on the competition: the winner will be decided exclusively by televoting.
2025 is already a golden year for Damiano: after winning the Radiolina Contest in 2021, his debut in 2022 with the single "Gravità zero," and the songs "Prima vera" and "Non esiste" in 2023, his new EP "Scrivimi quando arrivi" was released a few months ago, featuring the single "Luglio," inspired by Cagliari's summer sunsets. Then, on Thursday, one of Italy's most beautiful squares will resound with the notes of "Punto," the unreleased track that has surpassed 2.2 million views on X Factor's social media and remains firmly at the top of the list on YouTube with over 180,000 views, edging out Delia's "Sicilia Bedda" (127,000), PierC's "Neve sporca" (Dirty Snow) and Rob's "Cento ragazze" (Cento ragazze) who currently have 47,000 views. On streaming platforms, the success is record-breaking: "Punto" is the only unreleased song from X Factor 2025 to have entered Spotify's Top 50 Italy so far, debuting at number 12 in the most-streamed songs chart, and until yesterday at number 27. On Apple Music in Italy, it is among the top 100 in the national chart, while on iTunes it has climbed to number 13. The weekly Fimi/Gfk chart data is also fresh, where it is number 30. It must be said that all of these lists are where the other unreleased songs have never entered or have only appeared for a very short time.
Voices
The first finalist announced, to be honest, was Rob, a true force of nature who has revived the pop-punk genre: twenty-year-old Roberta Scandurra, born in Catania, won the Tour Music Fest as Artist of the Year in 2022 and released her first single, “Lei con te,” in 2025.
Next up was Delia Buglisi, 26, also from Catania, a graduate of the Catania Conservatory. She captivated the audience with her blend of folk and singer-songwriter styles, using Sicilian as a universal language and the voice of her roots.
Finally , PierC, 25, born in Milan and raised in Casale Monferrato, real name Piercesare Fagioli: a musician (he studied piano and music theory), he graduated from the Turin Conservatory and won over audiences with his international influences, R&B and soul.
The glow-up is evident to everyone, but Damiano, despite the lights, the sets, and the costumes, has remained the same. You can see it when you watch his first audition, as he talks about working as a salesman in the city he moved to, Turin, to follow his dream. True, his hair is shorter, his air perhaps more reckless, but that's precisely the melancholy irony that made us fall in love. After all, he said it from the beginning: "I'll try not to let myself change."
And so it was.