On Friday evening at the Revolut Stage, Liberato, one of the most intriguing and controversial Italian music phenomena of recent years, will perform. The singer-rapper, who has successfully kept his identity a secret for years, has revitalized the classic—and still immensely popular in his homeland—canzone napoletana style by blending it with rap, trap, R&B, and electronic music. Although his mix of Neapolitan dialect and English is only understood by his fellow Neapolitans, and he doesn’t utilize the traditional music industry promotional machinery, his songs have nonetheless spread like wildfire across the entire country.

In contrast to Liberato, the identity of Monday’s performer at the Yettel Colosseum, Victoria, is well known worldwide: she is the bassist of Måneskin, the band that brought rock music back to the mainstream. In just one year after winning the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest, her band has reached the pinnacle of success, opening for The Rolling Stones and headlining the world’s biggest festivals. At Sziget, we’ll be able to dance to Victoria’s DJ set.

The best of Italy’s emerging bands have been selected for the New Sounds from Italy project, offering a glimpse into the young Italian music scene, which is unique in that 80% of the audience listens to domestic music. As part of the project, the Lightstage will showcase 43.Nove, who have already caught MTV’s attention; their single “Immagini” was featured in the “New Generation Artist” compilation; Elasi, Laila al Habash, and Popa, who move in the alternative-pop sphere; gIUSE THE LIZIA, the newest darling of the Italian indie scene; the wild Guatemala, who blend funk with elements of Southern Italian folk music; and Wism, also from Southern Italy. The New Sounds from Italy project is supported by SIAE, the Italian copyright office, and the Italian Ministry of Culture (MIC) through the Per Chi Crea 2023 program.