Sanremo 2026: Alfa and Nigiotti Sang a Cover, and the Artist Presents His Credo

The fourth night of the Sanremo Festival 2026, hosted by Carlo Conti, traditionally focused on reinterpretations of songs and duet performances. Among the covers presented that evening was also a performance by Enrico Nigiotti, who sang together with an artist known as Alfa. Their rendition was described by La Repubblica as a dedication 'to lovers'. However, the exact title and original author of the cover are not provided in the available sources, which constitutes an information gap. Enrico Nigiotti is a participant in the main competition of this year's Sanremo edition. The day before the mentioned duet, during a press conference, the artist presented his creative manifesto. In an interview with Il Fatto Quotidiano, he confessed: „La testa tra le nuvole e la mea sotto i piedi è il mio mantra. Non mi sento un cantautore, ma un compositore” (Head in the clouds, and s* under my feet is my mantra. I don't feel like a singer-songwriter, but a composer.) — Enrico Nigiotti. This formulation, intentionally provocative, became Nigiotti's media credo, defining his approach to art as balancing high aspirations with down-to-earth, often difficult reality. His distancing from the Italian tradition of 'cantautore', i.e., an artist who combines writing lyrics with performing them, in favor of the broader role of a composer, is an interesting voice in the discussion about the contemporary identity of a musician. The Sanremo Festival, organized since 1951, is the oldest song contest in Europe and served as the direct inspiration for the creation of the Eurovision Song Contest. Its fourth night, dedicated to covers and duets, has for years been one of the most anticipated moments by viewers, offering unique, often surprising interpretations.Nigiotti's performance with Alfa fits into this tradition, although information about it is scarce. In previous summaries, it was reported that the series of covers was dominated by Ditonellapiaga and TonyPity, who took first place in that night's ranking. Among other loud events of the fourth evening were a kiss between Levante and Gaia, which sparked discussions about possible censorship by the RAI television, and controversies surrounding performances by artists' families, triggered by a critical post by actor Alessandro Gassmann. In this context, Nigiotti's performance and his personal declaration constitute another, less controversial yet significant element of the rich mosaic of this year's Sanremo.