Estonia Woos Votes from Italy at Eurovision Song Contest 2025

Posters in Rome and Milan read before the Eurovision Song Contest "Vote for Tommy Cash and Espresso Macchiato!". The 33-year-old musician recently had great success at a concert in Taranto. In Milan, he handed out espresso to fans. His song about Italian stereotypes has become popular in Italy, and there are parodies of it on YouTube. A group of older ladies from southern Italy, who dance to the song, were invited to his concert.

Eurovision Song Contest 2025: Hit from Estonia initially not positively received

However, the hit was initially not positively received in Italy. The song was full of stereotypes about Italy, protested the right-wing ruling party Lega and the consumer protection association Codacons. The latter filed a complaint with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), organizer of the ESC, against Cash's song. "Espresso Macchiato" is a song that insults Italians. The lyrics contain stereotypes about Italy and Italians, "which are associated with the usual clichés like coffee and spaghetti, but especially mafia and displays of luxury." The song conveys the message of a people entangled in organized crime, which is unacceptable, stated a letter from Codacons.

The Vice President of the Italian Senate, Lega politician and former Minister of Agriculture Gian Marco Centinaio, also unsuccessfully called on the ESC organizers to exclude Tommy Cash's song from the competition. "This Estonian singer qualified with a song in which he speaks in broken Italian about someone who got rich just by drinking coffee and 'sweating like a mafioso.' He should come to Italy and see how decent Italians work before he allows himself to write such silly songs full of stereotypes. If there is someone who has found a way to make easy money by insulting and exploiting others, it is him," concluded Centinaio.

Attention led to love in Italy

The protest drew attention to Cash's song and had the opposite effect than the consumer protection association had hoped. The song has since become a catchy tune in Italy. "I love Italian cuisine, architecture, design, coffee. It was not my intention to offend anyone. I truly believe in this song, it is very different from my other works. When I played it for my grandmother and she started crying, I realized it was something special," said the rapper to Italian media.

The singer has now become known throughout Italy. In his homeland, Tommy Cash is mainly appreciated for his surreal style. The rapper, dancer, producer, and visual artist performs in English and is known for sexually explicit lyrics and provocative music videos. Italy itself will be represented at the ESC by the runner-up at the Sanremo Music Festival, the singer-songwriter Lucio Corsi. In his song "Volevo essere un duro" ("I wanted to be a tough guy"), Corsi, who hails from Tuscany, deals with confronting one's own weaknesses and the importance of accepting oneself as one truly is.

(APA/Red)

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