Lucio Corsi is bringing glam rock to Basel. He’ll be waving the flag for Italy with his Eurovision Song Contest 2025 entry ‘Volevo Essere Un Duro’.

Getting to Basel

Lucio Corsi might want to be a “tough guy,” but we think it’s far better to be a guy who gets to sing his feelings out on the Eurovision Song Contest stage. And now, he is.

His Eurovision journey began with the Festival di Sanremo, a prestigious Italian music festival where the winner is offered the opportunity to head to Eurovision to represent the country.

After 29 songs were whittled down to the top 5, Lucio joined his fellow competitors at the ‘superfinal.’ When the final votes came in, there was just a 0.4% difference between the winning song, Balorda Nostalgia by Olly, and Lucio’s Volevo Essere Un Duro, which means “I wanted to be a tough guy.”

Lucio might have been a runner up in Sanremo , but it turns out the winner doesn’t take it all. Lucio had plenty to celebrate, as he won the Mia Martini critics’ choice award. And that’s not all. Olly declined the Eurovision call so he could focus on his busy schedule, and Lucio was offered the opportunity instead. Europe is going to be so glad he said yes.

Becoming a somebody

Lucio, who is from the Maremma region of Italy, released his new album in March 2025, which has the same name as his Eurovision song. Volevo Essere Un Duro is his 5th album, all of which have been released over the last decade. Much of his previous work has been inspired by 1970s glam rock, which comes through in his music and style.

Lucio has also spent a lot of time touring his songs, and loves being on stage with the band he’s always performed with. He’s given a concert on a boat in Puglia, and even more impressively, has opened for The Who.

As well as two dogs called Era and Enea, Lucio has a pet parrot called Trac. Trac is free roaming, which means he’ll be able to settle down in front of the television to watch Lucio perform at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Nostalgia is back

Lucio’s creative spark is ignited by the Italian greats and international singer-songwriters. He’s inspired by artists ranging from Paolo Conte and Lucio Dalla to Bob Dylan and Randy Newman. So if you can hear a hint of You’ve Got A Friend In Me or Blowin’ In The Wind in Volevo Essere Un Duro, it’s because these songs run through Lucio’s veins.

He has a retro taste in music, and his playlist is full of classic tunes. He loves 1970s and 1980s songs like Bob Dylan’s Jokerman, Joni Mitchell’s Coyote , and T.Rex’s Cosmic Dancer, as well as Italian greats like Lucio Dalla’s Angeli and Scappo di casa by Ivan Graziani.

If he could have dinner with any 3 famous people, alive or dead, it’s no surprise that he’d choose Paolo Conte, Randy Newman, and Joni Mitchell. We hope the menu would be made up of retro dinner party dishes. Vol-au-vents, anyone?

The art of the song

The song Volevo Essere Un Duro was written as a collaboration between Lucio and his friend of 20 years, Tommaso Ottomano. Tomasso is a songwriter, musician, sound designer, producer, and art director. But he’s also known as a brilliant music video director.

As well as directing for Lucio, he’s also created music videos for Måneskin, who won the Eurovision Song Contest for Italy in 2021. Could some of that Eurovision luck rub off on Lucio?

Listen out for Lucio Corsi on the Official Eurovision Song Contest Podcast .

You can learn more about Lucio Corsi from Italy right here .