Introduction

• Participant(s): Serhat
• Song: I Didn't Know
• Writer(s): Nektarios Tyrakis
• Composer(s): Olcayto Ahmet Tuğsuz
• Broadcaster: SMRTV
• Social media: 
• Team review: 

For the small country San Marino it is the 7th time at the Eurovision Song Contest. And as always there has been an internal selection made by the San Marinese television RTV. This year the choice felt to the Turkish singer Serhat with the entry “I Didn’t Know”. Previously the song has been published as a ballad. Later on close to the end of the deadline the disco version has been applied. Maybe the apprehensions of being overheard among all the mid-tempo songs has been too high.

Ahmet Serhat Hacipasalioglu was born in Istanbul in 1964. He studied dentistry but very soon he discovered his passion for singing. Serhat has become a TV celebrity in Turkey, who is hosting several shows. He never gave up singing. He recorded the phenomenal song “Tango Deguise” with the ESC host from 1987 Viktor Lazlo. The following song “My Chocolate Flavor” also become a great success. The big breakthrough Serhat could achieve with his song “Je m’adore” recently which went #1 in the German DJ charts. As a big fan of the Eurovision Song Contest, Serhat has now the honour to represent the smallest ESC country San Marino in Stockholm. Actually, it’s a real pan-European collaboration, as the composer is Turkish: Olcayto Ahmet Tuğsuz and the lyricist is Greek: Nektarios Tyrakis.

The previous version of ”I didn’t  Know”  was a dreamy love song, a bit kitschy too. All of a sudden the entire ballad concept has been changed to disco close to the end of the deadline. Nevertheless, Serhat’s dark voice is predominating and has a special character in both versions – watch the ballad version here. Due to the fact that the disco version has been chosen now, the backing singers are taking the half of Serhat’s job. For the well experienced singer Serhat it’s a triumph singing at the ESC – the chance of a lifetime. The stage design and outfit will be arranged by no less than Thierry Mugler – the famous fashion guru. San Marino only made in once into the Grand Final. With this extraordinary entry with deeply romantic lyrics this should be possible again.

History

• Debut: 2008
• Participations: 7
• Victories: 0
• Finals: 1
• Top 10: 0
• Chance for Top 10: 0 %

San Marino has joined the Eurovision Song Contest in the year 2008. With the song “Complice” by Miodio, San Marino made a wonderful debut. Unfortunately, San Marino came last – a truly undeserved 19th place in the Semi Final. Only once San Marino made it into the Grand Final with Ralph Siegel’s composition “Maybe”, sung by Valentina Monetta in Copenhagen 2014.

This year it’s going to be the eighth time in the ESC for the small country. Of course in such a small country with only 32.000 inhabitants the local music scene is not very big, this is dominated by the Italian music market. Therefore foreign composers have been invited such as Ralph Siegel, who has composed four songs for San Marino from 2012 to 2015, this year he has competed in the German final. In recent years also other micro states tried their luck in the ESC like Andorra and Monaco. None of them reached the Grand Finals unfortunately, beside the entries before 1980, when there was no qualification round.

It was always said if San Marino is going to win someday the contest will be held in the neighbour city Bologna, Italy.