On 11 December 2016, Gabbani was confirmed to be one of the artists who would be competing in the campioni ("champions") section of the Sanremo Music Festival 2017 [REF].
On 11 February 2017, having advanced to the final, Gabbani defeated Fiorella Mannoia and Ermal Meta, winning not only the competition, but also the right to represent Italy at Eurovision 2017 [REF].