Just hours after his X Factor live debut, 27-year-old Damiano Caddeo can see his entire life flash before his eyes like a movie. The moments that brought him to this stage, and above all his family, his friends, everyone he can't help but mention: "Because without them I wouldn't be where I am today." And so here are his early years in Modena, where he was born because his Sardinian parents had moved there for work, then the move and his childhood in Sinnai, when his father Giorgio played the guitar and he happily accompanied him with his vocals. The day he never wanted to know, when that father never came home, dying on the first day of his new job , and he, thanks to an enlightened teacher, Mariangela Zedda, an Italian teacher at the Sinnai middle school, wrote down that pain in an essay. As the years passed, Damiano grew up and discovered the keyboard and ukulele, writing his first songs. Finally, the turning point: winning the Radiolina Contest 2021, which led to his recording debut with a Turin-based label, Cvlto, which discovered him thanks to Radiolina. From there, concerts, his first EP, and the successful and viral "Luglio" (July) followed. Today, eroCaddeo—a salesman on paper, but a singer-songwriter in reality—is among the 12 contestants on the Sky Original talent show produced by Fremantle, airing live tonight and every Thursday on Sky and Now.

Damiano, how are you?

"Good! I feel calm."

Three months ago, her judge Achille Lauro told her, "You're on my team." But he couldn't tell (almost) anyone...

"Not to everyone, of course, but I was able to share it with my mother, my sister, and the people I love. They kept it a secret, thankfully."

A summer of excitement, in short: how did you spend it?

From Turin, where I live and work, I returned to my native Sardinia. I holed up with some friends in a house in Villasimius to write, sing, and record some videos that I posted on social media. Matteo Di Nunzio (Dinv) and Francesco Pesaresi, two key members of my team, joined me. Ten songs came out of it; I'd say we didn't waste any time.

From Radiolina Contest to X Factor, what happened in these 4 years?

Live shows, singles, even a show called "Prima ero Caddeo, ora eroCaddeo." In April, my first EP, "Scrivimi quando arriva," gave me the final push. I decided to try out for X Factor to promote an unreleased song, "Punto." I wanted to introduce it to a wider audience and see how it went. Would they send me home? No problem, I would have done it lightheartedly.

And instead it was a success.

«Yes, and who would have expected it».

But his single "Luglio" went viral without needing a big stage. Could it be that line: "For me, you'll be like Cagliari after 7"?

Going viral on social media is hard, so I don't know what happened. I wrote those words thinking of Poetto. After 7, it empties out: there are fewer people, it's nice, there's a wonderful light, a profound beauty that made me think about the importance of a person.

When did you start writing?

At school: I was lucky. Along the way, I met teachers who helped me a lot. One in particular, Professor Zedda, was a mentor to me: I began to let my emotions out and put them down on paper thanks to her. She convinced me to enter a competition and write that essay about my dad's passing: that's where it all started.

What memories do you have of that period?

I don't feel like talking about it. I can say, more generally, that I understood that through writing I could process defeats, victories, suffering, and happiness. It's no easy feat, and in fact, only now that I'm more mature can I work on introspection. I reflect, I jot down some notes on my phone, I make what I feel tangible. I transform the pain into something I can listen to, and it comforts me.

Do you still hear from Professor Zedda?

"Of course! I met her recently and she gave me a Sardinia-shaped pendant: it's my lucky charm."

How is work going with Achille Lauro?

"I like him, I respect him for the path he's taken and the way he's reinvented himself. He's given me a great confirmation: that we need to stay spontaneous and not build too many superstructures."

How did you prepare for the live broadcast?

"Great concentration. I can't use my cell phone, and I consider it a privilege. Then there are the rehearsals, but I've tried not to do too many as much as possible because I risk getting bogged down in the mistakes I might make. I get along well with the other guys: in the loft we share, we stay up late, chat, and compare notes. There's no competition, at least for now. Everyone experiences it in their own way, but we support each other. And I try to remind myself every day that I've been catapulted into something huge, a unique opportunity."

Is there anyone to whom you dedicate this first success?

"This isn't just my success; I want to share it with those who have always been there for me. My friends, my sister, my mom. A piece of each of them is inside me."

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