Vincenzo Tocco di Samatzai and Sakina Sanogoh, an Ivorian with a Cagliari heart, conquer the X Factor auditions and advance to the Bootcamp of the Sky talent show.
A pianist and composer, the frontman of the band The Vice, he instantly changed the pace of the show's latest episode as soon as he took his first steps on stage. Wearing blue and fuchsia eyeshadow, a ripped bodysuit, and a glittery Union Jack on his trousers—an indelible trace of his time in London, performing in the clubs of Camden Town and Soho— he and his band dusted off the 1970s punk rock style of the Clash, Queen, and David Bowie, whom they paid homage to with "Let's Dance."
Even before he starts singing, "Tocco," rainbow-colored and sparkling, incites the crowds armed with a luminous pink flamingo , with the skill of someone who has under his belt several open stages on the streets, an EP titled Cadeaux released in April 2024, and several performances at Milan's leading emerging live music venues: "You're a miniature Freddy Mercury," praises Jake La Furia. Paola Iezzi has no doubts: "For me, it's a yes." Achille Lauro also gives the green light, while Francesco Gabbani still has some doubts.
Sakina Sanogoh, 25, has a one-year-and-nine-month-old daughter "who always sings your song 'La cura per me,'" she tells Giorgia. She's originally from the Ivory Coast, where she lived with her stepsister. "When I was eight, they told me, 'You have to go catch a plane.'" Arriving in Milan, Italy, she met first her mother, then, some time later, her father. "From him, I inherited my passion for music, because he's a bass player, and our souls, musically speaking, met and reconnected."
Life then took her to Cagliari, where she lives, and then back to Milan in recent years. Ax Factor, denim overalls, face pendants, and a mesmerizing kindness, she goes all out with "Ready or Not" by the Fugees "because I love Lauryn Hill but also because I experienced part of the song." On stage, it's pure magic: "You did it so well, I'd like to see what else you can do. I want to see you again because you have it all," comments Jake. "You have musicality, timing, naturalness, remarkable musical expression, as well as a powerful starting image," comments Francesco Gabbani. "You have a timbre, an aesthetic, and an interesting story," says Achille Lauro. "You remind me of the elegance of Erykah Badu, a very sophisticated singer whom I love very much. I think you'll have some great surprises in store for us, and we can't wait to see you again," says Paola Iezzi. Us too.
