Forget the glossy stages of national talent shows. In Marmilla, an event is born that unites music, identity, and linguistic experimentation: the Arrexini Music Contest, the first music competition entirely dedicated to songs sung in the Sardinian language.
Two evenings—Friday, August 8th in Ussaramanna and Saturday, August 9th in Villanovaforru —with eleven emerging artists, all ready to challenge each other with Logudorese verses, Campidanese rhymes, and contaminated rhythms, in a mix that smells of tradition but sounds contemporary.
The contest was created within the Arrexini Festival, now in its fifth edition, with the aim of promoting the Sardinian language through the arts.
The Municipalities of Ussaramanna and Villanovaforru are behind the project, with the support of the Fondazione di Sardegna and the Region. Artistic direction is entrusted to Tore Cubeddu, while the selection of the contestants is in the hands of Ruido aka Fabio Leoni, producer, longtime member of Sa Razza, and pioneer of the Sardinian urban scene .
The invitation is open to soloists, bands, and musical projects with ties to the island, provided they submit songs—originals or covers—in one of the Sardinian dialects: Logudorese, Campidanese, Gallurese, Sassarese, or Tabarchino. The prize is the production of a professional music video by Ejatv and a special episode of the "Sala Prove" program on Radiolina, the event's media partner.
The first is scheduled for August 8th in Ussaramanna, in Piazza Gigi Riva in Funtanedda, where six artists will perform: the public will vote for the first finalist of the competition.
The following day, Saturday, August 9th, the grand finale will take place in Villanovaforru , in Piazza Costituzione, with five more contestants. Once again, the public will decide the overall winner of the 2025 edition.
Both evenings will be hosted by Lele Pittoni and Renzo Cugis , well-known faces on the Sardinian artistic and television scene, a guarantee of irony, rhythm and stage intelligence.
Two special guests will enrich the program: Bujumannu, former lead singer of Train to Roots and now an icon of Sardinian reggae, will open the first evening; Randagiu Sardu, an urban poet and hip hop singer-songwriter in Sardinian, will close the event.
