The freshness of young love, when kisses hide "the meaning of life," then the mistakes, the lost games, and that attempt to "put a full stop" while still imagining what could have been and what won't be. In the fifth live show of X Factor , eroCaddeo, the survivor, the last man on the planet, Achille Lauro, reached the semifinals thanks to the unreleased song from the Auditions, "Punto," a song "born when I lost my first love and we hurt so much," he revealed in the Daily, letting go of tears: "It was bound to happen sooner or later that I would cry in front of you."
Wearing a white T-shirt, black belt, and jeans, his curls finally free from liters of gel, the 27-year-old from Sinnai sings of the "great pain" of realizing that that love is gone, focusing on photographs that are simple but only seemingly so, because they have the power to hit where it hurts most, like a punch in the stomach. "We are commas that don't have the courage to be stung" is the most beautiful painting, a definitive sign that just can't be when, instead of saying goodbye, you still dream of invisible children to take to school, vacations booked, and a house by the sea.
This ballad written by the former winner of the Radiolina Contest with Matteo Di Nunzio and produced by Dinv won over the audience, who allowed him to advance to the next round, but also the judges, both for its "original meter, different from the pop songs that all sound a bit alike today" but also for its lyrics, a poem that smells of "a future of hope and melancholy at the same time".
Damiano thus flies to the second round, where he confirms his status as a champion with another timeless Italian classic: "Ancora" by Eduardo De Crescenzo, recorded in 1981 , which was presented at the Sanremo Festival, reached the final, and won the award for best performance. And there too, with a naturalness that makes everything seem effortless, Caddeo modulates expression and tone, destroying and then rebuilding a timeless classic that everyone knows by heart. "I like the delicacy with which you face challenges, you're an enormously talented guy," Paola Iezzi acknowledges, "and I love you for that." Francesco Gabbani pauses for a standing ovation, while Jake La Furia compliments him on the many facets of his voice that he always manages to bring out.
EroCaddeo thus achieves a major milestone, definitive confirmation in the music and radio markets. And, if that weren't enough, he's also one of next Thursday's six semifinalists, along with PierC, Rob, Delia, Tomasi, and tellynonpiangere.
