Fascinated by the sight of a little girl from Gaza and inspired by a lullaby for his daughter, Ermal Meta took to the stage of the Festival di Sanremo 2026 last night with the song "Stella Stellina".
The song is a dedication to a girl killed in Gaza, becoming a tribute to all the innocent victims of the conflict in Palestine.
One detail that caught attention during the performance was the name “Amal” embroidered on the collar of his shirt. “Amal” – which means “hope” in Arabic – does not represent just one girl, but symbolizes all the innocent children of Gaza.
On social media, Meta explained: "The protagonist of 'Stella Stellina' is a little girl without a name, but maybe she has all the names. Aysha, Amal, Layla, Nour, Hind... They could be nobody's daughters, everyone's daughters."
This is not the first time the artist has touched on sensitive social topics. After the song "Vietato morire", which dealt with domestic violence, and the victory at Sanremo 2018 with "Non mi avete fatto niente" alongside Fabrizio Moro, Meta returns with another song that deals with the open wounds of current reality.
The 76th edition of the festival, held at the Teatro Ariston, opened under the direction of Carlo Conti and Laura Pausini, with a tribute to Pippo Baudo and a salute to conductor Peppe Vessicchio. Special guest Tiziano Ferro celebrated the 25th anniversary of the hit "Perdono", lighting up the hall.
After the first night, the provisional classification brought surprises: three women on the podium and in the Top 5 names such as Arisa, Fulminacci, Serena Brancale, Ditonellapiaga, as well as the duo Fedez & Marco Masini.
But for many, the strongest moment of the evening remained "Stella Stellina" – a lullaby that became a call for remembrance and humanity.
