Arisa wins 64th Sanremo song festival with Controvento

(ANSA) - Roma, February 23 - Italian pop singer Arisa over the weekend won in the champions' contest at the 64th Sanremo Festival, the annual five-evening song competition and entertainment extravaganza.
    Arisa's performance of "Controvento" (Against the wind) beat out fellow finalists Raphael Gualazzi, The Bloody Beetroots and Renzo Rubino in an evening whose programme was dominated by showbiz stalwarts Maurizio Crozza and Luciano Ligabue, a popular comedian and a celebrity singer-songwriter.
    "Everything's okay. I am content. I am truly happy," said Arisa, as soon as she took the stage Saturday night. Among other show-stoppers, Crozza parodied of neo-Premier Matteo Renzi's political promises and skewered Fiat president and Agnelli heir John Elkann for saying young people don't have work because they sit at home.
    "They didn't inherit Fiat from your grandfather like you did," said Crozza.
    The winner among the new artists was rapper Rocco Hunt with "Nu Journo Buono".