Serena Brancale returns to Sanremo with intimate ballad dedicated to deceased mother
The Italian singer performs "Qui con me," a letter to her mother who died in 2020, after six years of writing the song.
January 28, 2026
Serena Brancale is preparing for her return to the Sanremo Festival with "Qui con me," an intimate ballad she has written as a letter to her mother, a musician who died in 2020.
The Apulian singer said she took six years to write the song and reach the emotional readiness to perform it publicly. "After six years I am ready," Brancale said during a press conference in Milan ahead of her third Festival appearance. "I needed time to find the right words."
"Qui con me" marks a departure from Brancale's previous Sanremo entry last year, "Anema e Core," which became a hit after its debut on the Ariston stage. The new song represents a more stripped-back approach, with the artist planning to perform it standing still at a piano with a microphone.
"I will be immobile. I want only to sing," Brancale said. The arrangement features piano and orchestral strings, with the singer's vocal performance anchoring the composition. Among the song's lyrics is the line: "And if I took you away from those stars to erase your goodbye from my skin."
Brancale described the song as born from a need to expose herself emotionally and finally speak about something she had kept private for six years. "This song is a letter I dedicate to my mother. It required time because I needed to find the right words," she told FqMagazine. "This year I have no mask. I bring the truth to the stage."
The singer, who studied classical music and violin at conservatory, said she inherited passion and discipline from her mother. "When I look in the mirror I see her. We look more and more alike," Brancale said during the Milan press conference.
Regarding the duets segment of the Festival, Brancale offered only a hint about her partner: "It will be an international artist."
In an interview, Brancale also discussed potential changes to the Festival format, suggesting the event could begin at 6 p.m. instead of its current start time. "Spritz and Sanremo," she said, referencing the Italian aperitif tradition.
The performance will showcase what Brancale described as "the musical attire of the ladies of Italian music," a category into which she said she now fits comfortably. She emphasized her desire for the arrangement to remain as neutral as possible, allowing the song and its emotional content to take center stage.