At the SIAE Music Awards 2025 the most present absence was that of Ornella Vanoni. From the entrance it was evident: the evening, opened with a simple “Ciao, Ornella”, was entirely dedicated to her. A tribute that transformed the event into a collective portrait rather than an award ceremony.
Fiorella Mannoia gave the first homage, performing a song already shared with Vanoni at the Baths of Caracalla and remembering her as “a free, intelligent, elegant, cultured woman.” Amadeus evoked her irony and frankness, while Mogol and Mario Lavezzi brought personal memories to the stage. Lavezzi revealed a detail that touched everyone: Ornella was working on a new song with Gino Paoli, with the studio already booked for 27 November. An image that conveyed, more than any words, her inexhaustible energy.
Alongside the tribute, as every year, the award categories offered a snapshot of the state of the music industry. And it is precisely here that the evening showed its clearest truth: Italian music continues to live above all on its historical foundations. “Nel blu dipinto di blu”, “Sarà perché ti amo”, “Caruso”, “Albachiara” still dominate live performances. The new generations emerge mainly in streaming - with Annalisa, Mahmood, Angelina Mango, Tuta Gold - but remain an isolated component of the overall picture.
The international charts reflect the same unstable balance: “Freed From Desire”, “I’m Good (Blue)” and “I Wanna Be Your Slave” describe a fragmented global presence, not yet guided by a precise direction. When Amadeus speaks of music that changes and of the protection of rights, his words seem projected further ahead than the data from the categories: the aim of the snapshot, this year, was not focused on the future.
Amid these tensions, the tribute to Ornella took on an even deeper meaning. Not nostalgia, but authenticity. Her symbolic presence sharpened what often escapes notice: an artist is contemporary when she continues to speak to people, regardless of time. The closing, with Mannoia performing “Senza fine”, was not a farewell but the sign that the conversation with Ornella has not yet ended.
The SIAE Music Awards 2025 were like this: a celebration that, in telling the story of music, clearly revealed the precise point at which the sector stands today. And in this truth, Ornella was the brightest presence of all.