Jalisse

Executive summary

Jalisse is an Italian pop duo made up of Alessandra Drusian and Fabio Ricci. They formed in 1994 and reached national fame in 1997 after winning Festival di Sanremo with Fiumi di parole. Soon after, they represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 in Dublin and placed fourth. However, Eurovision is only one part of the story. Over the years, the duo kept writing, releasing music, and appearing on television. In the 2020s, they returned to strong public attention with reality TV, guest spots, and new singles that continue into 2026. 

Early lives and how the duo formed

Drusian was born on 18 May 1969 in Oderzo, near Treviso. Ricci was born on 5 September 1965 in Rome. Ricci’s early career startet in the late 1980s, when he joined Vox Populi as a singer and keyboard player and released his first record in 1987. The pair met in 1990 in a record-company environment and began both a professional and personal partnership. They officially formed Jalisse in 1994, and they married in 1999. 

Sanremo breakthrough and the Eurovision chapter

The duo built momentum through RAI’s Sanremo system. In 1996, they competed with Liberami. One year later, they returned with “Fiumi di parole” and won Sanremo 1997, a result also highlighted in RAI’s archive summary of that edition.Ricci composed the song, while Drusian co-wrote the lyrics with Carmen Di Domenico. Columbia Records released the 1997 single, and catalog listings describe it in pop ballad terms. After Sanremo, Jalisse took the song to Eurovision 1997 and finished fourth, which gave them major international visibility without turning their later career into a Eurovision-only story. 

Albums, songwriting, and special projects

After 1997, Jalisse released the debut album Il cerchio magico del mondo, and MusicBrainz lists it as an official 1997 studio album. Italian music press later said the album did not match the attention of their Sanremo win, yet the duo kept experimenting and producing themed work. In 1999, they created Luce e pane during the beatification period of Padre Pio, and press coverage described it as a dedicated, special-purpose release. Drusian also expanded into musical theatre and TV appearances in the early 2000s. Later, Jalisse released Siedi e ascolta in 2006, which Rockol describes as a reworking with additional material. Around the same period, Rita Levi-Montalcini wrote “Linguaggio universale” for them, but Sanremo’s 2007 selection rejected it. 

The long run of Sanremo rejections

Over time, Jalisse became linked with perseverance as much as with their 1997 trophy. Italian outlets often reported that the duo kept sending new songs to Sanremo, yet selectors did not choose them. In December 2021, la Repubblica wrote that they had submitted a song every year for 25 years without being selected again. Later, ANSA described further rejections and quoted the duo’s public messages, moving from “26” rejections in 2022 to “27” in 2023. In 2022, an ANSA report also quoted them joking that they would keep trying “until 2040.” By late 2025, Italian media again described their non-selection for Sanremo 2026 as the 29th rejection. Still, the duo kept answering each “no” with another new song and another attempt. 

Recent activity and releases up to 2026

In late 2022, the duo released the Christmas single “Noi l’unica salvezza”. Then, in 2023, they joined L’Isola dei Famosi as contestants. A July 2023 interview reported that they finished writing Perdono during the program and released it on 30 June 2023, followed by a tour that started on 1 July. On 10 February 2024, they returned to Teatro Ariston as guests; ANSA reported that Fiorello helped bring them back, with Amadeus presenting them and conductors Leonardo De Amicis and Beppe Vessicchio involved. In January 2025, RAI’s catch-up pages show them revisiting the 1997 song on Domenica In and discussing their long wait on Citofonare Rai2. As of 2026, streaming catalogs list new releases including “No No No No!”, “TARATATA”, and “BELLA NAPOLI”. The Best of Jalisse also appears in MusicBrainz as a 2025 digital compilation entry. 

Sound and reputation

Jalisse builds its identity on big melody, strong duet singing, and emotional Italian pop storytelling. Discography sources describe “Fiumi di parole” as a ballad-style pop release, and the song still acts as their signature. Yet their wider career shows range, from faith-linked releases to theatre work and reality-TV exposure. Because the duo often speaks openly about repeated festival rejections, many outlets now treat Jalisse as a symbol of persistence in the face of gatekeeping. Their continued output into 2026 supports that reputation, and it shows a career that kept moving long after the 1997 breakthrough.