Marco Mengoni is back—and he’s not playing it safe. Just ahead of his highly anticipated stadium tour, the acclaimed Italian singer-songwriter surprises fans with the release of Sto Bene al Mare, an unorthodox summer track that marks his artistic reunion with innovation. Out Friday, June 13, the single brings together an intriguing trio: Mengoni, rapper and genre-blender Rkomi, and rising voice Sayf. It’s a collaboration few expected, and exactly the kind of artistic risk that redefines what a seasonal anthem can sound like.
While the title—translating to “I’m Fine at the Beach”—suggests breezy vibes and effortless vacation escapism, the song itself swims in deeper waters. Co-written by Mengoni, Sayf, and Rkomi, the track explores a tension that lies just beneath the surface of the idyllic beach imagery. It’s a dual narrative: one that balances a yearning for lightness with a confrontation of displacement, uncertainty, and the quiet ache of change. Mengoni’s emotive voice, both intimate and soaring, alternates with the more raw, spoken lines of Rkomi and the stylized delivery of Sayf. Together, they form a lyrical conversation—a sonic push and pull between belonging and being lost.
This emotional complexity is echoed in the production, helmed by DIBLA, Jiz, and Giovanni Pallotti. The track opens with sun-drenched textures—Latin percussion, layered horns, and traces of French pop charm—but slowly reveals darker tonal undercurrents. Gospel-infused choirs constructed by Marco Mengoni himself lend the song an almost spiritual echo, one that amplifies its emotional resonance. There’s a fluidity here, a refusal to conform to one single genre or expectation, which makes Sto Bene al Mare feel genuinely alive.
Instead of giving listeners a standard summer hit designed for passive beachside streaming, Mengoni offers something more nuanced: a track that demands your attention, then rewards it. It’s both a mirror of modern Mediterranean contradictions and a broader metaphor for freedom—who gets to feel it, who’s denied it, and what lies on the other side of the waves. It’s rare for a summer single to invite such reflection, but Mengoni has always made space for emotional honesty inside beautiful soundscapes.
As he steps back into the spotlight with this layered, hypnotic release, Mengoni proves once again that he’s not interested in easy answers or predictable hooks. Sto Bene al Mare is a challenge, a conversation, and—most importantly—a reminder of what pop music can be when artists trust their instincts.
