Delia in concert at Arcimboldi Theatre of Milan the February 13, 2026.
Delia it's magic.
And it's not a cliché, it's a fact.
There are artists who fill a theater. And then there are those that transform it. AtArcimboldi this happened: a full theater, two standing ovations, an audience that wasn't just applauding but was recognizing something. Pure talent is recognisable.
And above all, it is appreciated.
This Sicilian girl is not to be included only in the phrase “sings well”. Reducing everything to vocal abilities would be almost offensive. Delia it's stage presence, yes. It's technical, yes. But above all it is a song that comes from far away. An ancient, visceral song, which is not limited to performing but crosses.
Every time I listen to her live I feel pain, melancholy, but also tenacity and strength. It's an emotional mixture that's difficult to build on a table. They are natural skills, those that are not easily taught.
And every now and then, rarely, someone comes along who embodies them all at once.
During X Factor I had written that in his voice I felt an ideal bridge between Mia Martini And Rosa Balistreri. I confirm it. Not by imitation, but by intensity. For that ability to make you vibrate inside without the need for special effects. If we really have to say it clearly: he can declare himself heir to Rosa Balistreri without it sounding like an exaggeration.
A concert that becomes an identity journey
The set list was intelligently constructed. The covers of the route a X Factoralready rewritten and therefore somehow made his own, coexist with new interpretations such as Oddities of love And At least you in the universe. But the truth is that when Delia he takes a song, he doesn't interpret it: he passes through it and returns it transformed. Even covers become original pieces.
His concert is an identity journey. It starts from resistance (Fuck Mr. Lieutenant, Bella Ciao), goes through love and fragility, measures itself against tradition and hybridization (Beethoven + Sakura)until arriving at the encore completely rooted in Sicily.
It's not a nostalgia concert. It is a political concert in the highest sense of the term: it affirms an identity, a language, an education, a vision.
And here lies the difference.
It's not just a powerful voice.
It is a clear artistic position.
And this, today, is very rare.
I was only sorry to hear that I almost had to justify the use of Hello beautiful. A song of freedom and resistance should never be exploited. It has no color, it has no narrow affiliations.
It is collective heritage. And perhaps this is precisely what is annoying.
Then, of course, there are his songs.
Shut up and mutethe latest single, is impressive in its intensity. Likewise, Free And Cleopatra they highlight solid, conscious writing.
And it is precisely here that we understand that we are not just faced with a voice, but with a prepared, trained musician who is master of the material. She studied. And you can feel it. In an era in which, however, we often arrive on stage by skipping fundamental steps, Delia it is proof that immersing yourself completely in a musical, academic and professional environment allows you to bring out special aptitudes. Because training does not extinguish talent. On the contrary, it refines it.
The show is well thought out. It's not a constructed aesthetic, it's a language. Calmly on stage she talks, explains, shows herself for what she is: natural, spontaneous, unconstructed. And humble. Not the superficial humility, the one that is declaimed in interviews and then evaporates behind the scenes. Humble indeed.
I saw her relate with respect. And this thing, today, is not a given.
Applause goes to the choreography of Federica Grecowhich added an extra narrative layer to the show. Some moments were very powerful, particularly the final and up sequences Fuck Mr. Lieutenant: physical and ritual.
The “surprise” duet with is very tender and of great value Serena BrancaleThat Delia he affectionately calls “his sister”. Hold me it's a combination that works and prepares the ground for another highly anticipated vocal meeting: the one a Sanremo with Gregory Porter on Bésame Mucho. If there is a word that can summarize all this, it is perhaps magic.
I wondered what the power of this girl is, capable of filling a theater and making it explode in a roar of applause. Maybe it's simple: his voice is hope.
It is a song that accompanies us and reminds us where we come from.
A star is bornone might say.
But in reality, we already knew that.
I await with curiosity an album entirely of his to understand where musical experimentation will lead. Because if he manages to build an original and courageous sound system around his voice, then we will no longer just talk about revelation.
And every now and then, yes, these things happen.
Delia Arcimboldi concert in Milan – Setlist
- Fuck Mr. Lieutenant
- Hello beautiful
- Carmen
- The song of old lovers
- Oddities of love
- The cure
- Cu mmé
- At least you in the universe
- Dolcenera
- Lose Yourself
- Angry song
- Cleopatra
- Free
- Hold me
- Lullaby
- Beethoven + Sakura
- Swordfish
- Cantu and cuntu
- Cu I told you
- Pirates in Palermo
- You are very beautiful
- Sicily Bedda
- Shut up and mute
