The song by Lucio Corsi becomes a TikTok trend that invites to sensitivity

The real surprise of this Sanremo 2025 (much more than Olly's victory, which, for better or worse, had been predicted by many) was undoubtedly Lucio Corsi. The Tuscan singer-songwriter, born in 1993, took to the stage wearing the same outfits he wears on tour, with bags of chips stuffed under his shoulder pads to keep them up, with Topo Gigio, and with his longtime friend and guitarist Tommaso Ottomano. His face was covered in roughly applied white makeup, his lower lash line traced with black eyeliner, and his perfectly straight yet slightly messy hair completed the look that wowed everyone—absolutely everyone. So much so that, during the Holy Week of Italian television, everyone was claiming that their favorite artist in this rather lackluster edition was him. Yet, Corsi has had a long career as a singer-songwriter, acted alongside Carlo Verdone in Vita da Carlo, and recently launched a tour that is already partially sold out.

Lucio Corsi on social media: a fairy-like figure on Twitter

On Twitter—the platform where the festival was perhaps most actively discussed—Lucio was discovered by a flood of new users, while those who already knew him indulged in their worst hipsterism, declaring, "I've been a fan since...". He was compared to a fairy-tale creature, a Fantabosco character, a little bird, and even a fairy. Most notably, thanks to his song Volevo essere un duro, where he sings: "Ho anche paura del buio / Se faccio a botte, le prendo / Così mi truccano gli occhi di nero / Ma non ho mai perso tempo / È lui che mi ha lasciato indietro" (I'm afraid of the dark too / If I get into a fight, I lose / So they paint my eyes black / But I've never wasted time / It's time that left me behind) he became the champion of nerds and misfits—all those who struggle to be bold, to assert themselves, and to elbow their way through a world where audacity is seen as a virtue while shyness, kindness, sincerity, sensitivity, and delicacy are almost considered flaws. His song acknowledges this "defeat" but transforms it into an invitation to radically accept one's weaknesses and differences, turning them into a weapon and a sincere shield against a world that promotes aggression and individualism.

And the TikTok meme based on Volevo essere un duro

On TikTok, countless users are also weighing in, listing all the reasons why they are not tough, even if part of them wishes they were. Some talk about their sensitivity, others recall the time they cried watching a cartoon, while others apply the trend to their pets—often big dogs with tender hearts. The trend spread so widely that a controversy arose, with TikTok users posting: "If you were a bully in high school, you don't need to participate in this trend," and similar statements. So, what does this tell us? If we use it as a point of reflection, we might say that people often perceive themselves differently from how they appear to others. We might say that the division between bullies and victims, from the inside, is not as clear-cut as it seems. All of us—every single one—have a fragile side, whether we try to hide it or wear it like a badge of honor. And sometimes, we feel the need to share it, especially when a song like Volevo essere un duro by Lucio Corsi, the fairy-like sprite of Fantabosco, has its moment in the mainstream spotlight.