It's been 12 months since Maneskin won Eurovision and they will be back on the big stage on Saturday night as their home country hosts.
Having trailed behind the likes of Malta, France and Switzerland in the run-up to last year's final, they emerged as the bookies favourite when it mattered most and then soared past their competition in the tele vote to clinch victory with their song Zitti E Buoni. However, the rock act's victory was marred in some controversy as viewers at home said they saw lead singer Damiano David snorting drugs off the table in front of him.
In a press conference after the Eurovision Song Contest final he strongly denied the claims, with Maneskin then taking to Instagram to write: "We really are AGAINST drugs and we never used cocaine. We are ready to get (tested), cause we have nothing to hide." Appearing on BBC Breakfast days later, Damiano said he was looking down at broken glass on the floor and definitely not taking drugs and vowed to take a drugs test, which then came back negative.
He told BBC presenters: "I feel really offended, I think that these kind of things are outrageous. We’re young guys with huge passion for the music and this is actually overshadowing our win. We will get drug tested to prove it’s all speculation."
What happened to Maneskin after Eurovision?
Maneskin left the drugs controversy behind them to have success all over Europe and America. I Wanna Be A Slave, just like Zitti E Buoni. did very well on the iTunes charts in many different countries, including the UK, where it reached number 5, after Zitti E Boni reached 17 in their aftermath of their Eurovision victory.
Their cover of Frankie Valli classic Beggin' was huge in America, where they have also appeared on Saturday Night Live, peaking at number 13. As well as chart success across the world, award wins have also come Maneskin's way, with triumphs at the MTV Europe awards and iHeart Radio ceremony. They were also nominated for a number of accolades at the Brits 2022, landing on the shortlist for International Group and International Song of the Year.
They will be back on the Eurovision stage on Saturday night to perform their new single Supermodel, which was released globally on the eve of the contest.
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