Prior to the 2013 contest, San Marino had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest three times since their debut at the 2008 contest. For all of these appearances, Radiotelevisione della Repubblica di San Marino (SMRTV) hosted internal selection processes, choosing the band Miodio with the song "Complice" for 2008, Senit with "Stand By" for 2011, and Valentina Monetta with "The Social Network Song" for 2012. All competed in the semi-finals of their contests, but failed to qualify for the respective grand finals. To this point, the nation's best placing in the contest was 14th in the semi-finals, which they achieved in the previous year's contest. San Marino did not compete in the 2009 or 2010 contests, citing financial difficulties. On 21 December 2012, San Marino was included on the list of countries that had signed up to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013.