EGYPTIANITALIAN STAR MAHMOOD MAKES HIS MARK ON EUROVISION
▶ His duet with Blanco is one of the most-streamed songs at this year ’s competition, writes David Tusing
Hot on the heels of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest favourites, Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra, are two of the biggest names in Italian music right now: Mahmood and Blanco. The duo, who hope to repeat the success of their country last year with their song Brividi, are currently second favourites, fan site Eurovisionworld says.
If they beat Ukraine to the trophy, they would create history by winning the longestrunning international TV music competition for a second year in a row for Italy. Last year’s lederhosen-clad rockers, Maneskin, who triumphed with Zitti e Buoni, have gone on to earn global fame.
Mahmood, 29, has been making winning a habit ever since his star turn at the Sanremo Festival, Italy’s renowned music contest, in 2019. Winning the award guaranteed him a spot as his country’s representative at the Eurovision Song Contest that year, when he came second.
Mahmood won the Sanremo Festival again this year, this time for his duet with singer and rapper Blanco, earning the duo a place at Eurovision.
Born Alessandro Mahmoud in Milan to an Egyptian father and Italian mother, Mahmood’s parents separated when he was 5. Determined to make it in the music world, he auditioned for his country’s version of The X Factor in 2012 and made it to the third episode before he was eliminated. The following year, he released his debut single, Fallin’ Rain.
Mahmood has participated in the Sanremo Festival since 2016, eventually winning the competition in 2019. His song, the very personal Soldi, which translates to “money”, is a stirring tune about relationships. In it, Mahmood sings about his father’s absence during his childhood, describing him as a man who disappears and reappears as he pleases. A verse in Arabic – “waladi habibi ta’aleena” (my son, my love, come here) – recalls his memories of his father calling him from the playground.
The Italian song is a global hit, and has been streamed more than 200 million times on Spotify. After it won second place at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2019, it became the most-listened-to Italian song in Spotify’s history. Brividi, Mahmood’s duet with Blanco, is already the most-streamed song from this year’s contest.
Translated as “Chills”, the song speaks about the end of a relationship, and is notable for the singer’s passionate live renditions.
Mahmood, whose debut album, Gioventu bruciata, was released in 2019, says his RnB, rap, trap and hip-hop sound is also heavily influenced by Arabic music. “I listened to both Italian and Arab music growing up. That Arab influence is very much present in my music and I really feel it when I’m writing,” he told Time magazine in 2019.
However, Mahmood says his true sound is difficult to categorise, so he has called it “Morocco pop”.
“People wanted to put my music in a category at all costs, but I don’t really know what it is,” he says. “So that’s what I came up with.”
Mahmood’s rise to prominence has been noticed even beyond the music world. Last year, he starred in a campaign for British fashion brand Burberry.
“Mahmood is a rising star in more ways than one. He has an incredibly sophisticated
People wanted to put my music in a category at all costs, but I don’t really know what it is. So I came up with ‘Morocco pop’ MAHMOOD
Artist
understanding and appreciation of different cultures, beliefs, and languages, which comes across in his music, his videos, his performances,” Burberry chief creative officer, Riccardo Tisci, told Vogue.
“He also has a confident and brave sense of style. He knows what he likes and is not afraid to take risks in anything he does, and this, along with the fact that he is one of the kindest people I know, is something which makes him an amazing collaborator.”