Mahmood (singer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mahmood
Mahmood in February 2024
Background information
Birth name	Alessandro Mahmoud
Born	(1992-09-12) 12 September 1992 (age 32) Milan, Italy
Genres	Pop R&B hip hop
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Years active	2012–present
Labels	Universal Music

Alessandro Mahmoud (born on September 12, 1992), known as Mahmood, is an Italian singer and songwriter. He became famous after appearing on the Italian TV show The X Factor.

Mahmood has won the Sanremo Music Festival twice. He won in 2019 with his song "Soldi". He won again in 2022 with Blanco for their song "Brividi". These wins allowed him to represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest. He finished second in 2019 and sixth in 2022.

Mahmood has released three studio albums: Gioventù bruciata, Ghettolimpo, and Nei letti degli altri. He is one of the most streamed artists in Italy.

Early Life

Mahmood was born in Milan, Italy. His father was Egyptian, and his mother was Sardinian. He grew up in a part of Milan called Gratosoglio. When he was five years old, his parents separated. His mother then raised him.

Music Career

Early Career and X Factor

In 2012, Mahmood tried out for the Italian version of The X Factor. He joined the boys' team, guided by Simona Ventura. He was eliminated early but came back as a wildcard. He was later eliminated in the third episode of the show.

After X Factor, Mahmood worked in a bar. He also went to a music school. There, he studied piano, music reading, and music theory. This is where he started writing his own songs. In 2013, he released his first song, "Fallin' Rain".

In 2016, Mahmood took part in the Newcomers section of the Sanremo Music Festival 2016. He sang a song called "Dimentica". In 2017, he released "Pesos" and won an award at the Wind Summer Festival. He also worked with rapper Fabri Fibra on the song "Luna". In September 2018, he released his first collection of songs, called Gioventù bruciata. He also helped write three songs for Marco Mengoni's album Atlantico, including "Hola (I Say)".

Sanremo Wins and Eurovision Success

Mahmood during a Eurovision rehearsal in May 2019.

In December 2018, Mahmood was chosen to compete in Sanremo Giovani. This competition helps pick new artists for the main Sanremo Music Festival 2019. Mahmood won his part of the show with his song "Gioventù bruciata". He also won the Critics' Award. His song "Soldi" was then chosen for the Sanremo Music Festival 2019.

Mahmood performed "Soldi" for the first time on February 5, 2019. The song's co-writer, Dario "Dardust" Faini, led the orchestra during his performance. On February 8, 2019, Mahmood performed a new version of "Soldi" with rapper Gué Pequeno. In the final round, "Soldi" was very popular with the expert jury and the press. Mahmood made it to the top three and then won the festival. He also received special awards for his performance and for having the best song.

On February 22, 2019, Mahmood released Gioventù bruciata as a full album. It quickly became number one on the Italian album charts. In April 2019, he was featured on the song "Calipso", which also topped the Italian charts. In May 2019, he represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv, Israel. He performed "Soldi" in the final and finished in second place. "Soldi" became a huge hit, topping charts in several countries. It was also the most-streamed Eurovision song on Spotify for a while. Mahmood also performed at the closing ceremony of the 2019 Summer Universiade.

New Albums and Second Eurovision

On June 11, 2021, Mahmood released his second studio album, Ghettolimpo. Before the album came out, he released five singles. These included "Rapide", "Dorado" (with Sfera Ebbasta and Feid), and "Inuyasha". His song "Zero" was also part of the soundtrack for a Netflix series.

Mahmood returned to Sanremo in 2022 with Blanco. They sang "Brividi" and won the festival. This meant they would represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin. "Brividi" became popular worldwide, reaching number 15 on the Billboard Global 200 chart. At Eurovision, the song finished in sixth place.

Mahmood was a special guest performer at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool. He sang "Imagine" by John Lennon.

Recent Work

Mahmood competed in Sanremo again in 2024 with his song "Tuta gold". The song quickly reached number one in Italy. It also entered the global top songs on Spotify. He also co-hosted the fourth night of the 2025 festival.

Music Style

Mahmood describes his music as "Moroccan pop." He says his songs often have sounds from the Middle East. For example, his song "Soldi" includes a sentence in Arabic. He remembers listening to Arabic music with his father when he was young.

He also grew up listening to Italian artists like Lucio Battisti and Lucio Dalla. Mahmood feels very connected to Sardinia's culture. This often inspires him when he writes songs.

Mahmood has said that American singer Frank Ocean is his biggest influence. He likes that Frank Ocean's music is "very free" and that anyone can relate to it. He also enjoys music by Beyoncé, Travis Scott, Jazmine Sullivan, Rosalía, and SZA.

Discography

Studio albums

• Gioventù bruciata (2019)
• Ghettolimpo (2021)
• Nei letti degli altri (2024)

Filmography

Films

Awards and Nominations