Mahmood (singer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mahmood
Mahmood in November 2019
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 12 September 1992), known by his stage name Mahmood, is a popular Italian singer and songwriter. He became famous after appearing on the Italian TV show The X Factor. Mahmood has won the important Sanremo Music Festival twice. He won in 2019 with his song "Soldi" and again in 2022 with "Brividi", singing alongside Blanco.

Winning Sanremo meant he could represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest in those years. In 2019, he finished in an amazing second place. In 2022, when Italy hosted the contest, he came in sixth place. 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 and Family

Mahmood was born in Milan, Italy. His father is from Egypt and his mother is from Sardinia. He grew up in a part of Milan called Gratosoglio. When he was five years old, his parents separated. After that, his mother raised him.

Mahmood's Music Journey

Starting Out: X Factor and First Songs (2012–2018)

In 2012, Mahmood tried out for the Italian version of The X Factor. He was part of the boys' team. He was eliminated early but came back as a wildcard. He left the show after the third episode. After X Factor, he worked in a bar and went to music school. He learned piano, music theory, and 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 with his song "Dimentica". The next year, he released "Pesos". He also sang on the song "Luna" with rapper Fabri Fibra. In 2018, he released his first collection of songs, called an EP, titled Gioventù bruciata. He also helped write three songs for Marco Mengoni's album Atlantico, including the hit "Hola (I Say)".

Winning Sanremo and Eurovision Success (2018–2020)

Mahmood during a Eurovision rehearsal in May 2019.

In December 2018, Mahmood was chosen to compete in Sanremo Giovani. This is a TV show where new artists compete to get a spot in the main Sanremo Music Festival. Mahmood won his episode with his song "Gioventù bruciata". He also won the Critics' Award. His song "Soldi" was then chosen for the main Sanremo Festival in 2019.

Mahmood performed "Soldi" for the first time on 5 February 2019. The song's co-writer, Dardust, directed the orchestra during his performance. For one show, Mahmood performed "Soldi" with rapper Gué Pequeno. In the final round, "Soldi" was very popular with the expert judges and the press. Mahmood made it to the top three and then won the 69th Sanremo Music Festival! He also won two special awards for his performance and for having the best song.

On 22 February 2019, Mahmood released Gioventù bruciata as a full studio album. It quickly became number one on the Italian albums chart. In April 2019, he was featured on the song "Calipso", which also topped the Italian singles chart. In May 2019, he represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Israel. He sang "Soldi" in the grand final on 18 May and finished in second place. "Soldi" became a huge hit, reaching number one in Greece, Israel, Italy, and Lithuania. 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 in Naples.

New Albums and Return to Eurovision (2020–Present)

On 11 June 2021, Mahmood released his second studio album, Ghettolimpo. Before the album came out, he released five singles: "Rapide", "Dorado" (with Sfera Ebbasta and Feid), "Inuyasha", "Zero" (which was also in a Netflix series), and "Klan".

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 a global hit, reaching number 15 on the Billboard Global 200 chart. At Eurovision, the song finished in sixth place.

Because he is a popular Eurovision star, Mahmood was invited to sing at the ESC 2023 final. He sang "Imagine" by John Lennon. He competed in Sanremo again in 2024 with "Tuta gold". This song quickly became number one in Italy and entered the top songs on Spotify worldwide. He will also help host the 2025 festival.

Mahmood's Musical Style

Mahmood describes his music as "Moroccan pop." He says that Middle Eastern sounds often appear in his songs. For example, his song "Soldi" is about his family and includes a sentence in Arabic. One of his first music memories is listening to Arabic music with his father. Growing up, he also listened to Italian artists like Lucio Battisti and Lucio Dalla. He feels very connected to the culture of Sardinia, which inspires his songwriting.

Mahmood says American singer Frank Ocean is his biggest influence. He likes that Frank Ocean's music is "very free" and that anyone can connect with it. His other favorite artists include Beyoncé, Travis Scott, Jazmine Sullivan, Rosalía, and SZA.

Albums by Mahmood

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

Film Roles

Awards and Achievements

See also

In Spanish: Mahmood para niños