Earlier this summer, Mahmood released his sophomore album Ghettolimpo. While his Eurovision days may be behind him, he has remained in the fold as songwriter, writing for multiple Sanremo 2021 entries. In a recent interview, he said he would be up for a guest performer slot at next year’s contest.
In an interview with Formula TV, Mahmood expressed interest in being a guest performer at next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, due to be hosted in Italy. This came as a response to the question of whether he would want to host the contest.
A presenter? No, no that’s not the case. I don’t always have the right words at the right time! I’d rather be a guest [performer].
Mahmood speaking to Formula TV
While it’s still early days since their win, speculation is rife around Italy’s hosting of Eurovision 2022. While Turin is currently the frontrunner for the host city, the hosts are another important matter. One of the main names touted is Alessandro Cattelan, who hosted X Factor Italy for nine years, included the edition that Måneskin competed in back in 2017.
About Mahmood
In 2016, he made his Sanremo debut in the Newcomers Section with the song “Dimentica”. Following this, he released a number of singles and features. In late 2018 he was announced to be returning to Sanremo with Soldi. Although an outsider, he ended up winning a surprise victory in the super final over the likes of Ultimo and Il Volo. Although controversial at the time, he has since become a huge star in Italy, as shown by the success of Soldi and its parent album Gioventù bruciata. He was originally unsure of whether he would accept the offer of Eurovision participation following the backlash he received, but ultimately confirmed his place. The song went on to achieve second place in Tel Aviv, with 472 points.
After placing second at Eurovision, he embarked on his first European tour, with multiple sold-out dates. Not to mention, the first stop of this tour was the European Parliament! He also won an MTV EMA for Best Italian Artist. After the success of Elodie’s ‘Andromeda’, he returned to Sanremo 2021 as a writer for Francesca Michielin and Fedez’s “Chiamami per nome” and Noemi’s “Glicine”.
Would you like to see Mahmood perform at next year’s contest? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify and YouTube to see our reactions to the news in the run up to the 2022 national final season!
