ITALY – More than a month after his participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, Mahmood meet with Vogue Greece in Milan and spoke about everything. The interview was published in the July edition of Vogue Greece.
The previous day he went to the studio recording his second album. “It’s different from the first, but definitely the same staff,” he explains. “I want to tell new stories, to sing songs that will talk about life, that they will say that it continues.” The Soldi piece is definitely one of his most personal ones, having led him a step before winning and brought cool air to a competition that flirted strongly with kitsch.
If the numbers count more, then Spotify counts 76 million streams, while its official YouTube clip has exceeded 100 million views. A piece full of autobiographical details, talking about the difficult relationship with his father. “My parents broke up when I was very young,” he confesses. “My mother was for me and mother and father. I grew up with my father’s absence, but I missed nothing. Nowadays, divorces are commonplace. I think love is all solved. ”
His tone of voice slits out talking to his father. “His reaction when he heard the song was typical. He just told me it was good. I have no advice for children who lack the presence of one parent. I think it is better to grow up with a parent than with anyone. I want to see life positively. My experiences helped me to better observe people and write songs about real situations.”
His Egyptian roots on his father’s side (his mother is Italian and he grew up just outside Milan) raised a storm of reaction in Italy when he won the San Remo historic festival last February, securing the Eurovision ticket. The fires of Italy’s far-right vice-president, Matteo Salvini, have won his victory on a national issue, with the extremist politician questioning the “Italian blood” percentages in young artist’s DNA by making a xenophobic commentary on Twitter. “The situation is now calm. The media have given a dimension to the issue that was not real, “he says, refusing to engage in any political debate.
Even for his sexual identity he keeps silent, while many of his admirers consider him a gay icon, believing that a public coming out only of an animating character would have. “At the moment I’m not interested in talking about anything other than my job. I’m only expressing myself through my songs”, he says and sounds honest.
He would love to give a concert in Greece. “I love your country”, he said.
I remind him that his clothing choices echo the most modern version of street style and replies that he has a fury with Rick Owens, Massimo Giorgetti, Raf Simons and John Galliano’s clothes, and he does not preclude once he launches his own clothes . “I’d love. If I have to set my style, I would say I wear the clothes that make me feel comfortable.”
His artistic name is a mix of his real name (Alessandro Mahmoud) with the English word “my mood”. A reminder that “Our Self is the best role we can play in life,” as he says by closing the interview.
