The singer talks about himself from the first stage in Paris, waiting for the competition in Turin
From our correspondent
PARIS – It will be a question of DNA, a Sardinian mother and an Egyptian father, but that of barriers and borders that are not only geographic is a theme that returns in the life and career of Mahmood. “Going on tour in Europe, singing songs abroad together with audiences who speak other languages gives me immense happiness. Music travels beyond linguistic and cultural barriers, it unites everyone and the exchange that takes place live confirms this “, he says at the end of the concert at the Bataclan in Parisopening of a European tour that will take him to Antwerp, Amsterdam, Lausanne, Zurich, London and Madrid.
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Immediately after there will be the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin. With Blanco and «Broglie», winner in Sanremo, will represent Italy. Second place in 2019 offered Mahmood a passport to Europe. In the following months, «Money» became a hit with over 100 million streams, 57% of which came from abroad. Bookmakers imagine them in second place. If the owl alone. “Italy can’t win two years in a row … That’s how it went with football: in 2020 the victory and this year out”. The focus is on Ukraine. «What is happening is not worth 20 Eurovision’s victory. So if it could help, I would make Ukraine win ».
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The organization has decided to exclude Russia, and how with tennis we discuss whether it is right to make artists (or athletes) pay for the faults of a government. «The highest levels are involved in the organization of the event in Rai. I guess that’s the case for Russia too, and maybe those same people don’t want to be there. And then … Russia versus Ukraine? I feel like saying, are you not ashamed? ». Also Achille Lauro will be in the race, under the flag of San Marino. «It would make me strange to think of going against our country, but I respect the choice of going with San Marino, also because as a consequence he has to endure everything they are saying behind him. All in all it did not do so badly ».
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The Bataclan is sold outabout 1700 people including the designer
Christian Louboutin, majority of Italians but the languages in the audience mix. On the stairs to the gallery you can still see the bullet marks from the 2015 attack in which 90 people were killed. On stage he spoke of “music that must unite and not divide: immortal”. He deepens the theme: «During the rehearsals I felt a bit of anxiety and tension. But I also understood that music is used to overcome certain moments. In places like this, people create connections that must not be interrupted ».
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On stage she goes up in a metallic dress, almost a costume superhero. A vertical screen and elegant lights make the scenography that will also return on Italian dates: «An experimental and minimal stylistic choice». The use of the voice is not minimal. Since «Dei», the song that opens the set, he has been embroidering melodies with an imprint that seems to carry his Arab origins inside. “It’s a choice I made because singing always the same way bores me, but more than a muezzin sometimes I think I’m an American trapper.” From the front rows comes the request for a piece in Arabic: «They wanted“ Sabri Aleel ”by the Egyptian Sherine. I had done it at the Notte della Taranta 2020. It has been a long time since I trained with Arabic and I apologized for the pronunciation. At the time I had studied pronunciation with Aziz, my hairdresser ».
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The gods of ancient Egypt populate the visuals on “Dorado”. «T’amo» is the song dedicated to mom that contains the classic Sardinian folk «Non potho reposare». With dad the feelings expressed in «Soldi» were more rough: «Lately I haven’t been hearing it, I had done it after Sanremo. When all this ends and I have more time there will be a way to confront each other. Mom acts as an intermediary, he always did it even when he let me go to Egypt at the age of 8 despite the conflicting opinions in the family: they feared he would not let me return. You never spoke badly of him. ‘
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Autotune is there, but it’s a tool, not a trick to cover the uncertainties. The sounds look more to electronics and on «Kobra» the synths have the same pulsating force as the electric lash of the guitar of «Icaro». The finale pushes with the hits: «Barrio» and «Rapide». The audience sings the part of Blanco in “Shivers”: «I never get tired, I thought listening to her on the plane coming here». And in the encore “Soldi” an “exaggerated closure”.
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April 24, 2022 (change April 25, 2022 | 00:23)
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