"Soldi" is a song recorded by Italian singer Mahmood. It was released on 6 February 2019, as the fifth single from his debut studio album, Gioventù bruciata. Mahmood co-wrote the song with Dario "Dardust" Faini and Charlie Charles, who also produced it. Mahmood performed the song for the first time at the 69th Sanremo Musical Festival in February 2019 and won the competition, receiving the right to represent Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. "Soldi" was later confirmed as his Eurovision entry, eventually reaching second place in the final. The song is predominantly in Italian, with one line in Arabic, making it the fourth time that a Eurovision song features the Arabic language after entries by in, in and in . "Soldi" topped the charts in Greece, Israel, Italy and Lithuania and reached the top 10 in five more countries. The song became the most-streamed Eurovision song ever on Spotify.
Background and composition
Interviewed by TV Sorrisi e Canzoni, Mahmood revealed he started writing the song while hanging out with some friends. Despite this, it took a long time for him to complete the song. Producers Dardust and Charlie Charles contributed its sound, renewing it with contemporary elements borrowed from trap music. Hip hop sounds are also mixed with Arabic influences. The song structure does not include a proper chorus. According to Italian producer and musician Andrea Rodini, the song's hook is based on three different elements: the repetition of the word "soldi", the verse "come va", pronounced multiple consecutive times, and the sound of clapping hands, which Rodini describes as a "cubistic" chorus. "Soldi" is an autobiographic song about Mahmood's "unconventional family". Its lyrics explore Mahmood's relationship with his father, who left his family while he was a child. It depicts a lying, contradictory and unreliable father, whose main priority is money instead of his own family. Money is therefore represented as one of the causes of the end of a father-and-son relationship, marking a strong departure from trap music themes, which usually depicts money as the ultimate goal of life. Mahmood explained that the song's lyrics "evoke a memory" and that "there's a lot of anger" in it. Its verses reproduce a series of different pictures, often used by Mahmood as metaphors. The song also includes a sentence in Arabic. Although he cannot speak Arabic, Mahmood explained that he remembers how his Egyptian father called him when he was a child, and that he chose to include this verse as a way to bring him back to a particular moment in time.
In December 2018, Mahmood was one of 24 acts selected to compete in Sanremo Giovani, a televised competition aimed at selecting two newcomers as contestants of the 69th Sanremo Music Festival. Competing acts were split in two separate groups, which performed in different live shows. A winner from each group was declared, and Mahmood placed first in the second episode of the show, with his entry "Gioventù bruciata". Mahmood also received the Critics' Award among acts performing in the second final. "Soldi" was later announced as his entry for the Sanremo Music Festival 2019. Mahmood performed the song for the first time during the first live show of the 69th Sanremo Music Festival, which was held on 5 February 2019. He was the 24th and final act to appear on stage, performing after midnight. Dario "Dardust" Faini, co-writer of the song, directed the Sanremo Orchestra during his performance. During the third live show, "Soldi" was the first performance of the night. On 8 February 2019, Mahmood performed the song in a new version, featuring rapper Gué Pequeno. During the first round of the final, "Soldi" placed 7th in the televote, but was the most voted by the experts jury, and the second most voted by the press jury. As a result, Mahmood gained a spot in the top three acts of the competition. After an additional performance, the song was declared the winner of the 69th Sanremo Music Festival, beating Ultimo's "I tuoi particolari" and "Musica che resta" by Il Volo, which placed second and third, respectively. Mahmood also received the "Enzo Jannacci" Award for Best Performance.
