Eurovision star Mahmood returns with new single ‘Barrio’
Eurovision runner up Mahmood keeps serving us new music. The Italian singer who represented Italy in the contest with the song ‘Soldi’, already had the album Gioventù Bruciata ready before the competition commenced. Now he is back with his first post Eurovision solo release, titled ‘Barrio’. It is another contemporary blend of pop and hiphop, but this time with some more traditional influences as well.

The track starts off with a guitar riff that immediately takes us to Latin America. It keeps running through the tune which is dominated by an upbeat electronic pop beat. The bridge towards the chorus mixes these elements with more hiphop infused sounds. The chorus delivers a drop that does somewhat sound like ‘Bad Guy’ by Billie Eilish and not just because of the beats, but also thanks to the vocal delivery. The title ‘Barrio’ refers to the Spanish term that means ‘neighbourhood’ and Mahmood sings how the ‘barrio’ always sounds the same over a production made up of sounds of gunshots and cash, created by Dardust and Charlie Charles.

The tune is catchy right at the very first listen and the production is contemporary and right on the money. Mahmood already has a style going on that is completely his own and which he owns to the fullest, both vocally and lyrically. ‘Barrio’ is not at all a copy of what he does on ‘Soldi’, but the tracks totally make sense next to each other. Mahmood just gets it and I can’t wait what he comes up with next.