Over 3 million streams in 24 hours, debut in fifth position in the global Spotify ranking, 10 million views between the official video clip and that of the Ariston stage performance, first position in the Fimi / GfK ranking of the best-selling singles in Italy .
The success of Mahmood and Blanco's “Chills”, competing in the 72nd edition of the Sanremo Festival, is extraordinary. But it is above all they who have conquered the general public, with their simplicity and humility. The agreement between the two is extreme: Mahmood, aka Alessandro Mahmoud, 29, mother of Orosei and Egyptian father, is one of the greatest and most original exponents of the Italian urban pop songwriter with 12 platinum discs and 9 gold discs in Italy, 6 platinum discs and 3 gold discs abroad and almost 1.5 billion total streaming assets. Blanco, born Riccardo Fabbriconi, just 18 years old from Brescia, has collected 28 platinum records, 7 gold records and 1 billion total streaming in less than a year.
Firmly in the lead in the ranking of the fourth evening, they reflect the expectations that saw them as favorites: "But the favorites never win anyway!" Meanwhile, each of their performances triggers and excites the social networks, and it seems almost a ballet studied in detail: “Instead we don't plan anything - reveals Mahmood - also because we fear that if this were the case it would be noticed. We do what we feel like doing. I'm glad you like it, we are receiving so much love, now I just hope not to disappoint anyone ".
"THRILLS" - The song, written and composed by them with the producer Michelangelo, is a romantic ballad with piano and strings. It tells of two boys, belonging to two different generations, who "love with the same passion and the same fears - the fear of making mistakes and feeling inadequate, unable to convey what one feels - and with the desire to love in total freedom, giving everything of oneself ", explains Mahmood. For Blanco we speak of" a state of mind that I can to express only by singing and screaming. It is a crossing of lives: mine, which has a point in common with that of Mahmood and in a certain sense with that of everyone, because at every age the feelings - especially love - they make us fragile and happy at the same time ”.
The video clip, one of the most viewed on YouTube, was shot in Amsterdam and directed by Attilio Cusani. They are seen running around on "diamond bikes" made for them with Swarovski crystals.
THE COVER - Last night even the cover - "The sky in a room" by Gino Paoli - was much appreciated. Very few changes have been made, if not those dictated by their personality.
“A sensational piece”, says Blanco, “and whoever thinks of changing it means that he hasn't understood anything”. The two also received the compliments of Gino Paoli: "If they had sucked I would say it without problems - admitted the Genoese singer-songwriter on the pages of Repubblica - but instead they were good, they did something right. 'Heaven in a room 'lends itself to being sung with two voices, in this case they were two male voices and they hit the right chords ". In yesterday's race they finished in second place, but no regrets for them: “Gianni Morandi and Jovanotti (the winners, ed) were fantastic”.
THE ILLNESS - While waiting for the final, the two meanwhile enjoy the whirlwind of emotions of the Sanremo week: “We will achieve everything when we return home”, Mahmood's words. That yesterday in this whirlwind he had a little illness, just before going on stage. “Last night - he explained - I went out with a jacket that uncovered my stomach, I got a little cold and I felt bad in the hotel. Luckily then it passed ".
GREAT FRIENDS - For him it is the second experience as a "big" in Sanremo after the victory in 2019 with "Soldi". “Yet it's like it's the first time, because I'm not alone. The energy is different, I am experiencing everything as a completely new thing ”.
He doesn't feel like an older brother at all for “Ricky”, as he calls him: “He's teaching me a lot, how to be on stage, how to get out of the box since he's 18 and lives everything more freely. Here, I learned to think a little less ". For Blanco, on the other hand, Alessandro's presence is reassuring: “It gives me peace of mind”.
STREAMING - The fifth position in Spotify's global ranking is the highest position ever for a song in Italian. For Blanco it is the demonstration that “when the Italian public supports so much you can fly very high. Long live Italy! ". But the Sanremo regulation must not be changed, according to Mahmood: "The ratings must be the answer, I would not count them for the match". Otherwise, they would have already swept away.