Mahmood is on his way to becoming a truly global sensation. But you probably already knew that as his Eurovision hit “Soldi” just keeps producing happy returns. The latest piece of news is that the song has reached 100 million streams on Spotify!

Yes, his performance during the grand final in Tel Aviv was only the beginning. In June, just weeks after Eurovision, his video reached 100 million plays on YouTube, becoming the fifth Eurovision track to do so. And while it may not have won in Israel, the video managed to be the most viewed video on the official Eurovision YouTube channel this past month. It’s called momentum.

From gold to platinum, the song is collecting every colour of the rainbow. Since Eurovision it’s achieved platinum status in Spain, Greece, Switzerland and of course in Mahmood’s home country Italy, where it’s now a 3X platinum-certified record. Just recently it also reached gold status in the Netherlands. He’s truly unstoppable!

The song is still charting on the Spotify top 50 in Israel, Iceland, Switzerland, Lithuania, Spain and Malta. Besides that, several of the biggest summer playlists include the Eurovision hit.

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All of that success comes with a very busy schedule: Mahmood is on a non-stop promotional tour. In fact, in a recent interview with a German magazine he said that he has yet to have a week off since Eurovision!

Of course, this success isn’t particularly surprising. During his time in Israel, a news channel devoted a ten-minute programme to the Italian pop sensation. Given his mad skills, mega talent and all the hype, countless fans have already described him as the next Eros Ramazzotti — a legendary Italian singer with 11 albums under his belt.

But Mahmood doesn’t have time to think about all that. Next week he’s set to open for Lauryn Hill in Italy.

What do you think about Mahmood’s success? Did you expect “Soldi” to become a huge hit? And what would you like to see him do next? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.

Read more Italy Eurovision news here

46 Comments
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La Signora
La Signora
4 years ago

Grande zio

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
4 years ago

they need to stop making up certifications, it says nothing on the nvpi website shfkadshks it’s also gold eligible in sweden (4,000,000 streams) but the certification ain’t automatic, his label needs to request it!

congrats king!

Peter
Peter
4 years ago

Soldi is a great, catchy song and IMO absolutely deserves all its success. I still play it daily. In a Song Contest, however, live vocal delivery is also a criteria, and in that respect Duncan Laurence was lightyears ahead of Mahmood.

Jo.
Jo.
4 years ago
Reply to  Peter

Both are great, each one has a different style tho.

funkerman25
funkerman25
4 years ago

comes to show how rigged the contest was this year for Netherlands to win

Jo.
Jo.
4 years ago

just watched the video and…it’s just me who thinks Mahmood’s staging was pretty good? I mean…it was urban, cool, the dancers were not suppose to be like those from Cyprus 2018, Cyprus 2019, Switzerland 2019…it’s not a pop/dance song…
Not to mention that 3 minutes felt like 30 secs.

Serena
Serena
4 years ago
Reply to  Jo.

Staging was good, at least good enough. It can’t be said that victory was hindered by staging. It wasn’t heavily promoted as Duncan, and that’s all.

Sabrina
Sabrina
4 years ago
Reply to  Jo.

I totally agree. It wasn’t “showy” staging, but pretty effective. The red and golden shirt made Mahmood pop up on the screen, the dancers played a part without getting distracting (the moment Mahmood faces them and they bend down is particularly powerful) and the background had some pretty cool ideas.

Sabrina
Sabrina
4 years ago

Duncan and Mahmood both won Eurovision, in different ways. So did Netta and Eleni. Or Salvador and Kristian. And many others that found an audience, got good positions for their countries or simply took positive experiences from the journey. I personally love when there’s more people with reasons to celebrate than only the one who travelled back home with the trophy.

Jonas
Jonas
4 years ago
Reply to  Sabrina

I agree – it was nice to see Mahmood on RAI the night after the contest showing off his Marcel Benezon Award. I know the average viewer doesn’t know about them, but at least the Italians would be familiar with the concept from San Remo.

Robbert
Robbert
4 years ago

What actually determines chart success? In the ‘old’ days it was quite clear. The one with the highest sales of 45T or cd-singles were on top of the charts. Nowadays it seems a bit vague. Is it the sales on I-Tunes, the number of streams on Spotify and the views on YT, or even airplay on the radio that are decisive? Or is it a combination of those? ‘Commercial success’ is difficult to define nowadays. Some artists told me the streams on Spotify and sales on I-Tunes are nice, but it hardly brings them prosperity. What really seems to count… Read more »

Lisa
Lisa
4 years ago
Reply to  Robbert

Robbert, I can tell you about Mahmood: since Eurovision (and before, as he is the winner of the Festival of Sanremo) he never stopped performing. He’s doing the Good vibes tour in Italy, performing the songs of his wonderful album Gioventù bruciata; he did exhibitions after Esc in Sweden ans Spain, and a complete concert in the famous Montreux jazz festival. In August he’ll open a Lauryn Hill concert and in september he’ll perform in Italy, in october in Malta. After Soldi he released a very successful song with other italian singers, Calipso, and he’s working on his next album… Read more »

Skiwalko
Skiwalko
4 years ago

Filter ate my comment, so just in summary:
He’s a great singer with a great song, so no wonder he enjoys such a great success. I just can’t wait for his next projects, I’m very curious about how his style is gonna evolve. I wish him a career full of both artistic and commercial achievements and I’d love to see him back on the Eurovision stage. Who knows, maybe in a few years he’ll become a huge name, like ABBA or Celine Dion did before him? He sure is worth keeping an eye on.

Jo.
Jo.
4 years ago

muymoney mahmood

Skiwalko
Skiwalko
4 years ago

An amazing success of an amazing song. Like woah, dude’s career is just skyrocketing and he’s taking every opportunity that gets on his way. I really hope “Soldi”‘s popularity and great Eurovision finish are just the beginning of a long path full of both commercial and artistic achievements. I’m looking forward to his next songs and projects, I wish him the best and I secretly hope for some Eurovison comeback in the future. Who knows, maybe he’ll become Eurovision’s second ABBA? He sure is a guy worth keeping an eye on.

pepe
pepe
4 years ago

And this is what the official Swiss site says about the platinum status there:
http://www.swisscharts.com/search_certifications.asp?search=mahmood

And apparently Greece stopped handing out certifications years ago.
What is it with all those made up certifications.

pepe
pepe
4 years ago
Reply to  pepe

Here this Italian wiki page says about Greek certifications: “Certificazioni discontinuate”
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progetto:Musica/Certificazioni

edit: what is it on this site that when you provide sources to back up claims, you get down voted?

pepe
pepe
4 years ago
Reply to  Florian Rahn

Only the official pages are credible sources. The claim that Soldi is platinum in Switzerland is from months ago. And even after all that time it is still not on the official site. Even Luca Haenni’s platinum is mentioned there. The articles you quote are merely repeating what the record companies claim. It is the same as mentioning this article as a source.

Jonas
Jonas
4 years ago
Reply to  pepe

You linked to Wikipedia, so I don’t think you’re in a position to lecture about credible sources…

pepe
pepe
4 years ago
Reply to  Jonas

I linked to the official databases of the Dutch and Swiss certifications.
If someone has a source that says that Greece does hand out certifications, they are welcome to provide it.

Besides, there is nothing wrong with wikipedia, provided that you check the sources they use.

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
4 years ago
Reply to  Jonas

that wikipedia page cites all the sources needed and from the official websites of music associations that hand out certifications in each country so yea it’s 100% legit

pepe
pepe
4 years ago
Reply to  Florian Rahn

And what about the Greek certification, even though Greece apparently doesn’t hand out certifications anymore? What about some critical journalism?

EuroSluuuuutty
EuroSluuuuutty
4 years ago
Reply to  pepe

@pepe clever enough tbh

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
4 years ago
Reply to  Florian Rahn

labels love making up certifications that don’t actually exist. always trust official sources only. thresholds have been reached but the certifications haven’t been requested. as for greece that one is flat out fake, he’s at 3.5 million streams there

pepe
pepe
4 years ago

If it goes gold in the Netherlands than why is there no mention on the official page?
https://nvpi.nl/nvpi-audio/marktinformatie/goud-platina/

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
4 years ago
Reply to  pepe

his label hasn’t requested the certification. unlike in italy, they aren’t automatic in the netherlands. so yea there’s no real gold certification in the netherlands for soldi even though he’s reached the 40,000 units threshold

Tom
Tom
4 years ago

The Real winner of Eurovision like Eleni Foureira in 2018
Slay Mahmood!

Sam
Sam
4 years ago
Reply to  Tom

Both are great no doubt and I’m happy to see that Arcade won the contest and Soldi won the battle for the charts. I wish more songs from the ESC could be as successful commercially. Many of them deserve it as well!!

pepe
pepe
4 years ago
Reply to  Sam

Even the battle for the charts is debatable. If you visit the wiki pages of both Soldi and Arcade and compare the chart peaks you can see that Arcade charted in more countries.
edit: those chart peaks are all backed up with sources on wikipedia, so they can all be trusted.

Serena
Serena
4 years ago
Reply to  pepe

I tell you a secret, but don’t tell anyone. the winner always charts, who doesn’t wanna listen at least once? but it all comes down to how long stays on top, and the general sell.

pepe
pepe
4 years ago
Reply to  Serena

Listen to a song once doesn’t make you chart. Selling, downloading and streaming does.

Serena
Serena
4 years ago
Reply to  pepe

it wasn’t on top very long, and that’s a fact. as the fact that whether the label requested certification or not, soldi is eligible for gold 🙂
See you Tim

pepe
pepe
4 years ago
Reply to  Serena

Whereas Soldi was of course a huge international hit, at least when you redefine international as in Spain and Israel. Or are there other countries were Soldi is still charting?
You don’t seem to understand what a certification is. You can’t make it up yourself. You have to apply for it. The Dutch site even says so:
“Zonder de NVPI-penning heeft een gouden of platina product geen internationaal erkende status en geen waarde.”

Serena
Serena
4 years ago
Reply to  pepe

1. How did you assumed i speak dutch?
2. eligible is the word i used.
3. Please do yourself a favour. go on kworb and compare duncan and mahmood’s charting right now. it’s a pity you haven’t done it in the last couple of months. duncan looked miserable even right after the victory. don’t get me wrong, it was charting well, there was definitely some day after effect, but with only one song and nothing to promote, it just faded away pretty soon…. 😀

pepe
pepe
4 years ago
Reply to  Serena

Google translate doesn’t work where you live?
No wonder you don’t know whet “certification” means.

Serena
Serena
4 years ago
Reply to  pepe

ehheheh hey bitch, i answered your question. i just wanted to make it clear to you that certification or not, your duncan is definitely the follow up in terms of general success.
maybe he can do better but probably he won just because he hadn’t anything else to do than promote his one and only song 😀

pepe
pepe
4 years ago
Reply to  Serena

He visited only two pre parties and he barely did any promotion before the contest. The quality of the song did the job. Soldi was already winning the streams and views on youtube in the months before the contest. As did Francesco Gabbani. Maybe Italians should accept that that is always the case with the San Remo winner. As for commercial success of those two songs, it all depends on the country. There are several countries in which Arcade does noticeable better. Even now months after the contest. The same can be said of Soldi of course. If you look… Read more »

Serena
Serena
4 years ago
Reply to  pepe

Gabbani went just viral, but i’ve never thought he had too much of a career in front of him.
Dunca was ubiquitous on social media. I do point out on how the dutch broadcaster managed to gain the next edition, but i basically have sympathy for Duncan himself, though i don’t like the song. I’m afraid he may very well just be just another exploited unknown guy with not much of a career.
Mahmood has a career, and i said from day 1.

pepe
pepe
4 years ago
Reply to  Serena

Duncan was hardly active on social media before the contest. And there is nothing exploited about Duncan. He goes his own way, makes his own decisions. For example he didn’t do one single Pride, even though that would have been the exploitative thing to do. He performed last week at a very small festival (Vestingpop) in the little town he grew up in, even though he didn’t need that for his career. Duncan performed in Oslo (VG Lista festival), Stockholm (Allsang pa Skansen), Belgium (guest performance in the final of The Voice of Flanders), Germany (Fernsehgarten), France (NRJ festival in… Read more »

Serena
Serena
4 years ago
Reply to  pepe

he needs to came out with some new music NOW since his name is still kind of popular. because being hosted in some local festival with your one and only song feels like promotions to me, or a guy enjoying festivals, but is not promising for your career since there’s no material there. (he was ubiquitous on social media!without talking of the sellinge narrative of the late friend, that exixted only in promotion with very few people giving a single listen to the actual lyrics. just watch wiwibloggs channel. I’m sorry to break it to such a great Duncan’s stan,… Read more »

Lisianthus
Lisianthus
4 years ago
Reply to  Tom

I’m so tired of the whole ‘this song that didn’t win is the real winner’ thing. Arcade got more jury points ánd televoting points than Soldi. There was no landslide win this year, but there was a landslide top 2. Soldi is getting more streams because hiphop is always streamed a lot.

PowerToThePeople
PowerToThePeople
4 years ago
Reply to  Lisianthus

Norway was the real winner (and televote winner)

Jo.
Jo.
4 years ago

They won the televoting because of the Nordic block voting, otherwise, Duncan would’ve won. They didn’t smash it like Il Volo and Lazarev did.

Indiana07
Indiana07
4 years ago
Reply to  Jo.

But Lazarev was also hugely supported by Russian diaspora. So I’d say that only Il Volo smashed it.

Lisa
Lisa
4 years ago
Reply to  Tom

Bigger, as Serena said in her comment above, I think one of the reason is that Mahmood wasn’t heavily promoted as Duncan; even because probably Rai and Italy are not so interested (unluckily) in organizing Esc in Italy (and Italians in general don’t follow Eurovision).
And Mahmood didn’t have a big audience abroad before Esc, he was known just in Italy because of sanremo and before Sanremo he was almost unknown also in Italy.
He’s having a huge success because Soldi is an amazing song.