Måneskin — winners of the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest — continue building their profile and star power on the other side of the Atlantic. On Saturday they added more fuel to their fire in the United States with an appearance on the long-running NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live.

The group owned the stage with their confidence, charisma and stage presence, performing their cover of “Beggin'” first. Damiano’s non-chalant style, the group’s chemistry and their collective energy gave off so many feels, they could have filled a stage far larger than the one at hand. 

The group’s performances from the SNL YouTube channel, which we’ve embedded below, aren’t available outside of the United States. Be sure to scroll to the end of this post to see clips from the SNL Instagram account, which are playing internationally.

Later on, they performed “I Wanna Be Your Slave” — an original song that seemed to dial up their energy even more.

As you can see in the clip below, Damiano’s wild fashion and over-the-top mannerisms and interactions with Thomas made this as appealing visually as it was aurally. 

The band doesn’t really need outside validation at this point, but it came anyway — and in a very big way.

DJ, producer and songwriter Mark Ronson was watching along, tweeting that Måneskin were “wildly refreshing” for playing live and without the assistance of any backing track.

Ending the show, as Forte wrapped things up, a couple of the members of Måneskin had some special moments. Damiano could be seen talking with veteran actor Willem Dafoe (who had a special guest appearance in Forte’s opening monologue) and Ethan could be seen chatting it up with actress Kristen Wiig (who also appeared in the same opening).

It all served to show just how comfortable they are with other A-listers. Fans on social media instantly took note. 

Måneskin’s invite to appear on the show was anything but certain to go ahead, up until the very day of their scheduled appearance. Due to many COVID-related issues in the previous months, cast members had to be constantly swapped in and out, and musical guests and host invites had to be cancelled and re-scheduled. Just last week, the original musical guest, rapper Roddy Ricch, had to back out of his appearance due to COVID exposure on his team (leading the indie pop band Bleachers to fill in). 

Damiano, Ethan, Thomas, and Victoria seemed to take this all in stride, and looked at home throughout their promo.  In the promo for the show, which appeared on NBC a few days before, the Måneskin members stand confidently alongside show host Will Forte (a former SNL cast member) and current cast member Kenan Thompson.

 

In the eight months since their win in Rotterdam, the Italian quartet has continued to rack up an impressive list of achievements. Their 2017 cover of “Beggin'” peaked at a high of #13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 (#3 on the Billboard Global 200), making them just the second recent Eurovision act (other than Duncan Laurence) to break into the chart.

Their 2021 song “I Wanna Be Your Slave” also achieved chart success, rising to #13 on the Billboard Global 200.  Additionally, their Eurovision-winning “Zitti e buoni” (#22) and 2021 song “Mammamia” (#67) made strong showings on the US charts.

On October 26th, 2021, they made their U.S. television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and followed that up with a November appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Soon after, they made sold-out US appearances at the Roxy Theatre and Bowery Ballroom and opened for The Rolling Stones at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium.

What was your favorite moment of Måneskin’s “SNL” appearance? Let us know in the comments below!

 
 
 
 
 
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Carmen
Carmen
2 years ago

I love them, but they’re becoming boring to watch. They always perform the same two/three more generic english songs they have.

Jag
Jag
2 years ago

I’m actually sad that they were forced to skip the f-word in “I Wanna Be Your Slave”. Puritans Americans.

GojoSatoru
GojoSatoru
2 years ago

Sorry for being random, but Zitti e Buoni has a JoJo reference in its lyrics.

Isabella
Isabella
2 years ago

they’re freaking awesome but I’m so sick and tired of Beggin’ at this point lol

Rose
Rose
2 years ago
Reply to  Isabella

I get the sense they are too.

HarpyDarper
HarpyDarper
2 years ago

I’m delighted for the band, getting such exposure in America. Hopefully this will set a good president and improve perception for the Contest. And they got to meet Kenan! Remember Kenan and Kel? And Will Forte I know best as Tyler Cutebiker (“Get ’em, “get ‘uuummm!!!”)

Lars
Lars
2 years ago

It’s soo sad, that the american networks only allow them to play the english songs.. Would love to also hear some italien ones once in a while.