Italy, this year’s Eurovision host country, chose “Brividi” by Mahmood and BLANCO through their national final, the Sanremo Festival. Fun fact: the Sanremo Festival predates Eurovision and is the music festival that Eurovision itself is based on. 

Mahmood previously competed in Eurovision in 2019, finishing in 2nd place. This time he appears with BLANCO.

In addition to being one of the Big 5 countries, Italy also won the contest last year, both of which would guarantee them a spot in the final. If “Brividi” wins the contest this year, it would be the first time a country has won two times in a row since Ireland in 1994.

Ursula’s Thoughts: Mahmood and BLANCO are seasoned performers and are sure to bring the vocals. The song is good and is sure to cause brividi (Italian for chills).

Christa’s Thoughts: This song was originally my favorite Eurovision entry of this year, and it is still in my top 10. It’s a song that just sounds beautiful and romantic, and Italian is a gorgeous language. I really love this song.