Watch: Out Singer Mahmood Heads to European Song Contest Again – This Time with a Rising Star

Out Italian singer Mahmood is heading to the European Song Contest for a second time after winning the Italian leg of the competition. He's also doing so with a partner – singer and up-and-coming pop star Blanco, Wanted in Rome reported.

Mahmood dueted with Blanco at the 72nd Sanremo Music Festival. Now, they will go on to represent Italy in this year's Eurovision Song Contest which takes place in Turin on May 14. He had previously finished second in 2019 representing Italy.

"The winning act clinched victory with their song 'Brividi' in the final round of voting from the Sanremo juries and the public," Wanted in Rome said.

"Mahmood & Blanco had been hotly tipped as favourites to win Sanremo and when the winning result was announced the younger singer ran off the stage to hug his mother."

Held every year since 1951, Sanremo is the world's longest-running annual televised music competition at a national level and was the inspiration for the Eurovision Song Contest. But after last year's Sanremo winner by Måneskin went on to win Eurovision 2021, Sanremo has received more attention.

The duo's song "Brividi" (translates as "Shivers") was unusual in that it is a passionate ballad sung between two men. "'Brividi' has an important message, that of freedom, which is a universal theme. The desire to express all the love possible, even when there's the fear of making mistakes and feeling inadequate, unable to convey what you feel," the pair said in a statement about the song.

As the French website têtu.com points out, "Going for the orchestral ballad is a strategy that often pays off when it comes to Eurovision – but 'Brividi' is far from trivial. The two artists explore the theme of the couple, the fear of commitment, toxic relationships, against a background of addictions – alcohol, drugs – and set themselves up as an openly gay duo quite unprecedented in the pop landscape. If Hungary withdrew from Eurovision in 2019, judging the competition 'too gay,' we can't wait to have the opinion of Russia and Poland on this duo."

Blanco has been heating up the Italian charts for two years. As for Mahmood, since 2016 (and his first appearance in the Sanremo competition), the Italian artist has become a superstar.

In a 2019 interview with the website F.Y!.com, Mahmood said "I just want to make cool songs without any expectations of getting a big hit. When you do something with love, it can be a successful hit in another kind of way."

He also addressed portraying same-sex relationships in his work. "It's very important for me as I think freedom is the best thing that exists for an artist. People need to have the right of freedom, too and I wanted to make it through this video: They are friends, maybe a gay couple, and what is the problem? Everyone has to be sincere with himself...it's time to educate our generation, and the upcoming ones to bring some freedom and rights."

The 18-year-old Blanco made his debut in June 2020 with the release of his EP "Quarantine Paranoid" on SoundCloud and he quickly found his following. He released his first studio album "Blue Celeste" in September 2021, which topped Italian charts. Little is reported about his personal life.

Check out these pics from their Instagram accounts: