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EUROVISION 2019 DARE TO REVIEW 11: ITALY (AND UKRAINE)

Finally, my number one and the song that could have been my number two, or at least Top-5

Italy - Mahmood - Soldi *****
Penso più veloce per capire se domani tu mi fregherai
Non ho tempo per chiarire perché solo ora so cosa sei
I think faster trying to figure out whether tomorrow you will fool me
I got no time to clear things up Because only now I found out what you are
Alessandro Mahmoud aka Mahmood (26) came out of nowhere and beat entablished and Big singers in Sanremo 2019, and caused quite a stir and even political case of racism and all that. Or so it seemed. In reality he had been taking steps into business since The Voice in 2012 becoming a succesful songwriter to others (Marco Mengoni, Michele Bravi etc). After the initial outcry that the juries made him win for who knows what political reason and that he wasn't the people's winner his song has proven it all wrong: it went to #1 in all possible charts from radio play to streams to digital sales and as we enter May it is still played becoming already platinum single while his debut album that was hurried to be released has went to #1 as well selling already gold. I liked Mahmood ever since his first Sanremo 2016 where he placed 4th among the Newcomers behind names like Francesco Gabbani and Ermal Meta (just saying).... One could say I'm always pro-Italy and support them no matter what but that's not true. Had Ultimo or Il Volo for example won they would be now somewhere at **** rank and midtable. Soldi is great, with an unique sound, great backstory, original ideas like the line in Arabic and the hand clapping gimmick, and Mahmood is a solid and charismatic performer. Could this be finally Italy's year? Maybe not this time either, but Top5 should be a certainty, anything else would be a big failure and unfair again. But once can dream and believe, right? Meanwhile Italy emerged the winner in OGAE Poll beating both Switzerland and The Netherlands while this 3some dominated the poll until the end.
Ukraine - Maruv - Siren song *****
Komm zu mir Komm zu mir
Come to me, come to me
You're the only one - bang! 
Maruv won the national selection Vidbir 2019, got some uncomfortable questions asked, conditions presented and eventually declined to participate getting the other artists join her her cause and in the end Ukraine withdraw altogether from Eurovision 2019...  Shame, Siren song would have been a real contender overshadowing all these Swiss and Cypriot entries and walking over most everyone....
If this was still in competition it would be my #3. Bang!

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