Whether it’s Demi Moore posing stunningly with child or k.d. lang preparing to give Cindy Crawford a close shave, Vanity Fair has globally been known as the type of publication that pushes boundaries and breaks barriers. Most recently, Vanity Fair Italia put Italy’s Eurovision Song Contest duo Mahmood and Blanco on the cover, in a stunning black & white photo, shot by Luigi & Iango. Mahmood (a previous Eurovision runner-up with his track “Saldi” in 2019) and Blanco (who released his debut album “Blu celeste” late last year and has four Number One singles in Italy already) are shot in black & white, gazing into the camera lens while two white doves sit on their shoulders. Initially posted on the Vanity Fair Italia social media, a quick share by Mahmood onto his own Instagram stories resulted in the social media titan censoring the shot.
Both originally solo artists, Mahmood and Blanco have teamed up on the piano driven track ‘Brividi’ (you can check out the whole video here) Selected as Italy’s Eurovision entry earlier this month (they first snagged the win at Italy’s renowned Sanremo Music Festival), they now have their eyes firmly planted on the Eurovision 2022 crown. Already, “Brividi” has broken Italy’s record for the most streams in one day on Spotify during the Sanremo Music Festival.
While Vanity Fair Italia may have now changed their mind and is now showcasing the barely there magazine cover, Mahmood seemed very clear several years ago on why despite seeing the advantages to putting a label on sexuality, he (ironically) told Vanity Fair in 2019 that he feels that in terms of labeling ourselves, “there should be no distinction”. While the interviewer told Mahmood that putting a label on sexuality can “still be useful”, Mahmood was unyielding, saying “But if we continue with these distinctions, homosexuality will never be perceived as normal, as it is.”
Follow Mahmood on Instagram
Follow Blanco on Instagram
The track is Soldi with an ‘O’, not Saldi with an ‘A’