Post-Eurovision: All Eyes Are on the Italian Queer Music Scene

By Laurine Payet, Music Journalist

Italy won this year’s Eurovision with a performance by the queer band, Måneskin, and ever since all eyes have been on the boundary-pushing artists, but they are not the only LGBTQ+ talent the country has to offer. During myGwork’s interview with Italian singer-songwriter Am.i, she talked about the lack of representation of the queer community within the Italian music scene. Especially for artists who haven’t yet achieved a high level of fame, publicly identifying as queer could cost them their careers. The rise of existing queer icons will consequently lead to a future with more representation, and it is our role to push this to happen.

We picked our current favourite tracks from Italian artists. From rap to rock, the country which is originally known for its culinary talent also has a lot to offer music-wise.

One of the currently most interesting artists in Italy is M¥SS KETA. The sensational performer is a persona created in 2013 by the Motel Forlanini collective. M¥SS KETA, always masked, can be unapologetically themselves without fearing inhibition. It also prevents the public to shine a light on anything else than the music and the character, fully created. The original idea was to represent the underground scene from Milan with a creative and charismatic character. Signed by Universal Music Italy, M¥SS KETA is not that underground anymore. With powerful beats and catchy rap, M¥SS KETA found their signature sound: a mix of trap, rap and pop. The punk attitude of M¥SS KETA comes from the sense of community they built through the years while being the leader of a squat with which they take over the best club stages in Italy. From the 2019 album ‘PAPRIKA’, our favourite track is ‘PAZZESKA’. The album includes a lot of various features, including the singer Mahmood on the track ‘FA PAURA PERCHÉ È VERO’.

Alessandro Mahmoud, also known as Mahmood, comes from a completely different music scene in Milan. His career started as the candidate of X Factor in 2012. After winning the Sanremo Music Festival in 2019 with the song ‘Soldi’, Mahmood reached second place at the Eurovision Music Contest. While topping the charts with his debut album ‘Gioventù bruciata’, his win at the European music contest pushed his career even further. His debut album reached the top of the charts. Mahmood is powerful and ethereal at the same time, soft and dark, opposites that don’t clash in his sound but complete themselves. As hard as it is to choose a favourite track, ‘Dorado’, from his recently released album, stands out and it is hard not to compulsively press the replay button.

Two years after Mahmood’s second spot at Eurovision, it is the rock band Måneskin – also coming from X-Factor - that made Italy win Eurovision for the first time since 1990. The quartet, formed with members aged between 20 and 22, gets inspiration from current alternative and rock artists such as Royal Blood, Harry Styles and Arctic Monkeys. In their latest music video ‘I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE’, Måneskin revisits the song from their latest album in the kinkiest way. In their iconic outfits entirely styled by Gucci, they embody gender-bending, sexual liberation and queerness. Currently, a hit in every continent, Måneskin places Italy in the spotlight on a worldwide scale.

The rapper Madame is set to be part of the next generation of Italian hit artists. Aged 19, Francesca Calearo had already signed a record deal at the age of 16. She competed against Måneskin at this year’s edition of the Sanremo Music Festival with her single ‘Voce’. The track is part of her debut self-titled album, released earlier this year. Taking her inspiration in the rap scene, she also blends hints of pop sounds and reggaetón beats. She also mentions Sicilian neomelodic music to be part of her inspiration. With its theatrical feels and visceral voice, her single ‘MAREA’ is our top pick.

With their voices often compared to Madame, La Rappresentante di Lista is also part of the top Italian artists of the moment. They however conquered a completely different genre that is progressive pop-rock. With four albums to their name since 2014, La Rappresentante di Lista is already more than established. Considering themselves as queer music, the duo formed of Veronica Lucchesi and Dario Mangiaracina is one of the few openly queer Italian artists who include their identities as part of their image. Their latest single ‘Vita’ is a summer bop to be included in your road trip playlist.

With the rise of the Eurovision winners, Italy and its music is finally getting the spotlight they deserve. With it comes the queer community, quietly but surely making itself its own space to grow within.

Check out our playlist of Italian LGBTQ+ music below: