[7][8] Interviewed by TV Sorrisi e Canzoni, Mahmood revealed he started writing the song while hanging out with some friends.

[10] Producers Dardust and Charlie Charles contributed its sound, renewing it with contemporary elements borrowed from trap music.

According to Italian producer and musician Andrea Rodini, the song's hook is based on three different elements: the repetition of the word "soldi" (money), the verse "come va" (what's up?

), pronounced multiple consecutive times, and the sound of clapping hands, which Rodini describes as a "cubistic" chorus.

Although he cannot speak Arabic, Mahmood explained that he remembers how his Egyptian father called him when he was a child, and that he chose to include this verse as a way to bring him back to a particular moment in time.

A winner from each group was declared, and Mahmood placed first in the second episode of the show, with his entry "Gioventù bruciata".

[20] Mahmood performed the song for the first time during the first live show of the 69th Sanremo Music Festival, which was held on 5 February 2019.

After an additional performance, the song was declared the winner of the 69th Sanremo Music Festival, beating Ultimo's "I tuoi particolari" and "Musica che resta" by Il Volo, which placed second and third, respectively.

[28] As Italy is a member of the "Big Five", he automatically advanced to the final, held on 18 May 2019 in Tel Aviv, Israel.