Major cinematic success for UMPG artist and songwriter Mahmood

Last month UMPG artist & songwriter Mahmood achieved major success on two cinematic fronts.

“LE COSE NON DETTE”, the original song from Gabriele Muccino's film of the same name, won the 2026 Nastro d'Argento for Best Original Song, presented at the 80th edition of the prestigious awards organized by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists.

Released in January via Island Records / Universal Music Italia, "Le cose non dette" is the first original song Mahmood has written for a feature film. The Nastro d'Argento, one of Italy's oldest and most prestigious film awards, recognized the track as Best Original Song, confirming Mahmood's cinematic debut as one of the season's standout achievements and showcasing his ability to bridge contemporary urban songwriting with cinematic storytelling.

This year, Mahmood also expanded his musical identity into Indian cinema. “Mashooqa”, released as part of the soundtrack for the Bollywood film Cocktail 2, was created in collaboration with acclaimed Indian composer Pritam. Blending Italian pop with Bollywood influences, the song features Mahmood performing his verses in Italian. The track quickly became a viral hit in India - its official music video has surpassed 30 million YouTube views, while the song has accumulated millions of streams across digital platforms and helped bring Mahmood's Spotify audience to more than 6.5 million monthly listeners. It marks an unprecedented achievement for a contemporary Italian artist in the Indian music market.

Together, the two songs represent a defining chapter in Mahmood's career, combining critical acclaim in Italy with growing international success beyond Europe.