Brividi literally translates to "shivers" or "chills". It's a beautiful, evocative word that perfectly captures the emotional core of this powerful ballad.
In the song, "brividi" represents the intense physical reaction to both love and fear. It's the shiver of thrilling passion and the chill of paralyzing vulnerability, a feeling of being exposed and overwhelmed by emotion, as expressed in the line "Nudo con i brividi" (Naked with shivers).
Ever felt completely tongue-tied when you want to show someone you care? That is the exact mess Mahmood and BLANCO obsess over in "Brividi" (which translates to "shivers" or "chills"). Right away, the song throws surreal, dreamlike images at you: riding a "bici di diamanti" (diamond bicycle) and wishing to steal a "cielo di perle" (sky of pearls). But real life is much messier. The singers admit their own emotional failure with the recurring line, "E ti vorrei amare, ma sbaglio sempre" (And I would like to love you, but I always get it wrong).
Instead of sweet romance, the lyrics describe a chaotic, exhausting push-and-pull. The partner is called "il contrario di un angelo" (the opposite of an angel) with "occhi da vipera" (viper eyes) who spills wine on the bed and bites. BLANCO drops all polite filters later on, shouting "scusa se poi mando tutto a puttane" (sorry if I screw everything up) and admitting he mixed drugs and tears just to say an "I love you." In Italian, "mandare tutto a puttane" is a very blunt, everyday idiom for ruining a situation completely. By the end, they are left "nudo con i brividi" (naked with the shivers), totally exposed and unable to fix the toxic venom they keep spitting at each other.
Mahmood (born Alessandro Mahmoud on September 12, 1992, in Milan, Italy) is a celebrated Italian singer and songwriter known for blending pop, R&B, and hip hop influences. Rising to fame through the sixth season of the Italian X Factor, Mahmood quickly made his mark by winning the prestigious Sanremo Music Festival twice — first in 2019 with the hit "Soldi" and again in 2022 alongside Blanco with "Brividi".
His success at Sanremo allowed him to represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest twice, achieving second place in 2019 and sixth place as the host entry in 2022. Mahmood’s music is distinguished by its emotional depth and multicultural roots, stemming from his Egyptian and Sardinian heritage. With three acclaimed studio albums — Gioventù bruciata, Ghettolimpo, and Nei letti degli altri — he has become one of Italy’s most streamed contemporary artists, captivating audiences both nationally and internationally.