In 2016, Mahmood participated in the Newcomers Section of Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Dimentica". In 2017, he released the single "Pesos", with which he participates in the fifth edition of the Wind Summer Festival, winning the third episode of the Youth section. In 2017, he was also featured on Fabri Fibra's single "Luna". In September 2018, he released his debut extended play, "Gioventù bruciata". In November 2018, Marco Mengoni released his fifth album, "Atlantico", which features three tracks co-written by Mahmood, including the single "Hola (I Say)".