Andrea Bocelli

Some Lesser Known Facts About Andrea Bocelli

• Andrea Bocelli was born with defective eyesight due to congenital glaucoma.

• His mother did not follow her doctor’s advice and gave birth to him. Later, his mother’s decision inspired him to oppose abortion.

  

• Andrea Bocelli grew up on his family’s farm in La Sterza, a small village in Lajatico, Tuscany, Italy. Later, the family sold farm machinery and began making wine.

  

• From a young age, he had a passion for music. His mother once said in a media interview that music was the only thing that comforted him.

• Andrea Bocelli began learning piano when he was six years old. Later, he learned to play several instruments including the flute, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, guitar, and drums.

• His nanny once gave him a record of Franco Corelli, which grew his interest in becoming an opera singer.

• When he was seven years old, he began to recognise and imitate famous singers.

• He lost his vision completely after being hit in the eye with a football when he was twelve years old. Doctors tried to save his sight but failed.

• As a child, Andrea Bocelli loved singing and performed at his first concert in a nearby village.

• When he was fourteen years old, he won his first song competition with the song ‘O sole mio’ at the Margherita d’Oro in Viareggio.

  

• In 1980, he completed his school education.

• After that, Andrea Bocelli began playing musical instruments in piano bars to earn money for his college fees. In 1987, he met his future wife Enrica.

• After completing his LLB, he worked as a lawyer for a year.

• In 1992, Italian rock star Zucchero held auditions for Opera singers to make a demo tape of his song ‘Miserere’ for Luciano Pavarotti who after hearing Bocelli during the auditions, urged Zucchero to employ Bocelli instead of him.

  

• Pavarotti asked Zucchero to record the song with Bocelli who then joined Zucchero on his European concert tour in 1993 and performed the solo song ‘Nessun Dorma.’

• Once, Caterina Caselli heard him singing at Zucchero’s birthday party and offered him a contract for a song with the Sugar Music label in Milan.

• In December 1992, Andrea Bocelli entered the first round of the Sanremo Music Festival with the song ‘Miserere’ and won with the highest marks in the newcomers section.

• He debuted in the classical world with a concert at the Teatro Romolo Valli in Reggio Emilia.

• Horse riding has been his favourite recreational activity since he was a teenager.

  

• In February 1994, Andrea Bocelli competed in the main Sanremo Festival with the song ‘Il mare calmo della sera’ and won the newcomers section with a record score.

• He then released his debut album ‘Il mare calmo della sera’ in April 1994.

• In May 1994, Andrea Bocelli toured with pop singer Gerardina Trovato.

• In September 1994, he sang at Pavarotti’s annual Charity Gala concert in Modena and performed the solo song ‘Mattinata.’ He also sang a duet titled ‘Notte e Piscatore’ with Pavarotti.

  

• He made his opera debut as Macduff in Verdi’s Macbeth at the Teatro Verdi in Pisa in September 1994.

• He, who used to be an agnostic, began following the Catholic faith in 1994. He is influenced by the works of Leo Tolstoy.

• After that, Andrea Bocelli performed ‘Adeste Fideles’ before Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Basilica on Christmas.

• As the winner of the newcomers’ section at the 1994 Sanremo Festival, Bocelli was invited in 1995 to the same festival. He entered the main competition with the song ‘Con te partirò’ and finished in fourth place.

• The song ‘Con te partirò’ was added to his second album, Bocelli, released in November 1995. It became the best-selling single of all time in Belgium.

• His third album, Viaggio Italiano, was released in Italy in 1996.

• Bocelli sang a duet with English singer Sarah Brightman at the farewell match of German boxer, Henry Maske. They re-recorded “Con te partirò” as “Time to Say Goodbye” and it topped the German charts for fourteen weeks. It sold nearly three million copies and earned a sextuple platinum award.

• In 1996, he topped the Spanish singles chart with the song ‘Vivo por ella,’ a duet with Marta Sánchez. He also recorded a Portuguese version of this song with Brazilian singer Sandy.

• In 1997, he recorded ‘Je vis pour elle,’ the French version of ‘Vivo per lei,’ with French singer Hélène Ségara. The song became a hit in Belgium and France.

• On 3 March, Andrea Bocelli received the ECHO music award for ‘Best Single of the Year’ in Hamburg, Germany, with Sarah Brightman.

• In the summer of 1997, he gave 22 open-air concerts in Germany and an indoor concert in Oberhausen on 31 August.

• In September 1997, he performed in a concert at the Piazza dei Cavalieri in Pisa for the home video A Night in Tuscany. It was his first concert to air on PBS and his debut to American audiences.

• On 14 September 1997, Andrea Bocelli received an ECHO Klassik Best Seller of the Year award for his album, Viaggio Italiano, in Munich, Germany.

• On 27 September 1997, he sang at the International Eucharistic Congress in Bologna.

• On 19 October 1997, he sang at the TeleFood benefit concert in the Vatican City to raise awareness about world hunger.

• From 18 February 1998 to 25 February 1998, Andrea Bocelli played Rodolfo in La bohème at the Teatro Comunale in Cagliari.

• In October 1999, he made his U.S. operatic debut in Werther at Detroit Opera House and performed concerts in various cities, including a guest appearance on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show.