Andrea Bocelli

Andrea Bocelli
Bocelli in 2019
Bocelli in 2019
Background information
Born (1958-09-22) 22 September 1958 (age 65)
Lajatico, Italy
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer (tenor)
Years active1992−present
Signature

Andrea Bocelli OMRI OMDSM (Italian: [anˈdrɛːa boˈtʃɛlli]; born 22 September 1958)[1] is an Italian tenor. After performing evenings in piano bars and competing in local singing contests, Bocelli signed his first recording contract with Sugar Music. He rose to fame in 1994 after winning the newcomers' section of the 44th Sanremo Music Festival performing "Il mare calmo della sera".[2]

Since 1994, Bocelli has recorded 15 solo studio albums of both pop and classical music, three greatest hits albums, and nine complete operas, selling over 75 million records worldwide.[3] He has had success as a crossover performer, bringing classical music to the top of international pop charts.[4][5][6] His album Romanza is one of the best-selling albums of all time, while Sacred Arias is the biggest selling classical album by any solo artist in history.[7] My Christmas was the best-selling holiday album of 2009[8] [9] [10] and one of the best-selling holiday albums in the United States.[11] The 2019 album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and US Billboard 200, becoming Bocelli's first number-one album in both countries. His song "Con te partirò", included on his second album Bocelli, is one of the best-selling singles of all time.[12]

In 1998, Bocelli was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People.[13] He duetted with Celine Dion on the song "The Prayer" for the animated film Quest for Camelot, which won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.[4] In 1999, he was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards. He captured a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records with the release of his classical album Sacred Arias, as he simultaneously held the top three positions on the US Classical Albums charts.[4]

Bocelli was made a Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2006, and was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 2 March 2010, for his contribution to Live Theater, and he was awarded a gold medal for Merit in Serbia in 2022. Singer Celine Dion has said that "if God would have a singing voice, he must sound a lot like Andrea Bocelli",[4][14] and record producer David Foster has often described Bocelli's voice as the most beautiful in the world.[15][16]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference biography.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Hit Parade Italia - Festival di Sanremo 1994". hitparadeitalia.it. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  3. ^ "Andrea Bocelli to receive Classic Brit honour". BBC News. 6 September 2012. Archived from the original on 30 September 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d "Andrea Bocelli". Decca Records. Universal Music. Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  5. ^ Bearn, Emily (26 February 2003). "Operation Bocelli: the making of a superstar". The Age. Archived from the original on 24 March 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  6. ^ Malitz, David (12 December 2010). "'Christmas in Washington' sticks to the classics". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 22 January 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  7. ^ "Decca Records". Decca. Archived from the original on 30 April 2011.
  8. ^ "Taylor Swift Edges Susan Boyle For 2009's Top Selling Album". Billboard.com, 6 January 2010, article. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
  9. ^ "The Nielsen Company 2009 Year-End Music Industry Report". Businesswire.com, 7 January 2010, article. Archived from the original on 16 January 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
  10. ^ "Italian tenor's album sales top five million". Thaindian News.com, 30 December 2009, article. Archived from the original on 12 June 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  11. ^ "The Gifts That Keep on Giving: Biggest Radio and Album Hits of the Holidays". Billboard. 1 December 2014. Archived from the original on 3 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  12. ^ "Angel records". Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  13. ^ "Andrea Bocelli: Singer". People. 49 (18). 11 May 1998. Archived from the original on 13 May 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2009 Bocelli Interview was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Andrea Bocelli - Sito Ufficiale - Tour, discografia e opere". Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2006.
  16. ^ "En Aranjuez con tu amor - Andrea Bocelli". Archived from the original on 19 October 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)