By MaryAnn Barbeau
RED BANK – It’s no surprise that Matteo Bocelli would be drawn to a career in music. Growing up the son of famous Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, it was in his DNA. But he knew he had to forge his own path and distinguish himself from the family name. Matteo will do just that when he brings his solo tour to the Count Basie Center for the Arts for a sold-out performance Friday, Nov. 29.
“I come from a family where the music that was played was mainly opera and classical music, as well as the greats like Frank Sinatra and Whitney Houston,” said the 27-year-old Bocelli during a Zoom conversation from his home in Tuscany, Italy. “But at the same time, I was born in a different generation. I grew up with Ed Sheeran, Eminem, Queen, Lionel Richie and Elton John, so I feel like I’m a little bit of a mix of all these music experiences. During my shows I obviously bring my music because that’s who I am, but at the same time I also bring a few songs that people may expect from me to perform. Those are songs that made my childhood, so they’re still part of my life.”
Bocelli made his first solo stage appearance at age 16 with David Foster and while it was nerve-wracking, it gave him a burst of confidence. At 18, Matteo and Andrea released “Fall on Me,” a stirring duet about the relationship between parent and child, which has amassed over 400 million global streams. He later toured with his father, performing on some of the world’s biggest stages.
“Growing up I had different passions, but music was the constant one,” said Bocelli. “I started to play the piano when I was 6 years old but singing is something I’ve always done on my own. I would bother my father’s sound engineer because I wanted to go to the studio to make my first experiences in front of a mic, trying to hear my voice back and understand where it sounded better and not.”
In 2023, Bocelli released his debut album, “Matteo,” a classically-minded version of 21st century pop filled with dynamic vocal performances and sensitive songs. It includes tracks sung in Italian, like the disco-tinged “Fasi,” and the powerful ballad “I’m Here,” performed in English.
“I decided to do my first record in Italian and English because Italian is my first language,” he said. “I always thought that it was very important to keep your identity. That’s who I am. I’ve been breathing Italian music since I was a little kid. English because, even though I am Italian, I’ve always listened to a lot of international music, so to me singing in English is super comfortable. It’s also a way to be more understood to my audience.”
One of the standout songs on Bocelli’s album is the Ed Sheeran-penned tune, “Chasing Stars,” a sweeping ballad that shows off Bocelli’s upper register. The lyrics as the song opens – “When I was younger, my father was my hero / Let me hop on his shoulders, we sang to the moon” – tell the story of a father advising his son to “be who you are.” The song’s messages of family and finding oneself resonated strongly with Bocelli.
“We both grew up in families where music was very appreciated,” he said of Sheeran. “He wrote the song, but it seems like he wrote it for me. I really feel privileged.”
Bocelli understands that when you have a father who is world-renowned for his music, it can be difficult to find your own voice and your own audience.
“Today the largest part of my fan base comes from my father,” he said. “I knew that I would have a lot of expectations, even in a good way, from my father’s fans because obviously they would love to see you walk in the same steps as your father, but I always say that everyone has their own calling, their own way to make music. I feel the need to write music in a different kind of category. The most important thing is to be happy and satisfied with anything that you are doing. I’ve never been scared of opinions.”
Bocelli said the idea of leaving home for a long period, as he has done with this tour, scared him at first but now he calls it a “beautiful journey.”
“I’m nervous because I always want to be perfect,” he said. “Even though perfection doesn’t exist, I always want to be able to give the best performance to everyone that comes to my concerts. After a couple of songs, when I feel that the voice is with me, I relax more, and I enjoy the performance.”
When this leg of Bocelli’s tour ends next month, he will take two months off to work on his second album, which he hopes to release by the end of 2025.
“I’m working on new music and writing new songs,” he said. “My next record is not going to sound like my first one, but at the same time we do have to remember where we come from.”
The article originally appeared in the November 28 – December 4, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
