Genres: Latin,Pop,Classical/Opera,Vocals,Soundtracks,World

Born in Lajatico, Tuscany, Italy, Andrea Bocelli loved music from the beginning.  He learned early to play the piano, and continued with flute, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, harp, and drums.  He was diagnosed soon after birth with congenital glaucoma, and at age 12, he lost his sight entirely, during a soccer game.

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Andrea Bocelli

Because, in opera, I have to sing for people that are very far from me, instead of, when I sing a song, I try to imagine to sing like in an ear of a child.

The Beginning

Born in Lajatico, Tuscany, Italy, Andrea Bocelli loved music from the beginning.  He learned early to play the piano, and continued with flute, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, harp, and drums.  He was diagnosed soon after birth with congenital glaucoma, and at age 12, he lost his sight entirely, during a soccer game.  He also learned to sing, entering vocal competitions in his teen years.

In 1992, Italian rock star, Zucchero, was given Bocelli's demo tape while auditioning tenors for Luciano Pavarotti.  Pavarotti was impressed with what he heard.  Zucchero recorded a hit with Pavarotti, but when it was time to go on tour, it was Bocelli who accompanied him on tour in 1993.  Bocelli was offered a contract with Sugar Records in Milan.

Becoming a Legend

In 1994, Andrea Bocelli entered the Italian Sanremo Music Festival with Il Mare Calmo Della Sera  He won the newcomer section; he went on to record and release the performance on a debut album, which certified platinum.  The rest of 1994 was a whirlwind of star-makiing activities, including a tour with Italian pop singer, Gerardina Trovato; performing at Pavarotti's Gala Concert; and making his opera debut as McDuff in Verdi's MacDuff at the Teatro Verdi in Pisa.

Six more albums were released in the 1990s, and Bocelli continued to perform, solo and alongside Sarah Brightman, Marta Sanchez, and Helene Sagara.  In March of that year, he and Brightman received the ECHO award for Best Single of the Year.  In 1997, he appeared before the Pope at the International Eucharistic Congress.  In 1998, Bocelli made his operatic debut, playing Rodolfo in a production of La Boheme.

Stardom in the 21^st Century

In January of 2001, Andrea Bocelli played lead in Mascagni's L'Amitro Fritz in Verona and performed the tenor part in Verdi's Requiem.  He released Requiem in 2001.  He released ten albums between 2000 and 2010 and was named “World's Best Selling Classical Artist” by the World Music Awards.  His album, Incanto, released in 2009, certified four times diamond for 1.5 million record sales in the first four months of release.  For the year, 2009, Bocelli ranked#6 in the Top Ten artists for digital sales, with over 2.5 million digital downloads purchased that year.

In December, 2009, Andrea Bocelli released a Christmas album, entitled My Christmas.  He is currently on tour in Italy.  He has performed in eight major opera, most recently Carmen in 2008 at Teatro dell'Opera di Romo.

Did you know . . .

1. In 1998, Andrea Bocelli was named one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People.

2. In 2010, Bocelli performed Bridge Over Troubled Water with Mary Jane Blige at the Grammy Awards Ceremony to raise awareness for the victims of the Haiti earthquakes.

3. Bocelli's Christmas album sold over 70 million copies worldwide.

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