Singer is chasing stars while keeping it real

IT may come as a surprise to hear that Matteo Bocelli, the son of Italian opera tenor Andrea Bocelli, is a massive fan of pop singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran.

However, Matteo, who will be singing on the Floating Stage on the Sunday of this year’s Henley Festival, loves a mix of music genres, as well as authenticity.

The 27-year-old, who lives in Tuscany, says: “I’m very excited to be playing at the festival in Henley.

“I come from a family where they played mostly Frank Sinatra, opera and those incredible voices, but then growing up in a different generation, I was listening to Lionel Ritchie, Billy Joel and then Ed Sheeran.”

Two years ago, Matteo released the song Chasing Stars.

“I received a song written by Ed and his brother Matthew and I’m a huge fan. I believe that music wants authenticity and whenever I received two or three ideas from them, I was like ‘okay, this is a dream’ but at the same time I want these songs to be sounding like me and to be talking about something that is authentic to myself.

“So, one specific idea ended up being the one that I recorded, Chasing Stars. It is a song talking about chasing your dreams and always being who you are, and that to me is a very important thing.

“Especially today, a lot of the younger generation follow examples on social media, not really focusing on themselves. So it was a very delicate theme and I was happy to record that song.”

Born in 1997 to Andrea Bocelli and his first wife, Enrica Cenzatti, Matteo has an older brother and two younger half-sisters.

Andrea became famous in the UK in 1995 for his duet, Time to Say Goodbye, sung with Sarah Brightman, an English-language version of his hit song, Con te partirò.

“I obviously grew up with my brother Amos, there’s only two years apart,” says Matteo. “We have two sisters but they’re 15 years younger than us.

“My brother is actually the only one in the family that graduated in music.

“It’s funny, because he graduated in piano and he’s a very good piano player but at the same time he got a degree in aerospace engineering, so very opposite things, but he’s also very good with numbers. Music has never been something forced, it’s always been my passion. I obviously grew up surrounded by music, but I decided to go into music because I always loved it.

“I also play the piano, I’m not as good as my brother but still, piano is my first instrument and I’ve always enjoyed singing by myself.

“I was a little shy, to be honest, but I always enjoyed it so much.

“One day my mum [said to my dad], ‘Have you ever heard your son singing?’ and it was like not really, I mean, not in a proper way.

“So then one day I performed for my father an Italian romanza, and he was very surprised. Since then I opened up and I started to sing in front of him and in front of friends and little audiences and then on.

“In 2018, when I did a duet with him [Fall on Me], we toured for two or three years and that was very special. Then I finally made my first record and since then I’m touring on my own, for the last couple of years it’s just me.

“I have to be honest, it’s a whole vibe, it’s a whole atmosphere, it’s the world I made for myself, so that’s where I feel ‘Matteo’, where I feel confident.”

When he comes to Henley, Matteo will be bringing a mix of old and new music.

“For my shows, most of the music are my songs, the music I’ve been working on in the last three years.

“At the same time, I am aware of the fact that people expect certain songs from me, so I do also do some covers, those classics that everybody knows.

“So it’s a mix of the two things, but obviously the goal is in the future to be able to make a whole show with my music, maybe leaving very few covers, maybe a couple of covers.”

The singer-songwriter, who is working on his next album, is looking forward to playing the Floating Stage at Henley.

“This will be my first time there and I’m very excited to be performing the new music in England as well.

“This has always been my wish, to be playing at festivals, I guess it’s the best way to be heard.”

l Matteo Bocelli will perform on the Floating Stage at Henley Festival on Sunday, July 13. at 6.45pm. For more information, visit henley-festival.co.uk