Dimmi Matteo Bocelli
The just 24-year-old Italian singer and songwriter, who is the son of one of the greatest artists of all time, Andrea Bocelli, is now conquering our hearts. Knowing that Matteo also has a passion for cars, one could even say that his father is a beautiful Ferrari and that he is a glorious Maserati; both consisting of a Bocelli engine that impresses us with the very first tone. In the interview he had with Le journal des jeunes member Filipa, he addressed his passion for music, his collaboration with Sebastian Yatra and left a message of love to all of us.
Photo: Luca Rossetti
How did your passion for music start? Did your father influence it?
Music, as you can imagine, has always been part of my life. I was listening to music, I guess since I was in my mom's belly. I don't have a memory of my life without it. At the age of seven, I started to play the piano, that being my first close approach to music. And from that point onwards, it has helped me grow. You know, when you start to get better at something, then you start loving it more and more. That was the moment when I realized that I was really, really loving what I was doing. Singing has always been something that I did by myself, even though I was a little bit shy. Due to this, I sang more just in front of my mom, and less in front of my dad. But while growing up, I started to open up, not only to family and friends but also to people in general, all over the world. So, yeah, music has always been with me since I was born.
I know that you can not only sing very well but that you also play the piano magnificently. Is that your instrument of choice?
Yes, the piano has always been the one instrument that always fascinated me. First of all, because of how it sounds, but also as an art piece itself, aesthetically speaking. Being the first instrument I learned to play, it’s the one that I can play quite well. However, I would never define myself as a pianist, because pianists are on a much higher level than me. But yes, I would say that I have lots of fun when playing the piano. Sometimes I also play the guitar. I think that during a songwriting session, it's very important to play different instruments to get different sounds, moods and vibes. But as said before, the piano is the one that I feel most comfortable with.
Photo: Luca Rossetti
You sang songs for Disney such as ‘Can You Feel The Love Tonight’ from the class movie the Lion King, featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, how was this experience?
That was my second experience with Disney because the first one was ‘Fall On Me’, the one that I sang with my father, for the film Nutcracker. I was very proud of myself when I sang ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight', because, you know, to be called by Disney for a second time, it meant a lot to me. It was such a pleasure and an honour to be part of their projects. Singing the song 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight' was quite, you know, not difficult, but it gave me a little bit of pressure, because of course, it is Elton John’s song, and when you know that such a big legend as him sang it, I mean, what, what can you do after it, so, but at a certain moment, you just have to think that everyone can create and transmit emotions differently. And so I thought I can put my emotions and experiences in the song and do my best to let the people feel the emotions that I aim to transmit as well. So, I hope that they enjoy it.
Could you please tell me, what did you feel when you accompanied your father on stage and when you sang with him the song ‘Fall On Me’ which was part of the last album of your father?
It's always a big emotion because, of course. I have been singing with my father since I was little, so to me singing with him is incredible, but it’s something that has always been a part of me. It’s quite normal for me to sing with him. But, when you bring the arts, in this case, the music, together with him on stage, it’s even more beautiful because you have all the people that give you beautiful and incredible emotions back. When you share music with people it is always better, because you can play music for yourself and it can satisfy you. But when you people in front of you that react positively and that get emotional with you, it’s a unique experience. And to make this with my father, it's for sure one of the most special things in my life.
Photo: Luca Rossetti
You've been releasing songs like 'Until She’s Gone', 'Dimme', 'Solo', 'Close?'… What are you going to surprise us with now? Are you working on a full album?
To the question, "If I'm working on my first album," the answer is yes, this album should be out either before the end of this year or the beginning of 2023. But before that, we have a few more surprises before the album. I'll be releasing another song very soon. I can say that I'm excited about every release that I make, of course, but the next one is particularly exciting for me. It's also a song that is very characteristic and is at the same time, unique compared to the ones I released until now. So I'm very curious to see the reaction of people, and I hope that they will be able to feel all the emotions that I have put into that song.
You have recently collaborated with the Colombian singer Sebastian Yatra. How did this collaboration surge?
I've been following Sebastian for years, of course, as you said, he's a superstar and is an incredible artist. And I remember that when I co-wrote the song ‘Until She's Gone’ in London about two years ago, I felt that that song could be a perfect duet. I started to dream of someone that could sing this specific song with me. I always say that, in life, you have to try to ask for something and luckily, the answer from Sebastian was positive in the sense that he said yes. And, when I knew it, I was very, very excited. This is how the magic behind the song ‘Until She’s Gone’ happened. Unfortunately, I got to know Sebastian for the first time through Zoom due to the lockdown. Sebastian wrote the Spanish version, and then I did the Italian version. Finally, creating three versions of the song, ‘Until She’s Gone’ in English, ‘Un Attimo di Te’ in Italian and ‘Tu Luz Quedó’ in Spanish.
When I met him for the first time in Malta, where we were shooting the video. I have to say that I had the confirmation that he is not only an amazing artist but that he is also a very beautiful person that has a very sensitive soul. These are all elements that I believe that need to be present and on top of everything when making a collaboration, in particular I would say that one of the most important factors is the connection between the artists. I am super happy for having done this collaboration with Sebastian and I would like to thank him again for accepting this collaboration.
With which artist would you like to collaborate with?
One of my biggest dreams has already been stolen by my father. I’m joking. I've been following Ed Sheeran since the beginning of his career therefore I would say that he is my biggest idol. One day, I'd love to be next to him singing a song, but you know, you have to deserve it. So when I'll reach that certain level, I’ll take a chance.
You also have your songs available in other languages such as Spanish. Do you have a passion for languages or especially for the Spanish language?
Well, I have to be honest. I am very close to my nation. So Italian is for sure one of the languages that fascinate me the most. But I've always loved to listen to different songs in different languages. This is the reason why I'm recording songs in various languages. But I even had an example in front of me, this example being my father that recorded, in many languages. As an Italian, I've been growing up listening to Italian music. But at the same time, loving music, I've been listening to international music, most of the time in English, but also in Spanish. For example, I was listening to songs like ‘Bésame Mucho’, 'Somos novios’. I always very much enjoyed singing in many languages. I have to tell you that when we did the song ‘Fall On Me’, Disney asked us to record the song in, I have to say, almost all the languages, because I did it in Italian, English, Spanish, French, Dutch, and also in Chinese. So it's been a tough, tough challenge. But somehow we did it.
Have you ever thought about singing in Portuguese?
Of course. My father did it, I think once. I have to say that I even very much enjoyed it. And so, the answer is yes. I really hope to have an opportunity very soon.
Photo: Luca Rossetti
You talk about love in your songs. Where do you get your inspiration from? Is it from real-life experiences or for instance from nature, which is an element that is very present in your music videos?
Yeah, most of the time, the inspiration comes from my experiences in life. Until now, about 90% of what I wrote is about my experience, but at the same time, I think that it’s very beautiful as well, to write something about other people's experiences that you may have heard from or that you read somewhere to transmit their messages. You know, their stories. Even if most of my songs are based on my experiences, if there's an opportunity to write about someone else’s experiences to spread a particular message, I would love it.
Nature for me is something very important. I really love being in nature, whenever the work permits me. I feel like it's very important to spend time in nature; it’s like medicine that helps you to always keep your feelings on the ground and to always be yourself. Because sometimes this world can lead you to different paths and change you. For example, if you wouldn’t have had a particular job, you would have acted differently in a certain situation. Hence, I firmly believe that nature and good friends are the keys to always being loyal to yourself and keeping the values that your family gave you.
From your music videos and videos where you perform, it can be seen that you have a very distinct and unique personality and style. Do you feel the pressure of being the son of one of the greatest artists of all time?
Well, for sure, I always said that there are positive and negative aspects of being the son of our huge superstar. I always say that I have to be proud of what my father reached in his career, even because of the challenges he faced in his life and the huge and incredible work he put behind it, he really deserved it. If you think that he became successful at the age of 35, which nowadays is the age at which many artists stop their careers, it’s quite impressive. He did piano bar until the age of 30-35. And then after a lot of hard work, he got the success. Coming back to me, I would say that yes, I do feel the pressure and, of course, it's not easy, especially seeing as there are a lot of expectations. But for me, it’s a reason to always push and to never lose concentration and the hard work.
Do you have any other hobbies other than music?
Music, of course, is my main one. But, I always say that I’m a very practical guy, I really love to create with my hands to work with my hands. In fact, my family always said that in the house, I was the one that was used to always fixing the problems. My grandfather was a merchant of agricultural machines. Maybe I got a passion for mechanics and sometimes when I have time I like to fix some cars. This is my other passion.
Photo: Luca Rossetti
Finally, I would like to ask you, if you could leave a special message for our readers?
I love to, you know, talk about love because there is never enough love in this world. In the song ‘Until She’s Gone’ I talk about one of the aspects of love or of being loved, underlining how important is to keep all the people that are next to you and that love you close, and to never take for granted the love that these people can give to you because sometimes you're occupied with work or with things in life. But these people deserve your time and your love. But only when you lose these people, do you realize, that they left you because you didn’t give them the time and the love that she/he or anyone deserved. Also, realizing what you have lost. I think that to lose a person who really trusts you and who loves you is one of the most terrible losses you can have if life. So always keep the people that care about you close. This is my message, it’s a message of love, a message to always love everyone next to you.
Listen to Matteo's new song 'Tempo'
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Interview by Filipa Moreira
06.05.2022
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