Matteo Bocelli reflects on a life full of music

On Thursday, Dec. 12, rising pop star Matteo Bocelli will visit the Palladium in Carmel as part of his fall tour of the Americas.

Ahead of the show, NUVO’s Seth Johnson caught up with Bocelli for an interview, discussing his debut solo album, growing up the son of Andrea Bocelli, and more. Read their full conversation below.

SETH JOHNSON: Obviously, your father is quite prolific musically. What early memories do you have of music as a child?

MATTEO BOCELLI: Music has definitely played a very important role in my life because I grew up with it. I grew up with my father constantly singing in the house and constantly listening to music. So it would’ve been quite hard to think of a life without music. That obviously doesn’t mean that you had to become a musician or a singer, but it definitely had to play an important role in my life.

I have a lot of memories. The first ones go back to when I was 6 or 7 years old and I started to play the piano. Every time, I’d come back home from the piano lessons, and I’d study the classics — Beethoven, Bach and Chopin. I was studying, but I was also playing the piano to accompany myself singing. So the memories are many, and the genres of music that I was listening to weren’t just opera and classical. It was also Ed Sheeran, Queen and Lionel Richie — I was listening to quite a lot of music.

JOHNSON: When did you first start writing your own songs, and what did they sound like in comparison to these different artists you were listening to? Were they pop, opera, or kind of in the middle?

BOCELLI: Honestly, my writing started quite late. I didn’t really write before I was 15 or 16. When I signed to my label, that’s where for the first time I had the chance to really go deep into the writing. I learned so much by working with many different composers and songwriters. That’s where I crafted my writing side.

I think it’s very important — especially if you make pop. You’re writing to connect with people. At the end, in pop, you want people to relate to your personal stories, but they may also be stories that you heard about. We aren’t always talking about ourselves. We also talk about things that surround us during the day. So that’s the beauty of writing — it’s the need to get out feelings that we have inside.

JOHNSON: When did work on your debut album, Matteo, begin, and who are some of the people that were crucial in helping it come together?

BOCELLI: It’s been a long journey because I signed to Capitol right after the release of “Fall on Me,” which was the first release I’d done with my father. That was a beautiful song written by A Great Big World. Then, after signing with Capitol, I started these writing sessions, and that’s where I started to collect songs. We probably reached 100 songs before making a record.

I lost time because of COVID, but at the same time, I like to see the glass half full and not half empty. So I’d say those were years where I could experiment more with my sound and write more songs. At the end, I think I came out with an album that was way more authentic to myself compared to what could’ve been if I had released an album earlier.

JOHNSON: You mentioned Ed Sheeran earlier and how you listened to him growing up. What was it like having a song (“Chasing Stars”) written by him on your album?

BOCELLI: It was a beautiful feeling. Again, he’s always been an idol. I’ve followed him since the very beginning. I remember the very first time that I saw him; he was opening a show for Taylor Swift in Toronto. Since then, I saw his first show in Milan and have now probably seen him five times live. So I’ve chased him a lot. [laughs] He sent me two or three ideas, and I chose “Chasing Stars.”

Yes, it is cool to have a song written by Ed and his brother Matthew. But at the same time, you have to sing something that you relate to — you want to be authentic in what you sing. So, I chose the song because I obviously love the melody, but what’s being said through the lyrics is very close to me. We both had fathers that were in love with music, and they passed this passion down to their children. The song is about chasing stars, chasing dreams, but most of all, being who you are.

I feel like today the new generation especially strives to follow the lifestyles of these athletes or artists, and it’s a little bit dangerous because sometimes you choose the lifestyle over what brings them to have that type of lifestyle. You may end up not really getting what you thought or end up doing something that doesn’t really make you happy. So, I think one of the most important teachings in life is to learn to love what you are doing. I’ve been super lucky because I’ve been able to do what I love since the first moments [of my life]. But again, that’s my real luck, and I’m doing something that makes me happy every day.

JOHNSON: When you listen back to your debut album, what would you say you’re most proud of?

BOCELLI: I’m very proud of “Piove (Solo L’amore).” That was truly my first solo release after “Fall on Me.” “Solo” is an international word, but in Italian, it means alone. It was a feeling that I wanted to speak about because it’s what I was going through in that moment — the feeling of being lonely. It was something I had never experienced before. I had traveled a lot since I was young but was always with my family or my friends. That was a moment where I was leaving everyone for months for touring and work.

It’s also “solo” in that it’s a solo performance. That was my first step on stage on my own. So basically, that song was collecting all the feelings of that moment.

JOHNSON: The concert film Andrea Bocelli 30: The Celebration recently came out in theaters, chronicling your father’s three-day, star-studded July concert event in Italy honoring his 30th anniversary in music. What do you specifically remember about those three nights?

BOCELLI: I have beautiful memories. First of all, I want to say that’s a show that my father brings to his hometown, Lajatico, every summer, but this year was particularly special because it was the celebration of his 30th anniversary in music.

It was very emotional for two reasons. First of all, those were three shows, each show with around 10,000 people. So you saw 30,000 people coming from all over the world. The show is in Italy, but the funny fact is that not many Italians are there. Most of the people come from all over Europe, the U.S., and South America. And they don’t come into a big city. They come into Lajatico, which is truly a little village in the middle of Tuscany. So you can really see the affection and love they have for my father, and that’s the number one thing.

But also, it was very emotional to see so many artists there that are incredibly successful not only in Italy but all over the world, coming together around my father as a reunion. It was truly a sign of affection. I was part of the three nights, and I was very grateful to be able to connect with those people because I have so much to learn from them. It was simply magical.

JOHNSON: What can people expect with your upcoming concert at the Palladium?

BOCELLI: First of all, it’s truly my first-ever time in Indianapolis, so I’m very excited. I feel like every time you touch a new city, it’s beautiful. It’s truly a romance because you see these new supporters. So I’m really looking forward to delivering them the best performance and best emotions, and I hope it’ll be the first of many more times in the city.