Biography
Who is Andrea Bocelli?
Early life and education
Andrea Bocelli was born in Lajatico, Italy, on September 22, 1958. His sight was impaired from birth due to congenital glaucoma, and he lost his vision completely at age twelve after an accident with a football. He grew up on his family farm in the Tuscan countryside and showed a strong passion for music from an early age, learning to play the piano starting at age six before mastering several other instruments.
During his youth, he also spent time singing and won his first song competition at age fourteen. He completed his secondary school education in 1980 and then attended the University of Pisa to study law. To earn money while studying, Andrea Bocelli performed in piano bars during the evenings. After completing law school, he spent one year working as a court-appointed lawyer before pursuing music full-time.
Musical beginnings and breakthrough
In 1992, Italian rock star Zucchero held auditions for tenors to record a demo of his song Miserere, and Luciano Pavarotti urged Zucchero to use Andrea Bocelli instead. The song became a hit throughout Europe, and Andrea accompanied Zucchero on a European concert tour in 1993. Caterina Caselli heard him sing and signed him to the Sugar Music label in Milan.
In December of that year, Andrea Bocelli entered the preliminary round of the Sanremo Music Festival in the newcomers category and won with record marks. In February 1994, he entered the main Sanremo competition with the song Il mare calmo della sera and won the newcomers section again. His debut album of the same name was released shortly after and entered the Italian Top Ten.
International success and albums
Following his festival wins, Andrea Bocelli released his second album, Bocelli, in November 1995. The album included the song Con te partirò, which became a big hit and the best-selling single of all time in Belgium. He later re-recorded the song as Time to Say Goodbye with English soprano Sarah Brightman, and the single topped the charts in Germany for fourteen weeks with record sales.
His compilation album Romanza became one of the best-selling albums of all time. His classical album Sacred Arias set records when he simultaneously held the top three positions on the US Classical Albums charts. Later albums include My Christmas, which was a top holiday release, and Sì, which debuted at number one on both the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200.
Awards and family life
Andrea Bocelli has received many honors throughout his career. He was made a Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2006 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010. He also earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song with Celine Dion for The Prayer from the animated film Quest for Camelot.
In his personal life, Andrea Bocelli has been married to Veronica Berti. He has children named Matteo Bocelli and Virginia Bocelli. Throughout his decades-long career, he has remained one of the most prominent crossover performers, bringing classical and operatic music to international audiences.
Birthday and age
Andrea Bocelli was born on September 22, 1958, which makes Andrea 68 years old today. That birthday falls under the Virgo sign. Andrea shares the date with 37 other famous people.
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