Interview: Andrea Bocelli

andrea Bocelli says his shoulder is blocked.

He is speaking through a translator – although research reveals that he can actually speak enough English to conduct the interview without the need for an intermediary. So when he says his shoulder is blocked, one can only assume it is a phrase that has somehow been lost in translation.

“Andrea hurt his shoulder while he was waterskiing,” his translator says.

“He woke up this morning and it was painful – he could tell it was blocked.”

It is something of a frustration to have to speak to Bocelli through a translator. Let’s face it, if there is a voice on earth you would like to hear unexpurgated, it is that of the Italian tenor, who has what is recognised as one of the most extraordinary voices in contemporary music.

Much in demand the world over, the 54-year-old is coming to Leeds next month, to play the city’s arena, adding his name to an increasingly impressive roll call at the music venue.

While Bruce Springsteen and Elton John have impressive voices and present great shows, it’s fair to say that neither would argue their voices could match that of Bocelli’s extraordinary talent.

It is a voice that has made him one of the most sought out live performers in the world. He is gearing up to record an opera and in between arriving in Leeds he has concerts to perform in Budapest, Chile and Mexico. It is a ludicrously demanding schedule.

“I do not have much free time,” says the singer in a rather epic understatement. Very little free time, yet he’s able to go out waterskiing?

“He lives close to the sea. He was able to get out there, go waterskiing and be back to work in just an hour,” says his translator.

Bocelli is not a man who wastes the time he has been given. Born in September 1958, he began playing the piano when he was six years old. Other instruments followed, but none had the impact on Bocelli and his audience than the instrument with which he pursued his career – his voice. When he was 12 years old he won a competition with a rendition of O Sole Mio. The early success convinced Bocelli to pursue proper training to make his voice the best it could be and was taken under the wing of Franco Corelli.

When he speaks about his talent, Bocelli is not exactly modest – but it transpires this is because he doesn’t lay great claim to his voice. I ask why he would bother to continue to travel the world, performing sell-out concerts around the globe, when he presumably could just as easily retire and watch the royalty cheques from his performance work pour in?

“It is absolutely worthwhile to continue working and touring and performing. If you have a gift from Him above, then you must share it in the best way possible with as many people as possible,” says Bocelli. Him is God. Faith is a key part of Bocelli’s life.

He devotes much of our short interview time to discussing it, relating the idea that if you have a house, then you must have a builder. It is an argument the religious often use and Bocelli is keen to reiterate it – he considers his voice a divine gift, and he doesn’t want to talk about it without giving credit to what he believes is the source.

In 1994 Bocelli took to the stage with that voice to perform for the first time in an opera, taking on the role of Macduff, in Macbeth – and never looked back. In 1996 he recorded a version of Time To Say Goodbye with Sarah Brightman and it became one of the world’s biggest selling songs, being bought by music fans across the globe. It helped his album, Romanza, break all kinds of records.

His reputation was assured, but he built upon it with concerts all over the world.

While he is looking forward to coming to Leeds, it appears it will be another stop on a whirlwind life of touring.

“Because of the amount I tour, I feel like I am always travelling, much of my life is spent in various dressing rooms,” he says.

“I love London, it feels something like a second home because I play there so often. When I come there I like to see a musical theatre show and I love to walk in Hyde Park. When I come to Leeds I will have no fixed plans, but the audiences in the UK are always very warm and friendly.”

Boyhood footballing injury that cost singer his sight

Although born with sight problems, Bocelli only became completely blind when he was 12 and was hit on the head during a football match.

Bocelli refuses to talk about his blindness in interviews and has been known to walk out if the subject is raised. He does speak passionately on the subject of abortion, saying he is ‘pro-life’. His stance comes from the fact, he says, that his mother was advised to have an abortion when she was pregnant with him. She refused the doctors’ advice.

Bocelli plays Leeds Arena, Nov 24. Tickets on 0844 248 1585. www.firstdirectarena.com