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Il Divo | |
|---|---|
 Il Divo at theSydney Opera House in 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Multi-national (tenors from France, Switzerland, Spain until 2021 and the United States) |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | |
| Past members | |
| Website | ildivo |
Il Divo (Italian pronunciation:[ilˈdiːvo];transl. "The Star") are a multinationalclassical crossover vocal group. Formed in theUnited Kingdom in 2003, it is a malequartet that was created and then promoted byBritish mediamagnateSimon Cowell forSyco Music, arecord label that he had administered.[1][2] The group currently consists of Swiss tenorUrs Bühler, American tenorDavid Miller, French tenorSébastien Izambard, and American baritoneSteven LaBrie. It previously included Spanish baritoneCarlos Marín until his death in 2021 fromCOVID-19 and later replacement by LaBrie on a permanent basis in 2023.
As of 2021, the group has released ten studio albums:Il Divo (2004),The Christmas Collection (2005),Ancora (2005),Siempre (2006),The Promise (2008),Wicked Game (2011),A Musical Affair (2013),Amor & Pasión (2015),Timeless (2018), andFor Once in My Life: A Celebration of Motown (2021); as well as a compilation album,The Greatest Hits (2012). Two other albums –An Evening with Il Divo: Live in Barcelona (2009) andLive in Japan (2014) – presented recordings oflive concerts. The group has also collaborated with multiple other musical artists, withBarbra Streisand andLea Salonga being examples.
Both the group's concerts and its studio releases are known for featuring a variety oflanguages. Examples include media inFrench (such as with "Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore"), inItalian (such as with "Nella Fantasia"), and inSpanish (such with "Isabel"), with most of Il Divo's performances involving theRomance languages. The vocalists have additionally attracted notice due to theirpublic image; for instance, they have almost exclusively wornsuits byGiorgio Armani during their concerts and other social affairs.
Since its inception, Il Divo has enjoyed significant commercial success, with the group selling over thirty million copies of their albums worldwide as of 2018. An Australian news article has noted that, "[w]hile other copycat" type "bands were formed after Il Divo’s success", "most [of them] have split" and additionally Il Divo stands out due to the vocalists proactive choices in managing their output, such as with the tenor Miller directing themusic video for their song "Hola".[2] With 160 certified gold and platinum hits in 35 countries, the group has pioneered the genre ofoperatic pop, or "popera", inclassical crossover music.
Il Divo's live concerts sold over two million concert tickets worldwide just from the group's first four albums. In its first world tour, concerts in 69 cities in 18 countries were sold out.[3]
Il Divo was composed of four singers:[4] former child performer, television and recording artist, and classical baritoneCarlos Marin, born in Germany but raised in Spain; two classically trainedtenors,Urs Bühler from Switzerland, andDavid Miller from the USA; and pop singer-songwriterSébastien Izambard, from France. After Marín's death in late 2021, fellow baritoneSteven LaBrie, from the US, joined the band as a special guest on tour before being announced as a full-time member of the group on 17 August 2023.
The idea behind Il Divo came when Simon Cowell, inspired after listening to theThree Tenors, decided to form a multinational quartet of talented young singers to recreate the quality ofLuciano Pavarotti,José Carreras, andPlacido Domingo. Cowell searched worldwide for young singers who were willing to embark on the project from 21 January 2001, to 16 December 2003, whenMiller was signed.[5] Prior to Il Divo, each member enjoyed moderate success individually.[6]
The first album,Il Divo, was recorded in February 2004 in Sweden.[7] The album was released on 1 November 2004 in three countries: the UK, Norway and Ireland. In the first few weeks the group achieved double platinum in Norway and Ireland.[8] On 19 April 2005 the album was released in the United States and Spain.[9]
Il Divo was launched in fall 2004 with the single "Regresa a mí", debuting with the first album of the same name. The group filmed the music video for the song inSlovenia.[10][11]
In December 2004, Il Divo held its first concert at Gotham Hall in New York. The group performed five songs from the album live. The concert was made into a film that became the group's first DVD release,Live at Gotham Hall.
On 23 May 2005, the group releasedMama, which features the second official video of the song "Mama" recorded inTropea, Italy.[12][failed verification]
On 24 January 2006, Sony BMG releasedEncore, a concert at theRoman Theatre inMérida, Spain, recorded on 7 October 2005.[13]
On 25 October 2005, the group released their second studio albumThe Christmas Collection in seven countries: the United States, Canada, Austria, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland.[14][failed verification]
Il Divo's third studio album,Ancora, was released in Europe on 7 November 2005. In the United States and Latin America it was released on 24 January 2006. It debuted at number one on theBillboard 200 in its first week of release in the United States.[15]
On 9 June 2006, Il Divo gave a live performance of the official2006 FIFA World Cup song, "The Time of Our Lives", withToni Braxton, at half-time during the opening match betweenGermany andCosta Rica, and again at the closing ceremony on 9 July.[16][17]
Il Divo have been on several world tours and have received 50 gold and platinum discs. Their last tour in 2014 covered five continents and over 33 countries. Having completed a six-month tour of the United States, Australia, and Europe, Il Divo participated inStreisand asBarbra Streisand's special guests. The tour was ranked second for all tours during 2006, generating $92.5 million in gross sales.
After the release ofAncora, the group spent almost half their time as the bestselling act in Europe, building on the success they achieved with their debut self-titled album.[18] Throughout the Christmas period in 2006, Il Divo held the top spot in the list of best-selling albums.[19]
Il Divo was named the Most Multinational UK No.1 Album Group in the 2006 edition of theGuinness Book of World Records.[20]
On 7 November 2006 the group released their first compilation,Il Divo Collezione.[21][22]
On 27 November 2006 they released their fourth studio album,Siempre, recorded during their previous world tour.[citation needed] On 16 January 2007, Il Divo began a tour to promoteSiempre in Asia, Australia, Latin America Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, and Venezuela.[23] On 21 November 2006 Il Divo released theLive at the Greek Theater DVD featuring the live concert held on 22 June 2006 at theGreek Theatre in Los Angeles as part of the 2006 world tour. This recording includes all the songs that had established the group's popularity and an unedited version of the famous song "Somewhere".[24]
On 11 November 2008 the group released their fifth album,The Promise. The album's presentation was held at theMuseu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya on 30 October, where Il Divo performed five songs from the new album.[25]
At the Coliseum was released on 8 November 2008. It includes Il Divo's concert at theRoman Colosseum in Pula,Croatia.[26]
On 12 December 2008, Il Divo performed at the finals of Idol 2008 in theStockholm Globe Arena.[27] On 20 January 2009 they performed at thePurple Heart Inauguration Ball in Washington DC forBarack Obama.[28] Il Divo's 2009 tour, An Evening with Il Divo, was their most geographically extensive, with more than 130 dates across six continents, visiting 31 countries and 81 cities, earning them theBillboard Breakthrough Award for the highest-grossing tour of the year.[29]
On 1 December 2009, the first live albumAn Evening with Il Divo: Live in Barcelona went public.[30] The DVD + CD set includes "Bridge Over Trouble Water" and "The Impossible Dream" fromMan of La Mancha.
They ended 2009 with their first Christmas special intimate show,Celebrate Christmas with Il Divo, which included a traditional repertoire of favourite festive songs with an orchestra and special guests in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada.
They started with two concerts at theHammersmith Apollo in London on 7 and 8 December with violinistVanessa-Mae and singerCamilla Kerslake, ending in the United States with six more concerts.[31]
On 19 October 2010,Sony Music releasedThe Yule Log: The Christmas Collection.[32]
On 11 May 2011, Il Divo were invited to theClassic Brit Awards at theRoyal Albert Hall in London to receive the award for "Artist of the Decade". The award recognised the impact the operatic group had had in the classical genre, having sold over 25 million albums worldwide between 2004 and 2011.[citation needed]
On 8 November 2011,Wicked Game was released.[citation needed]
On 20 December 2011 inParaguay, the quartet gave a concert in theDefensores del Chaco stadium for 33,900 people, closing the Bicentenary of the Independence of Paraguay.[33] On 13 May 2012, Il Divo performed "Caruso" during the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II at Windsor for the entire royal family.[34] In 2008, Il Divo performed at the Olympic torch handover party leading up to the2012 Summer Olympics in London.[35]
Live in London, a 90-minute Il Divo concert at theLondon Coliseum, was published in mid-2011.[36]
Il Divo & Orchestra in Concert World Tour was a worldwide tour of the six continents between May and September 2012. It was designed by creative director Brian Burke, who stated that "Il Divo is the perfect modern fusion of opera, theater, and concert. It is a privilege as a director to create a visual landscape inviting the audience on a theatrical journey of their music."[37]
In November 2012, Il Divo releasedThe Greatest Hits.[38]
The group's seventh album,A Musical Affair, was released on 5 November 2013. The songs featured arrangements tailored to the singers' voices. To promote the album, they held a concert at theMarquis Theatre on Broadway from 7 to 13 November 2013, calledIl Divo – A Musical Affair: The Greatest Songs of Broadway.[39]
The world tour began in Japan in February 2014 and travelled around the world, ending on 1 November 2014 atthe O2 Arena inGreenwich, London.[40] On 19 July 2014, Il Divo sold outEdinburgh Castle, giving a concert featuring "Amazing Grace".[41]
On 24 November 2014, a special edition ofA Musical Affair was released, which includes new songs with French singers, partially or fully sung in French. On 1 December 2014,Live in Japan was released, which contains the A Musical Affair tour filmed at the Nippon Budokan Theater in Tokyo on 11 March 2014. The Japanese version includes the songs "Flowers Will Bloom" and "Furusato".
In 2014, on the 10th anniversary of the publication of their first album, the group sold over 28 million albums worldwide, achieving more than 50 number one sales and receiving 160 gold records and platinum in over 33 countries.[42]
On 23 March 2015, it was announced that Il Divo was the winner of the 2015Silver Clef Award, giving them the Classic PPLNordoff Robbins Classical Award. The gala award ceremony took place on 3 July at theGrosvenor House Hotel.[43]
Through Syco Music, on 6 November 2015 in Europa, 27 November in America and 25 October in Japan, Il Divo releasedAmor & Pasión.[44][non-primary source needed]
On 21 October, Il Divo performed the first public appearance to promote the sixth album on the programDespierta America, the US network Univision, from Miami, playing his first single "Si voy a perderte (Don't Wanna Lose You)".[45] They then performed the song "Bésame mucho" in Japan.[46] They started the month of November in London, where they attended the second Music Industry Trust Awards.[47]
Amor & Pasión debuted atop the US Latin Albums chart, with 5,000 copies sold in America in the first week, according toBillboard.[48] In Spain, the album debuted at number 10 on the Top 100 Álbumes list.[49]
Carlos Marin died ofCOVID-19 on 19 December 2021.[50] As a tribute, Il Divo performed a Greatest Hits Tour in 2022, with Mexican-American baritone Steven LaBrie joining the group, but not as a member at that time.[51]
Besides music, the members of Il Divo are also known for their refined and elegant appearance, wearing almost exclusively suits byGiorgio Armani[77] (Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani and Armani Collezioni).[78]
Il Divo is a powerful and fascinating presence, in these years have been a great inspiration for me. I remember the first time I saw them performing live: I was impressed by their elegance and their fascinating way to communicate emotions through his music orig.[79]
— Giorgio Armani
Il Divo's style is so elegant, it describes our music. It's a dress in the style of theRat Pack which was composed ofFrank Sinatra,Dean Martin andSammy Davis Jr.[80]
— Carlos Marín
Il Divo changed the genre of opera with their musical combination of opera singing and classical music, with themes of differentgenres, includingLatin,folk,ballads,church music,bolero and pop.[81]
Il Divo records their songs in several languages: Spanish ("Regresa A Mí", "Hasta Mi Final", "La Vida Sin Amor"), English ("Mama", "Amazing Grace", "Don't Cry For Me Argentina"), Italian ("Senza Parole", "Passerà", "Notte Di Luce"), French ("Pour Que Tu M'Aimes Encore", "Le Temps des Cathedrales"),Latin ("Panis Angelicus"), Portuguese ("Volta Pra Mim"), and Japanese ("Furusato").[82][83] Some songs incorporate more than one language in the same song, such as "The Man You Love" (Spanish and English), "Ave Maria" (Italian and Latin), and "I Believe In You" (English & French), whereas others are recorded in a single language, but sung live in two languages: "She" (Italian & English) and "Bring Him Home" (English & Spanish).
Most of the songs that they cover are reinterpreted from English and translated into the Spanish language, as the group have said that "Spanish is the language of Romanticism".[84]
On 25 April 2007, Il Divo performed onAmerican Idol in one of the "Idol Gives Back" episodes, which raised money for children in the US and Africa. For every vote cast during that show, Idol sponsors Coca-Cola, AT&T, and others donated money to theCharity Projects Entertainment Fund and other groups such asSave the Children andAmerica's Second Harvest.[85]
In 2011, they recorded "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to raise money for the organisationSave the Children.[86]
Il Divo is related indirectly in terms of sponsorship and help with the French NGO SMTA Assistance Médicale Toit du Monde since 2005, of which Izambard is the international official sponsor, and with Sanfilippo Children's Foundation, for which Izambard is the global ambassador.[87][88]
Between 20 and 30 September 2015, Miller and Bühler participated in a motorbike ride from Miami to Los Angeles to raise funds for theNordoff Robbins music therapy charity.[89]
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