After picking up a presitgious gong at last year's BRIT Awards, Il Divo have gained greater credibility and still plays to sell-out concert halls. Alison Jones talks to one of the stars ahead of Saturday night's date at the LG Arena.
Last year Il Divo, the pop/opera hybrids who sing like Pavarotti and dress like James Bond, were named as Artist of the Decade at the Classic BRIT Awards
It was a sign of recognition and respect for a group who are as manufactured as any boy band and backed by Simon Cowell to boot (he’s said to have been inspired to create the group after listening to Andrea Bocelli while watching The Sopranos).
“It is quite amazing when you receive such a prize,” says French singer Sébastien Izambard.
“I don’t think the media has appreciated our work sometimes. I think we have been put down because Simon has been involved from day one.
“Sometimes it doesn’t matter, sometimes it does hurt.
“When we had been nominated to get the prize it was an appreciation that was from the media, it wasn’t just from the public, so that felt really good. Like a reconciliation, if that is the right word.
“And I live in England so it feels like a double honour for me.”
Part of the reason behind the dismissive attitude, he suggests, was because of Simon’s connection with shows that sees some performers feted for a while before being cast into fame’s bargain bin.
“I think we were always linked to a small duration as a band.
“We have proved, and Simon has proved as well, that we could last and we are solid.
“I think the media didn’t like the idea that he could have been clever on that one and we could have been good as well.
“Also, the style of music we do is quite uncommon. We sing pop songs in that kind of pop operatic way and people can find that cheesy.”
However, the band’s success speaks for itself. Il Divo has now been together nine years, toured the world several times, performed with Toni Braxton, Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion and sold 26 million albums.
“I think there is not much to add to that,” says Sébastien with masterly understatement.
Though Simon’s approach might have been cynically commercial (he searched for two years to find performers for his multinational dream group), there is no questioning the quartet’s abilities as singers.
Carlos Marin is a renowned Spanish baritone; Swiss Urs Bühler and American David Miller are both classically trained tenors, while Sébastien came from a pop background in his native France. He was working on his second album when he signed up for Il Divo – after some initial reservations.
“I have always composed my own music and done my own thing so my first point was ‘why would I join a band?’
“The second one was what the hell were these voices? Big vibratos and old fashioned. It was never going to work for me.
“So I was amazed when I went into the studio because I could not believe how amazing it sounded.
“We all knew it was either going to be huge or just never going to make anything at all.”
The first record released in the UK went straight to number one, knocking Robbie Williams off his perch there.
“He didn’t like that but he was cool about it,” laughs Sébastien, recalling how the singer mock confronted them at a red carpet event soon after.
He likens Il Divo’s coming together to a business merger or an arranged marriage.
“It is always difficult to mesh together as a group.
“Imagine you have your own company, working for yourself and all of a sudden you have to work in another company with four partners.
“In the beginning it was very difficult because of language barriers, because of where we grew up, our personalities. You have to kind of gel. It’s like getting married with someone you have never met.
Last year Il Divo, the pop/opera hybrids who sing like Pavarotti and dress like James Bond, were named as Artist of the Decade at the Classic BRIT Awards
It was a sign of recognition and respect for a group who are as manufactured as any boy band and backed by Simon Cowell to boot (he’s said to have been inspired to create the group after listening to Andrea Bocelli while watching The Sopranos).
“It is quite amazing when you receive such a prize,” says French singer Sébastien Izambard.
“I don’t think the media has appreciated our work sometimes. I think we have been put down because Simon has been involved from day one.
“Sometimes it doesn’t matter, sometimes it does hurt.
“When we had been nominated to get the prize it was an appreciation that was from the media, it wasn’t just from the public, so that felt really good. Like a reconciliation, if that is the right word.
“And I live in England so it feels like a double honour for me.”
Part of the reason behind the dismissive attitude, he suggests, was because of Simon’s connection with shows that sees some performers feted for a while before being cast into fame’s bargain bin.
“I think we were always linked to a small duration as a band.
“We have proved, and Simon has proved as well, that we could last and we are solid.
“I think the media didn’t like the idea that he could have been clever on that one and we could have been good as well.
“Also, the style of music we do is quite uncommon. We sing pop songs in that kind of pop operatic way and people can find that cheesy.”
However, the band’s success speaks for itself. Il Divo has now been together nine years, toured the world several times, performed with Toni Braxton, Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion and sold 26 million albums.
“I think there is not much to add to that,” says Sébastien with masterly understatement.
Though Simon’s approach might have been cynically commercial (he searched for two years to find performers for his multinational dream group), there is no questioning the quartet’s abilities as singers.
Carlos Marin is a renowned Spanish baritone; Swiss Urs Bühler and American David Miller are both classically trained tenors, while Sébastien came from a pop background in his native France. He was working on his second album when he signed up for Il Divo – after some initial reservations.
“I have always composed my own music and done my own thing so my first point was ‘why would I join a band?’
“The second one was what the hell were these voices? Big vibratos and old fashioned. It was never going to work for me.
“So I was amazed when I went into the studio because I could not believe how amazing it sounded.
“We all knew it was either going to be huge or just never going to make anything at all.”
The first record released in the UK went straight to number one, knocking Robbie Williams off his perch there.
“He didn’t like that but he was cool about it,” laughs Sébastien, recalling how the singer mock confronted them at a red carpet event soon after.
He likens Il Divo’s coming together to a business merger or an arranged marriage.
“It is always difficult to mesh together as a group.
“Imagine you have your own company, working for yourself and all of a sudden you have to work in another company with four partners.
“In the beginning it was very difficult because of language barriers, because of where we grew up, our personalities. You have to kind of gel. It’s like getting married with someone you have never met.
But we have been quite intelligent and old enough to make it work and really enjoy being married.”
They all have what he terms ‘ego artistics’ and he has found they often live up to national stereotypes when faced with problems. Carlos is kind of fiery, he reacts straight away. Urs is going to think about it, I am more like that as well. David always thinks that America can save the world. I don’t say that in a mean way.
"We love that about each other. Before it was hard to connect but now we just laugh. We are like a United Nations trying to navigate through problems, which we don’t have often.”
Their current tour, which sees them appearing at the LG Arena on Saturday, follows a couple of years spent out of the limelight, while they were putting together their new album, Wicked Game (the title track is a reworking of the Chris Isaak classic)
They all have what he terms ‘ego artistics’ and he has found they often live up to national stereotypes when faced with problems. Carlos is kind of fiery, he reacts straight away. Urs is going to think about it, I am more like that as well. David always thinks that America can save the world. I don’t say that in a mean way.
"We love that about each other. Before it was hard to connect but now we just laugh. We are like a United Nations trying to navigate through problems, which we don’t have often.”
Their current tour, which sees them appearing at the LG Arena on Saturday, follows a couple of years spent out of the limelight, while they were putting together their new album, Wicked Game (the title track is a reworking of the Chris Isaak classic)
They have also been busy with their own projects, which for Sébastien has meant studying acting.
“I’d like to do films or TV. “I haven’t gone forward for any roles because I haven’t felt prepared yet. I don’t want to jump into something and not be good. “I just want to do some other things that are fun to do, that people wouldn’t necessarily expect. “I have always composed music, I still do a lot. I want to take some dancing classes now. “I think it is really important as an artist to kind of try different. “I am pretty lucky in that (acting) is not what I do for a living so I can choose something that will work for me.” All this has to be balanced with making time for family life. He is married to Renee, a former music company publicist that he met while touring, and they have three children, four-year-old twins Lucas and Rose, and 11-month-old Jude. They usually travel with him to different continents and when Il Divo is away performing he will fly back to where they are based on his days off. “It is tiring but if I don’t see my children I die basically,” he says, touchingly. “I just need my family and my wife. I need that balance because it is not just Il Divo and the fans; it is also who I am outside Il Divo which is important.” In spite of the group’s impeccably groomed image (“I think putting on jeans and T-shirt, which we do every day in our lives, doesn’t really represent our music on stage”), he says the foursome are far less diva-ish than their name or look might suggest. “I think we are pretty easy maintenance to be honest. We don’t want this or that or need water that is a certain temperature – which I hear sometimes from other artists. “No riders. Just some water and some fruit, that’s all. Pretty boring.” |
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