Andrea Bocelli possesses not only an extraordinary operatic voice, but another unique gift – the capacity to sense sound bouncing off of surfaces. Except, he doesn’t think it’s such an unusual ability at all.
“It’s basically the concept that bats use for their orientation. When you walk, you make sounds, and that sound comes back to you. Echolocation,” the Italian tenor tells Deadline. “The fact is we all have this capacity. It’s just that we don’t know we do. And we don’t use it because we don’t develop it.”
Our conversation came in his suite at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Toronto, the day of the world premiere for a new documentary about him: Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe. The film directed by Cosima Spender explores a career that has seen Bocelli sell more than 80 million records and perform at venues around the world. It also rewinds to his childhood in rural Tuscany, where he gravitated towards music and learned to play multiple instruments, including the piano. He was born with congenital glaucoma, which limited his sight and in the documentary, he recounts how he lost his vision entirely at the age of 12 when he was struck in the eye with a soccer ball (that loss of vision may have amplified his other senses – accounting for ability to echolocate). His mother Edi insisted he not indulge in any self-pity.
“My mother was really a very strong woman,” he comments. “She wouldn’t have it if I went to her complaining about some sort of problem. ‘How do I do this? How do I do that?’ She goes, ‘Make do on your own. You can do it. That’s it. No excuses. Figure it out.’”
Andrea Bocelli and wife Veronica Berti Bocelli on horseback in New York City on March 23, 2023.
Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Trinity Broadcasting Network
This emphasis on a “can-do” attitude may explain another of Bocelli’s talents – horsemanship. Though blind, he rides horses with remarkable skill, deriving obvious pleasure from the activity.
“I began to ride when I was seven years old, so for me it’s a natural, normal element in my life,” he says. “I live in a beautiful place — Tuscany is incredible. So beautiful. And to ride in the middle of the fields and woods, it’s very inspiring. And you breathe freedom.”
In the interview with Deadline, Bocelli recounted one moment in his career when he managed to combine his two loves of music and riding.
“I performed an opera in Detroit and at the beginning of the opera I went to stage riding a horse — a real horse,” he recalls. “And I remember the boy that brought me the horse asked me, ‘Are you worried to go on stage with the horses?’ I said, ‘No, I will be worried when I have to get off the horse and start singing.’”
We asked if he felt happiest singing or on horseback. “It’s a tie,” he replies. “If I’m singing well, it’s a tie. If it’s not good, I like my horse.”
Andrea Bocelli in ‘Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe’
Lorenzo Montanelli
Rapturous fans can attest that the singing tends to go very well indeed. He is known for his performances of “Time To Say Goodbye (Con te partirò)”; “Nessun Dorma,” the aria from the Puccini opera Turandot; duets with Ed Sheeran, Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera, and Ariana Grande; “Vivo Per Lei” and many other recordings, including a duet with his son, Matteo.
He said he doesn’t have a favorite song to perform.
“It’s like every day and every moment, there’s a mood for a certain song,” he says. “So, there is no favorite. It’s just what you’re in the mood for.”
As we spoke, Bocelli’s dog Ginevra, an Italian Greyhound, scampered about, and darted in for a caress from the doting tenor. “She’s a good traveler. Very happy. Very happy,” he says. “She’s always the first to get in the car, first to get on a plane. Oh, she’s very happy.”