Matteo Bocelli

Much of the world first heard Matteo on Fall on Me, the English/Italian song that he co-wrote for the elder Bocelli’s acclaimed 2018 album, Sì, which topped the Billboard 200 and the UK Official Albums chart. The song, which has amassed nearly 300 million combined global streams, went on to soundtrack Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.

Today [September 24th] Capitol Records releases the singer/songwriter debut solo single, aptly entitled, Solo. Music News caught up with Matteo to find out more...

Your debut single is being released on Capitol Records on Friday. Has this day been a long-time-coming?
After the single ‘Fall on Me’ with my father, I had a lot of pressure to deliver new music. Me and my team did the exact opposite, we stopped. I have worked nonstop for the last 3 years with some of the most incredible and exciting songwriter from all over the world and so far, I have written almost 80 songs. It has been an incredible journey. Capitol gave me a rare opportunity to have time to do things properly, to write music, my own identity, to do mistakes, to grow artistically and professionally.

Are the romantic, sometimes melancholy lyrics based on personal experience?
Absolutely, yes. Solo for instance, is a perfect example of how you can feel when you are far from home and you miss your family and friends. I only write music that makes sense to me and my own personal experience.

Did you have a clear vision of what this song should be when working with Fiona Bevan and Marco Guazzone?
No because it has been written during a special song writing session my management put together in Milan early this year. The original version was piano and voice, dry, intense, direct. We understood that for a mainstream approach we needed a wider sound and with Capitol we asked Jesse Shaktin to produce it. The first time I heard the song I understood he got it right, but I really want to release the piano version of the song as it was originally made in the next weeks.



There’s a visually stunning video to accompany Solo, how did this come together?
Me and my team decided to give a strong visual identity to the words on the music. It is me starting my own journey from the same door of Fall on Me, but on the Dolomite, the second step. The stones are little messages that create a universal message You’re Gonna Find your way solo. Meaning that you can be whoever but at the end its only on you to decide what to do with your life.

You previously duetted with your father Andrea Bocelli, was that a landmark moment for you?
To be honest, I duetted with my dad since I was a kid and when the label asked me to do it for his last record, Si, I simply felt that it was a logical and natural consequence of what we were already doing at home. The difference was that, instead of singing that song into our living room, we sung it everywhere in the world from Madison Square Garden, to Hollywood Bowl, to O2 Arena in London and Moscow.

What has his advice to you been?
Always be yourself, and never ever stop studying

You are graduating at the Conservatory of Lucca, has that set you up well for this musical journey?
It helped me to learn how to set my vocal chords. I’m classically trained to sing operatic music, I needed to learn a totally different approach to singing.

How many songs have your written so far?
Over 80 with some of the most incredible song writers in the world.

What are your musical ambitions?
To create my own path into this world with my own sound and identity.

Who are your own musical heroes?
I grew up listening to icons, from Michael Jackson, to Queens. I had the pleasure to sing with my dad of course, share the stage with Elton John and do a fashion campaign with Jennifer Lopez. I adore Ed Sheeran. Adele has one of the most beautiful voices ever, but I also admire Justin Bieber’s project and Pharell Williams touch. I just love music.