Matteo Bocelli on recent Indian collaboration

Pinkvilla was the first to report that legendary Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli's son Matteo Bocelli will be visiting India for a special music collaboration. The artist arrived in the country last week, and has recorded for a special track with singer duo Sukriti Kakar and Prakriti Kakar, and composer Amaal Mallik. In an exclusive conversation with Pinkvilla, junior Bocelli opened up on this musical collaboration, his father, his admiration for Ed Sheeran, Bollywood films, and much more.

"India is a place I have always been curious about and when my management team said there could be an opportunity to do something with an Indian artist and Universal India I was super excited. I have really enjoyed working with artists from other cultures and musical backgrounds already, so coming to India felt like an amazing next step. I have wanted to visit for a very long time and now I have the best reason to come here," says Matteo.

He adds that working with Amaal, Sukriti and Prakriti has been an amazing experience. "We had a lot of fun working on the track - they are incredible people with a great team behind them, and I have really enjoyed looking at music from a non-western perspective. I am obsessed with the technical side of how songs are put together, so this has been such a great experience for me," shares the singer.

Matteo also opens up on his learnings from his acclaimed father. "He really handed down his work ethic to me. I watched him work incredibly hard to provide for us as a family and make sure I would have lots of options in life. I understood very early in life that if you want something, you have to really work hard for it," he states.

Andrea Bocelli and Ed Sheeran in 2017 had collaborated on the song "Perfect", which Matteo and senior Bocelli too have performed on in the past. Talking about his love for Sheeran's work, Matteo says, "I am a big fan of Ed's and just being around him is a creative experience. He is someone who is very warm and giving of himself, someone who respects talent and artistry in all its forms. I would love to collaborate with him in the future."