When good articles are published about our guys, we all enjoy it and this is a really nice article published by IL CORRIERE DELLA SERA in the section: The beauty of people – The interview. The article is by Maria Egizia Fiaschetti.
I will translate for you.
Il Corriere Della Sera Article – Click Here
Il Volo: “We are antipathetic? Who insults is perhaps ashamed of his origins.”
Irritating, snooty, bimbiminchia (a really bad word that means so many bad things about the guys) …. The “tenorini” del Volo, have received so many criticisms – Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble – up to the insults in the press room in Sanremo while they climbed on the podium, behind Ultimo and Mahmood, with “MUSICA CHE RESTA”.
More mud in 2015: from a hotel in Locarno they accuse them of having devastated a room. The manager of the structure denies, but the online shaming machine, the web lynching, has already been set in motion. Yet, looking at these three boys in their twenties with the face of those who have learned to manage success but not to the point of not caring about the attacks, one wonders what causes such dislike.
Why do they have it in for you?
Boschetto: “Many do not know us, but in Sanremo we had lunch with some journalists and they changed their minds. We tend to label a person, a bit like judging a book from the cover. We are aware that our music is not in step with what Ghali, Sfera Ebbasta, Frah Quintale do … perhaps we are unpleasant because we propose a genre that pleases, but is not fashionable”. Barone: “Our manager (Michele Torpedine) launched Andrea Bocelli and told us that, at the beginning, he also received the same criticisms”.
As the trappers advance, don’t you fear being anachronistic with your lyric pop?
Barone: “It is as if those who call us ancient are ashamed of their origins … At World Youth Day in Panama we sang the “Hail Mary, Mater Misericordiae” before Pope Francis and a million people. We respect any musical genre and we are happy for the trappers because we do not take anything away from them, nor we from them”. Ginoble: “We make popular national music which has now become a derogatory term, but is rooted in the most authentic traditions of our country”. Barone: “We are unique, we propose a genre in which none of our peers has tried. We do not enter the radio, and we suffer a little, but our strengths are others. We offer the most symphonic version abroad because we are the ones to bring the Italian tradition to the great American arenas after Modugno, Pavarotti and Bocelli”. Ginoble: “But the new album MUSICA is dedicated more to the Italian public thanks to Sanremo, where we proposed a song with contemporary sounds, less set. For our country we have chosen a modern repertoire, which is reflected in the vocal evolution: it is the proof that we are able to excite even with different things”.
You are still boys, but you find yourself already celebrating ten years of career: do you ever think that, after such an unstoppable rise, the public can lose interest in your music?
Barone: “We must know how to reinvent ourselves every day, but without losing our identity. Then, of course, we are mature enough to recognize our limitations. We can’t do reggaeton if we’re IL VOLO.” Ginoble: “It is one thing to manage the career of IL VOLO in other countries, another in Italy. Here you eat pasta every day, in America one evening out for dinner. Our music abroad is a bit like gastronomy, but not only do emigrants like it … (Gianluca says this, because critics have said that IL VOLO’s music abroad was heard only by emigrants = Daniela) Heads of state also come to our concerts, I would like to tell that journalist who, years ago, claimed that we sang in American pizzerias … maybe he doesn’t know that we performed at Radio City Music Hall.”
After ten years together, how can you keep the ego and the ambitions of soloists in check?
Barone: “Fortunately we all come from small towns with a few thousand inhabitants and this has helped us maintain maturity in the group. Then every now and then the spark escapes us, but … ” Ginoble: “The whims are there, especially in times of stress, but we have the strength to look at each other and admit mistakes.”
What are you fighting for?
Barone: “Today, for example, this individual (Ignazio) woke up at 11:30 am while we were already in a meeting at 9 am. He didn’t know anything, he says, but why doesn’t he care? He doesn’t have a secretary, I’m a colleague of his …”.
Have you ever had a fight before a concert?
Barone: “For that matter, even on stage, it happened last year in Taormina. Ignazio is a Juventus fan, who lost 4 to 1 in the Champions League final. To tease him I kept repeating: ‘Mamma mia, how hot it is today’.”
And he?
Boschetto: “I told him: ‘Out do what you want, but, on stage, don’t break the cabbasisi.’ (Sicilian dialect word, the meaning of the sentence is “do not break the balls” – Daniela)
Do you recognize yourself in the image of ancient boys?
Barone: “We are very responsible and disciplined. Gym, healthy food … This generation, on the other hand, scares me. I am worried about the lyrics of certain songs, too explicit, which do not convey positive examples. Once the messages were ‘I’m not worthy of you’ by Gianni Morandi, ‘red roses for you’ by Massimo Ranieri … I don’t say we should go back to that language, but neither boast of not using condoms or taking drugs.”
The transgression, however, has always characterized a certain way of making music.
Ginoble: “The artists of the Sixties and Seventies based their career on transgression, it was a lifestyle. Today it is a fashion. Vasco’s reckless life is true, he had it ….” (Vasco is an Italian singer – Daniela)
Boschetto: “Getting close to hard drugs scares me, I get anxious just thinking about it.”
Are fans writing to tell you about their problems?
Boschetto: “Yes, I remember a girl in Argentina full of scars, she cut herself. She said to me: ‘Thanks to you I don’t do these things anymore.’ Today, they almost instigate you to do it ….” Barone: “It strikes me that many teenagers, when we take a selfie, stay out of the frame, we only see the eye … I ask: ‘Why don’t you enter the picture?’ They answer: ‘No, I’m ugly.’ They fear the judgment of others.”
Yet on social media it’s all a show off.
Barone: “Social media is the spectacle of nothing.”
The old-fashioned air, the antithesis of the beautiful and the damned, does it work?
Ginoble: “At the age of 15 they were already knocking at our hotel rooms in three, four. We watched from the peephole and, if they were not to our liking, we asked the reception to call security ….”
Did you do it even with the prettiest?
Ginoble: “Do you think that three teenagers who are a little unlucky, who find themselves performing all over the world from the country, have had problems getting them in?”
In short, gentlemen or conqueros?
Barone: “The only important story I had was recently closed, it lasted seven months …”.
Why did you leave?
Barone: “I don’t talk about this, but I can say that I’m looking for a simple, dynamic, sporty girl … one that when I call her from the other side of the world and ask her what she’s doing, don’t answer me: ‘I’m bored.’” Ginoble (the only one of the three with a girlfriend): “The woman to marry must be elegant, sensitive, intelligent.”
Like your Francesca?
Barone: “At every meeting he makes video calls, in fact why don’t you call her now?” Silence. A hint of blush, while showing a picture of a bunch of flowers on the phone.
Is that your gift?
Ginoble: “Yes, for our anniversary, on the 13th of the month, we got together in July.” Boschetto: “We are still at the ‘mesiversary’ (month anniversary) … I, on the other hand, have always been afraid of a relationship, if I am not one hundred percent convinced I prefer to stay one step back. I’m not the type who uses women in a relationship, I always put the feeling.”
The next commitments?
Boschetto: “In May the tour in Japan. In summer we will be all over Italy, then in Europe, the United States and South America until 2020.”
Finally a nice interview in a newspaper.
Yes, I must say that something has changed in the critics, towards IL VOLO, after the bad episodes of Sanremo.
Our boys have not changed, but the negative attitude that many journalists had towards them in an absurd way has changed.
And we are happy with this.
Daniela
Credit to owners of all photos and videos.
Thank you Daniela!
Thanks to you, Gail, that you appreciated.
Thank you Daniela for bringing to us the interview with Il Volo that did not for once , denounce or degrade them. Finally, someone in the Italian press has acknowledged the talent, sincerity and honesty of these three guys.Hopefully others will follow ?!!? Also, I really like the sepia photo of them at the end of your blog , a nice change from pure black and white and coloured. Waiting daily for itinerary of concerts in USA. Thanks again.
Thanks Marion, in fact the interview was published more than a month ago, but it’s not the usual trivial questions, so it was worth translating.
Your,e right Daniela a beautiful article. I think that is why I love these boys is their attitude, so different from the kids of today (not all) it is so refreshing to see how they interact with their fans, young and old alike, I am very proud to be an avid Il Volo fan
Yes, Beverley, I also like them a lot because of their way of being, I too am proud to be their fan
lovely interview!! such nice down to earth guys.
Really mature, true Kate.
Every so often I see or hear some interviews of some new musical idol (rap -trap) simply painful, both for the answers, and for the attitudes and the texts of their songs, but unfortunately, they are brought on the palm of the hand.
Thank you so much. Your translations are always a welcome treat. I don’t know how anyone can fault their music when their talent is so far above most singing today.
I don’t understand it either, Joan, yet the “junk” music is so successful.
Such a great interview. I too wait for the concerts in America. It’s nice to see any articles about the guys. They’re just loveable. I am so impressed with their personalities. What a gift they are for the world.
Yes, Victoria, they are really nice people.
Liebe Daniela, vielen Dank für diesen schönen Artikel! Ich hoffe, unsere Jungs bleiben gesund, um die lange Tour gut zu überstehen. Und außerdem hoffe ich, dass sie auch nach Deutschland kommen. Ich wünsche dir alles Gute. 🤗
Thank you so much Petra, I’m glad you liked the article.
I hope they come to Germany too.
Vielen Dank Petra, ich bin froh, dass dir der Artikel gefallen hat.
Ich hoffe sie kommen auch nach Deutschland.
Thank you so much Daniela for this translation. Yes….for their age they are very mature and kind and wise and…….I could go on. Indeed not at all as the young people nowadays. That’s also why they made such a deep impression on me. And there goal to bring the Italian culture to the public succeeded with me. I would love to go to Italy during my next vacation. I also hope to see them perform, although I haven’t seen the Netherlands as one of the cities. Bruxelles maybe. I hope so.
I wish them good luck for their next performances in Italy and abroad. And good luck to you to Daniela.
Thanks Tineke, you are very kind.
They inspire a great desire to know Italy, they are really good ambassadors, but they are because they love their homeland very much.
As you said, it is not easy or even obvious, to hear the young people of today talk like this, Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio, are almost a rarity.
I love them all, no matter what the critics may say. They are unique and so kind and talented without boasting. Can’t get enough of their style of music and the genres they choose to sing in their style. May God bless them, have safe travels and ignore the critics because they do not speak for us. Sure hope to see you in the USA in the near future. I live in Pennsylvania.
I agree with you Carolyn, it seems that some critics don’t want us to get too attached to our guys. What do they fear? Perhaps Piero Gianluca and Ignazio do not conform to others? Perfect, I love them so.
Ah Daniela, a terrific interview, very personal. GG always seems to be put on the spot by Piero and Ignazio. How sweet to know that he still blushes. I love that they are so respectful with their answers to some difficult questions. Ignazio can be a little bit of a bad boy sometimes, but I love that they don’t take themselves too seriously and can have fun teasing each other. They are real brothers! I can’t wait for the USA tour, I just hope it isn’t in the middle of winter.
I agree, RoseMarie, they are so natural even when they are interviewed, they don’t hide their characters. All three have respect for each other and they love each other very much. Three good guys
Thank you Daniela and Pat. What a nice interview. They are so genuine and real no matter what setting you see them in. I admire them so much for not only their beautiful voices, but for who they are. We simply do not see their caliber of talent or genuineness in the music world today. They set the bar high by just being themselves.
You’re welcome, Jane! It’s my pleasure! 😊
Very right, Jane, they are really good artists, but they are also adorable guys, we like their talent, but we also like their character. It’s a great set. A winning combination. And we love them.
Hi Daniela,
First I really want to thank you for all the hours you spend translating all the things you do!
I have followed them since they appeared on the PBS special that was televised with Barbara Streisand another great singer recognizing up and coming talent, when you think of these who are out to cause such distress for guys they obviously do not know do they think that all or even half of their fans will leave our talented guys just because they put nasty %$#@& comments about them I think not if I am not mistaken their fans from young to old has increased so their bitter nasty comments have had the opposite effect even getting the guys names out for the wrong reason but as often happens bad just turns out GOOD. I am over 60 but I love these three individuals who have come together and just keep increasing and increasing. Never stop guys We love you. Oh one last thing do you think you could come to CANADA pretty soon and in Ontario. I understand if you can’t.
Loving you Yvette xoxoxoxo
Yvette, I thank you for the compliments. When there are things that are worth translating, it is a real pleasure for me to do it for you.
As for the comments to us guys, I have to say that before there were so many negative comments from haters who believed in doing so to decrease their popularity, instead I realized that popularity has not diminished and instead negative comments have become few. Thank god.
I got it right, are you asking me if I’m coming to Canada? Ideally I would definitely come, but I’ve never been on a plane, I don’t think I could make such a long journey. :):):) Kisses.
Thank you, Daniela! This was a great interview; a little about their music, and a bit about their personal lives, which makes the interview great! I can’t wait to see them in the USA! Please send dates as soon as you have the info. I really hope they plan a concert in Pennsylvania! I will be first in line for tickets!
I’ve often wondered where they find the time for serious/romantic relationships with all the study, rehearsals, concerts, air travel, interviews, food, sleep, logistics and appearances, other than concerts, such as for charity and time with their families? There’s only 24 hours in a day. They seem to be on the road or in the air most of the time. I was young once, I didn’t get anywhere near this much out of life and I was not a lazy person.
Mark, these guys can do everything, I can’t understand where they find the strength, ok, they are young, but they never stop, and what they do, they do it well.
Really incredible.
Dear Daniels, can you please explain what kind of rewards is it what Il Volo is receiving in Arena Verona June 6th? I’m sure here in states we know little about it, is it equivalent to Grammy?
And again thank you for wonderful transportation, they are precious…..
Hi Irene, actually I don’t think IL VOLO participates to collect an award, but I think they participate as guests.
Perhaps they could be rewarded with the LIVE award, which is about concerts, but for now there is no confirmation.
Daniela what happened to pictures from the soccer charity game? I have only seen two with no explanations. Also is there some articles about the journalists who where not too kind of IL VOLO in relation to the “amici” show winner. Thanks for this posting..
Regina, it happened that the three of them did not participate in the “game of the heart”, I don’t know why, maybe they couldn’t or maybe there were already enough players.
As for the AMICI program, on the final evening, the journalist, Mangiarotti music expert, complimenting Alberto who won the program, had bad words, alluding to our boys. Now the journalist denies that he was referring to IL VOLO, but nobody believes it to be true.
There have been so many comments in defense of IL VOLO.
That was a great interview. I am so grateful for your diligence to translate these interviews for us> Very very KInd of you!. I burst out laughing when Piero mentioned his ex-girlfriend complainig about being bored!!. I find I don’t have much sympathy ffor those who can’t find a way to entertain themselves with something. I think Piero and I must be birds of a feather when it comes to this attitude!. Bravo to Gianluca for still being with the same girl from his village too!
Connie, I’m glad you enjoyed this interview.
Surely Piero, does not like lazy people or those who do not know how to spend their time in a different way than to complain.
Gianluca is really sweet with his Francesca.
They’re golden boys, right?
Great interview, the boys are really unique, kind, humble and so mature despite their age. Thank You for sharing Daniela and Pat. Baci
Jolanta, you are always very kind. Thank you.
Thank-you Daniela, I discovered Il Volo while watching PBS almost 6 months ago. Imagine being 14 to 15 years old growing up in the public eye with no privacy. Thank God they had beautiful families with very good core values taught to them such as family, manners, kindness, christianity and of course music. I loved you article you showed that they still cling to those same core values. God bless Il Volo and you. I hope to one day see a live performance of Il Volo, maybe if they come to Austin or San Antonio, Texas this tour.
Hi Franny, you have been following IL VOLO for longer than me, I am jealous.
They are really special kids, grown up with so many values. It is a pleasure to listen to them sing but also to listen to their ideas.
I really think they will come to do a concert near you, I hope you can go and see them.
I also meant to mention that this interview was very meaningful and enlightening, at least for me-I think the best one in some time. Thanks for publishing this one especially. I think it shows even more maturity on their part. They are truly remarkable in a world of plenty of disappointment. I’ll never get to meet them in person, but feel lucky to know them through this remarkable medium (blog). Thanks
HI Daniela as usual you have been on top of our precious boys way of thinkng & performing. I have said from the beginning they can do no wrong & I am also very happy to read that some of the press has finally changed their way of criticiing our precious sweethearts. My heart breaks every time I read criticism of any kind towards the Il Volo boys who are trying to give pleasure with their singing & should not have to put up with crap from people who are jealous. I am glad to see today there are like minded people posting. I know if I ever hear someone at a concert making derogitory remarks towards the boys I’ll have a heck of a time not breaking their foot. I hope the boys read the comments on this site so they can see how loved they are. THIS IS FOR THE BOYS. WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO OR TRY OR SING GO FOR IT BECAUSE YOU CAN DO NO WRONG BECAUSE IN MY EYS & LOADS OF TRUE FANS YOU ARE PERFECTION.
I’m also sad to see in the middle picture of the boys above how sad they look especially Ignaizo & THAT is breaking my heart
Dear Daniela, I checked back official fan club note about that Arena Verona music award and it sounds like Il Volo will be RECEIVING award. Also, I believe they were nominated for Grammy twice, would you be able to find out what year and what song.
They should receive Grammy, maybe next year ……
Thank you from Florida.
Daniela,
The third question in the interview asks”As the trappers advance, don’t you fear being anachronistic with your lyric pop?” What does “trappers” mean in this context? Thanks
Thank you for the post, Daniella. I’m always interested in how the guys are doing. I am a forever follower. I’m a bit older, but I love these guys and I love their music. Gianluca is my favorite…he will never know, but he has brought out in me feelings and passions that have been pushed down and suppressed for many years. I have no one in my life now, but I’m excited that I feel like a new person full of love, passion, joy, excitement and the hope of living life even more fully than I thought possible. I love to see the guys having fun! I love to laugh and to be spontaneous…and I’m so grateful that I get to live each new day hopefully to enrich some else’s life, Thank you again Daniella for bringing the guys into our world via your posts…thank you for the time you take sharing. All my love to the guys…I thank them personally for the joy and love of music these amazing Italian men bring to me…and I must say Adoro Gianluca!!! Ciao from America!!!
Dear Daniela, and Ms Eleanor, I love to read your translations and also letters from other fans, which makes me realize that I’m not only one who fell in love with those precious boys, and I hope that boys know that besides screaming fans at their concerts there are maybe hundreds of thousands other fans, in their homes, starting day with coffee and Il Volo and getting to sleep with sweet sound of their voices, fans who’s empty lifes they filled up with so much happiness and pleasure… I love GG, he is like that song he is singing ‘painfully beautiful’ perfect God’s creations…. and so humble…
I will be at their concert in Rome and planing to go to as many concerts when they will be in US.
Fan from Florida
Daniela or anyone who knows where & when the Il Volo boys are perfornng in the States or elsewhere. I am Loretta Foley form Chatham in Toronto Canada & dont want to miss any of their performances wherever they are going to be, I am so in love with these boys & have been following them since they first became Ilvolo & I dont want to miss any concert & performance anywhere. Any information you can give me I will travel anywhere thank you forever. Please reverse the charges my phone number is 5198024983.