Tag Archives: interview

IL VOLO to LA VITA IN DIRETTA by Daniela

Once again Il Volo was a guest of RAI1 on the LA VITA IN DIRETTA (LIVE LIFE) program.

Their testimony is beautiful, here’s what they said.

Lorella Cuccarini, the presenter of the program, announces in connection from their homes, Ignazio, Gianluca and Piero: Il Volo.

Ignazio immediately shows a sheet with the words “Lorella, you are beautiful.”

Lorella immediately says that Il Volo was on tour in the US and they returned, immediately putting themselves in quarantine, so she asks them how they are living these days.

Piero says that the first thing they did on their return, was the self-denunciation to put themselves in voluntary isolation, they are behaving responsibly, because it is the wisest thing to do. The message they have to send is to stay home.
Fortunately, quarantine stimulates their creativity and thanks to social media and technology, they are not so far away.

La Vita 01

Lorella recalls that they participated in a charity event, together with many other Italian singers, in support of an Italy torn by events, and asks what it represented for them.

Ignazio replies that all the artists are making their contribution towards the people who follow them and, beyond their discography, it is nice to be united and be able to sing freely for their fans and all the people who cannot see them now in concert.

La Vita 02

Lorella asks Gianluca how much was missing at the end of their American tour and Gianluca confirms that a week was missing and they had to cancel three concerts.

When they returned home they found a deserted Italy, a truly painful moment and people in these moments need hope.

Gian says that he appreciated the Pope’s words very much and it was heartbreaking to see him in an empty St. Peter’s Square. In addition, Gian also recalls that today April 2 is 15 years since the death of Pope John Paul II, one of the most charismatic popes.

He goes on to say that, we are experiencing a tragic period all over the world, even in America the situation is deteriorating.

Gian recommends attention to guys of their age, says that nobody is omnipotent, nobody is immune, so you have to be responsible.

Gian tells Lorella that the three of them must be an example for the boys of their age, therefore responsibly, for the good of all, one must stay at home. Particularly for older people, and Gian says that he himself has not yet seen his grandfather, who lives near his home.

La Vita 03

The presenter says that Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio are in their cities (one in the south, one in the center and one in the north) and practically represent the whole of Italy, with great differences depending on the area, and therefore asks everyone, how is the situation from them.

Piero says that in Sicily, health facilities are not able to face the difficulties due to the virus, confirms that he and some Sicilian artists have started a fundraiser.

People understood the gravity of the moment. He says that after the fifteen days of isolation are over, he went out to do the swab and found that the streets were empty, so he is proud to have seen that the Italians are responsible people.

La Vita 04

Ignazio says he doesn’t know what the situation is like, because he has always been at home since he returned.

He confirms, as Gian has already said, that we must be responsible and also think of others, stay at home, we do it, also for others, because it takes very little to infect.

Ignazio says he is always at home, he goes to the studio (he made a small recording corner for the music), the dining room, then again to the studio and then to bed.

He says that you have to take advantage of these moments to enjoy the family. He says that he spends more time with his parents, who instead he usually sees little and also advises all young people to do this, because taken from the rhythm of life, many members of the families don’t know each other well.

La Vita 05

Gianluca says that they are privileged, but there are people who are suffering so much and are not even able to shop for food. He would like to be close to all those people and help them, because he reads about people who really need help. He saw that in some places people have organized baskets with food and signs that say “Those who can, put food.” – “Those who cannot, take food.”

The presenters thank Piero, Gianluca and Ignazio very much for the nice words, the beautiful examples they are giving and greet them with affection and admiration.

La Vita 06

Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca, once again, thank you for being as you are. ❤️

Daniela

 

La Vita 07
Drawings by Stefania Snaider

 

Credit to owners of all photos and video.

BILLBOARD ITALIA calls GIANLUCA by Daniela

Gianluca made a live video while talking to Billboard Italia, with its presenter Stefano.

I will translate roughly.

Friendly greetings.

In the beginning, both compare their tufts of hair, being obliged to stay at home, they cannot access their hairdresser !!

Gianluca confirms that he is in Montepagano and shows that it is a rainy day. He says they were informed of what was going on in Italy, but until they came back, they didn’t imagine such a serious thing. They were in California, when the Fresno concert was canceled, they saw that they were canceling several events due to the virus danger, but health first of all, moreover people were afraid to go to the crowded places, and so they too, together with the production, decided to cancel the last concerts.

Gian says it is difficult to return, and not being able to embrace loved ones.

Stefano asks Gian to describe his day and he says that, having to stay at home, he trains to play the piano, and confirms that he likes Brunori, who is a good Italian singer-songwriter.

(In this video, Gianluca plays a song by Brunori Sas, entitled PER DUE CHE COME NOI)

Stefano suggests to Gianluca to make a game, he says about the titles of songs and Gian sings them in a lyrical version !!😁 ( are Italian songs with rhythm, far from lyrical)

He performs:

Rolls Royce
Occidentali’s Karma
Soldi
Sincero

Then they talk about Sanremo, and about Billboard’s birthday to which Il Volo is also invited, in November next year.

Stefano reads questions from fans:

What is your favorite opera?

Cavalleria Rusticana.

If you could have powers, what would you want?

The invisible cloak of Harry Potter

So they talk about Harry Potter and Gian confirms that he is a big fan of the saga.

The questions continue.

Who are your favorite actors?

Robert Downey Jr. and Natalie Portman

What was it like to duet with Belinda?

We sang with her in 2013 and it was cool.

Gianluca greets in Spanish, all the Latin American fans who are following the live.

Greetings come from all over the world.

Billboard 01

A fan asks for an anecdote that happened on tour, and Gian says that in Switzerland they continued to sing in French the same phrase of “Tous les visages de l’ amour”, because they did not remember the song.

Then in South America, he says that the audience screams a lot and so at the end of the concert, he no longer hears anything.

Another fan asks what gets him charged up before a concert?

Gian says that each time it’s like the first one, and it’s true.
He tries to interpret the songs, looking people in the eyes. For him, being on stage is like being in the most beautiful place in the world, at that moment, he enters a different parallel world.

Gian and Stefano laugh at the photo that Gian sent for Billboard, Gian says he is not sad, he made the sensual look.

Billboard 02

The series of questions continues:

How should your ideal woman be?

She must understand him with a look. Gian says that women are superior to men, that he has learned not to argue or raise his voice. He says that the man must not offend the sensitivity of the woman, but he must find the woman who understands the life of a person who travels the world and therefore has admirers. Gian admits that it is difficult to be close to a person from the world of entertainment and therefore it is up to him, not to make this condition weigh on the woman who loves him.

Gianluca sings IL MONDO. ❤️

They loose connection, while Stefano calls back he announces that on Monday he will have Piero in live connection.

Stefano asks Gian how he can buy food and he replies that he and his mom,  don’t go out, his dad, who lives nearby, buys food for them too and leaves it outside the door.

Gian explains that anyone returning from another country must make two weeks of mandatory quarantine, but to be sure, he will do three weeks.

He says he is worried about his family, but also about others.

Gian confirms that he eats protein food and then fruit and vegetables, few sugars. A plate of pasta, then, once a week a pizza or dessert.

 

Other direct questions:

With which international singer would you like to duet?

With Lewis Capaldi, I believe that he is one of the most beautiful voices of recent times, he is incredible.

What would you change about you?

When I look at Gianluca a few years ago, sometimes I don’t recognize myself, but now I see myself different , more mature, more man, better. Over the years I have worked on my character, even for group life, which is not easy.
However there is always something to change, but it is the time that helps us to become mature. I am happy so.

Have you ever quarreled with your companions (Piero and Ignazio)? Tell me about once in particular and then on Monday I ask Piero the same thing, let’s see if he will have the same answer.

I have a somewhat spiteful character and one evening we were very young, we were having dinner in Canada, with Torpedine and some members of the record company. We were arguing and I took the prawns from the plate and threw them in Ignazio’s face.

I will never forget this fact. I made a bad impression.

Do you have a superstitious gesture before the concerts?

Yes we shake hands and say “shit shit shit”.
It works, it gives us the right charge.

Billboard 03

Besides the piano, what other instrument would you like to learn to play?

(Gian shows a guitar) See that? A disaster, I can’t even make two notes together.

At this point Stefano asks to play another song on the piano.
Gian performs Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone you loved”. ❤️

Stefano thanks Gian for the beautiful performance and says that he will send the video to Lewis Capaldi. So they can get to know each other.

Gian replies that it is the first time that he performs it live, and that Capaldi also has a baritone voice.

He also says that he Piero and Ignazio will often make small live songs, because they know that their fans appreciate it very much.

Stefano asks Gian, when he can go out, where he will go and he replies that he will go to his grandfather’s house, and will hug him tightly. He says that 86-year-old grandfather Ernesto is his “great love” and says that once his grandfather said to him:
“Incredible, I saw Sanremo da Modugno win and now also from my grandson”.
Gian says that when he’s out on tour, his grandfather sends him messages with whattsapp and they make video calls.

So Stefano asks Gian to sing GRANDE AMORE and Gian says they are preparing an English version.

Stefano says that Il Volo is the Italian pride, they have a large following in Italy, but even when you go abroad and you mention IL VOLO, you understand that people know them, in fact they fill the theaters.
Gian confirms that they want to bring their type of music to younger people too.

GRANDE AMORE a cappella.

Stefano asks Gian what he watches on TV.
He replies that he started watching the Star Wars saga, which he did not know and he is enjoying it very much, always after Harry Potter! 😁

Stefano asks Gian to show how he should wash his hands properly.
Gian does it while singing MUSICA CHE RESTA. ❤️

Stefano thanks Gian for the live broadcast.

Final greetings.

Billboard 04

Thanks Gianluca, for being as you are. ❤️

Daniela

 

Credit to owners of all photos and videos.

NEW YORK, WE ARE HERE! by Daniela

The promotional tour in Mexico has been very successful.
Many fans presented autographs from Mixup for the moment.

 

Surely Ignazio, Piero and Gianluca, will have been very happy with this beautiful participation of their fans. But unfortunately there was also an inconvenience for Ignazio, he was not well, he had a fever, he presented himself at the event, but at a certain point he had to leave, much to the disappointment of the fans, but then they understood that it was a health factor. Poor Ignazio …… this is the moment in which it is announced that Ignazio has left.

And here, at the end of the event, the moment when Piero and Gianluca have to leave the store, the fans didn’t go away, they waited for them.

In addition, the guys participated in various interviews and a press conference.

New York 01

New York 02

New York 03

New York 04

But also the promotion in Mexico is over and, fortunately, Ignazio is better, but the boys did not return to Italy, as it was already leaked, they arrived in the US.

Here they are….

New York 05

New York 06

Ignazio is amused, because he says that, unbeknownst to him, they have opened his own pizzeria! 😁😁😁

In this video, in front of RCMH, Ignazio says: “See you in a few months”, and Piero replies: “Look at the pictures I took!”

 

New York 07

New York 08

The delicious and irreplaceable Barbara, always with them.

New York 09

In short, IL VOLO is right there, in the US, how wonderful!

Of the reason for their coming to the US, very little is known, they seem to have come to promote the new CD and the special that will be broadcast in a few days.

I really hope they do some nice TV shows.

………. and maybe be careful, you could meet them on the street … wouldn’t it be great !! ❤❤❤

Daniela 

 

Credit to owners of all photos and videos.

MATERA CONCERT by Daniela

Yes, we finally saw it, the Matera concert was broadcast by the Italian channel 5 television network.

The entire concert is sold on DVD, along with the CD. I have not deliberately watched the DVD these days, so as not to ruin the surprise and see it directly on TV.

The announcement of the program was given with several advertising passages like this:

The wait was sky high and the IL Volo, did not betray the expectations.
Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca, were splendid, elegant, the incredible voices and the perfect video shootings.

The images of the beautiful Matera, are wonderful!

Too bad the audience was not included in the video, because between one song and another, the boys intervene with stories and videos of memories, of their beginnings and their events. All this adds value to the concert and does not exist on the DVD.

I will translate for you the words made by the boys, between one song and another of the Matera concert, words that will certainly fill your heart with admiration.

Daniela 

Matera 01

IL VOLO IN MATERA 2019 – Click Here

PIERO: Everything started as a game, three strangers put together, now after 10 years we are really like three brothers, we weren’t really aware of what we were experiencing, but the game, now it’s over, and it’s become our job, our daily life, our future. We hope to celebrate another 10, 20, 30 years of career together.

GIANLUCA: We met when we were children, and we grew up together, we created, really a unique alchemy, because we share the stage, we travel constantly together.

IGNAZIO: We will never have full awareness of what we are facing, because we always see beauty, we also see things with naivety.

IL MONDO

UN AMORE COSÌ GRANDE

Matera 02

IGNAZIO: Our goal is to bring the Italian tradition, through music, to different stages and different cultures.

“Arriving in America” is always a bit of everyone’s dream, and getting to that audience was very exciting, because you realize how much you can be attached to a culture, a tradition, a flag. It is very varied, as an audience, of all ages, from the two-year-old girl to her mother.

PIERO: There is that Christmas song that says “From 9 to 92”.

GIANLUCA: And also the prestige that gives you this kind of music, because we do nothing but follow the steps of our greatest idols, like Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, the bel canto that is truly appreciated all over the world.

IGNAZIO: Surely we must say thanks to the American public that is the first who discovered us. Because after Italy, after that famous show, we immediately went to America, and with “O SOLE MIO” , they immediately sent us great affection and it was certainly nice to be able to share the emotions with all the American audience.

GRANADA

SURRENDER

Matera 03

PIERO: Italy, in our career, has always given us great emotions, perhaps the greatest emotions, because from 2010 to 2015, we sang only abroad, we did many concerts in America, South Ameica, Japan, but in Italy , we didn’t sing.

IGNAZIO: We must tell the truth, we suffered a little from this, we pretended nothing, but we suffered.

PIERO: Very.

IGNAZIO: Arriving in Italy and being practically unknown.

GIANLUCA: But you know, perhaps the “Made in Italy” musical genre has been increasingly revered abroad, especially in the US, a musical genre appreciated perhaps even more abroad.

PIERO: But in 2015 we had …..

IGNAZIO: The revenge …..

PIERO: The courage to participate in the Sanremo festival

GIANLUCA: … and to bring back the “bel canto”, also in Italy, after 20 years.

PIERO: With our song “GRANDE AMORE”, when Carlo Conti said Il Volo, the winners of Sanremo, it seemed like dreaming. But then, the Italian audience has always remained faithful, from the beginning.

E PENSO A TE

Matera 04

IGNAZIO: I’m sure that if we commit ourselves for a moment let’s remember the emotion of the first time we sang at the Verona Arena. And knowing, being aware of being in that scene with your concert, is something that makes you think a little, and be excited, because a few years before it was unthinkable.

PIERO: In our career we have had the opportunity to do many concerts in the Arena, we hope to make thousands of them, yet. But I can say that I struggled to fall asleep immediately after the Verona concert.

GIANLUCA: It is precisely this, the point, also a piece of advice that we want to give to all the guys who dream of living for music, and they want to do what we are doing, that there will be many people who will probably not believe in you, but you must persevere, because you can truly reach the farthest dream. We believed in it and we still believe in it and we are studying, really hoping to continue to stay together for many years to come.

SHE’S ALWAYS A WOMAN

NO PUEDE SER

VOLARE – NEL BLU DIPINTO DI BLU

Matera 05

IGNAZIO: In USA for Haiti, we had the opportunity to have an experience, which we will never forget, we were three strangers, small, just arrived in America, and we found ourselves singing in the choir of WE ARE THE WORLD.

PIERO: We were among hundreds of artists, without knowing how to speak half a word of English.

GIANLUCA: Celine Dion, Justin Bieber, Maroon Five ……

IGNAZIO: There was also Barbra Streisand, who knows, maybe it was the bell, which then gave her the idea to call us to do the tour with her!

GIANLUCA: Two years later, because in 2012 we went on tour with her, in America and Canada, and this too was an experience that made us grow, professionally but also personally.

IGNAZIO: I remember that the first time we met her was for my birthday, my 18 years (for us Italians is the age of maturity)

PIERO: Your 18 years.

GIANLUCA: You celebrated 18 years, on stage with Barbra Streisand, not bad!

PIERO: She perfectly studied our names and pronounced them perfectly, without the American accent, Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca, because the Americans, to speak our names …. what an effort!

PEOPLE

MY WAY

Matera 06

GIANLUCA: One of the greatest emotions we experienced in our career was being able to share the stage with a great artist, Maestro Placido Domingo, in a concert tribute to the three tenors.

PIERO: The relationship with the master Domingo, was born thanks to his two grandchildren. He tells in an interview, that he returned to his son’s home in New York, and saw the grandchildren who were watching and listening on television on YouTube, our version of “O SOLE MIO”, and everything was born that way.

IGNAZIO: Surely we must also say thanks to our manager, Michele Torpedine, who then, in the end, was his idea. He wanted to do it for years, and surely we used a little the wake of the Sanremo festival and the success we had in Italy.

GIANLUCA: What then is a repertoire, almost untouchable, we didn’t even want to commit the sin of presumption, also because we are young, there is still so much to study, this is important to say it, also because we didn’t want to imitate or emulate the three tenors, but only to remember this great project, which really brought the “bel canto” the opera, out of the theaters, around the world, and it was an incredible success, which excited millions of people all over the world.

Being able to be joined by the great master Placido Domingo, after 30 years of that great concert, was a great honor.

IGNAZIO: And then we realized that 70-80% of the repertoire, was what we were already singing.

PIERO: It wasn’t so difficult to choose the songs.

MUSICA CHE RESTA

SMILE

Matera 07

IGNAZIO: This year, to start the 10-year celebration, we started with a very special, very exciting event, we found ourselves on a gigantic altar, which was then a stage, turned into an altar, in Panama, for World Youth Day. We had the honor of singing for Pope Francis, being able to share the stage, with our music, with faith, above all, to see 700 to 800 thousand people praying in silence, to have Pope Francis in front of you, to pray together with all those young people.

PIERO: We are believers, and find ourselves, the only ones, there, in front of Pope Francis, who while he prays, listens to your voice, I believe it is an emotion that we will tell, to our children, grandchildren, we will tell it for life.

GIANLUCA: Being able to start the celebrations, of these 10 years, with a selfie with Pope Francis, it is not every day, and above all, to sing the “Ave Maria”, for him and for more than half a million young people, who found themselves there for WYD, and representing all the young people in this important event, was unique. We couldn’t have started the year in a better way.

ALMENO TU NELL’UNIVERSO

Matera 08

PIERO: In life it also takes a little luck. On our last trip to Japan, something unexpected happened to us, in Japan the discipline of ice skating is very followed, and in the last Olympics, the Japanese skater, won the gold medal, skating on one of our tracks, doing the choreography on “Notte Stellata”.

CARUSO

Matera 09

GIANLUCA: There are so many Japanese people who come to study in Italy, especially opera. It is incredible, as some people have told us that they have learned to speak Italian, even listening to our songs. And it’s also nice to see so many young people who are approaching, all over the world, even this musical genre, which is our goal, we are young and we want to bring it to the new generations.

MI MANCHERAI

ARRIVEDERCI ROMA

Matera 10

IGNAZIO: Often an artist does not have many opportunities to talk about himself, he is always engaged in interviews to say “we sang, we did …..”

PIERO: And it’s inconvenient.

IGNAZIO: It is uncomfortable. I think that an artist, to have a space, to talk about himself, to make people understand what he feels inside, and who he really is, is a rare and unique occasion.

WERE DO I BEGIN

Matera 11

IGNAZIO: We are three guys who weigh a lot the words, and in these years, we have always given a particular weight to the word THANK YOU, because being grateful to someone, to something, is always beautiful, it makes you feel better, and we would certainly like to say thank you to several people in this interview. But the biggest THANK YOU, and I think I speak on behalf of all three, goes to our families but above all to our manager Michele Torpedine, who, despite the many difficulties we have encountered in these 10 years, has always been there to give strength to us, and constant determination …

PIERO: His constant presence…….

IGNAZIO: …… that he sent us in these 10 years.

A CHI MI DICE

O SOLE MIO

Matera 12

PIERO: The best thing about these 10 years is to see our fans, grow with us. We met 15-year-olds, who now have 25 like us, and our biggest THANKS goes to you fans, who supported us and endured us for 10 years. We hope to live this long adventure and we love you so much.

LIBIAMO NEI LIETI CALICI

NESSUN DORMA

Matera 13

GIANLUCA: We have had a 10 wonderful years. Unthinkable things have happened to us. We were 14/15 years old and always sharing the same passion that unites us, which is music and love for singing.

IGNAZIO: This is what we want to do in life, and it will be our goal for the next 10, 20, 30, 40 years, until I have to accompany Piero by the arm.

GIANLUCA: 10 years of friendship, of music and above all of fidelity and respect.

PIERO: There will be lots of surprises, we promise you we won’t let you down and we’d like to tell you THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING.

GRANDE AMORE

 

❤️ PIERO ❤️

Matera 14

 

❤️ IGNAZIO ❤️

Matera 15

 

❤️ GIANLUCA ❤️

Matera 16

 

WISHING EVERYONE IN THE FLIGHT CREW A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Credit to owners of all photos and videos.

RADIO ITALIA, THE BEAUTIFUL CONCERT by Daniela

And here it is the beautiful Radio Italia concert I attended, as part of the audience, during the recording.

What a thrill to see everything again and how nice to think I was there, a stone’s throw from them.

Good vision to all and tell me your comments.

https://www.facebook.com/radioitalia/videos/539804110187950/

And here a brief and nice interview with Radio Italia, A TU PER TU, with IL VOLO.

https://www.facebook.com/ilvoloflightcrewpage/videos/2487630381480451/

After the pleasantries, the speaker immediately asks what is the most important stage for them and Piero replies that they are many and the Arena of Verona is among them and Radio City Music Hall.

Radio 01

Then he asks the boys if they have a ritual before doing a concert and the boys show that they shake hands, before the concerts and join three punches, before the interviews.

Radio 02

He then asks how they can make decisions or who must respond first and Ignazio replies that in 10 years they have learned very well how to react, and they only need a glance to see if one of them wants to answer or not. Moreover they now have the maturity to understand that maybe, the one that offers one of them is better than their own and they accept that it is the best thing to be presented.

Radio 03

The speaker asks if they have passions that unite them outside of music. Piero and Ignazio say tennis. Ignazio and Gianluca, football.

But all three say gym.

Moreover Gianluca says that they eat the same healthy things, because they must keep fit. In one month they took 22 planes. ✈

Radio 04

Radio 05

Radio 06

Radio 07

Radio 08

Radio 09

Radio 10

Radio 11

Radio 12

Radio 13

Radio 14

Radio 15

(In this photo, right under Manola’s microphone, is my husband’s face, I was next to him, but I’m covered by Manola, and from my blue cell phone, I was taking a picture.😁😉)

Radio 16

Radio 17

Radio 18

Radio 19

Radio 20

What a great concert. The boys were at ease, and we were happy with this beautiful opportunity.

Thanks guys, thank you Radio Italia.

Daniela 

 

Credit to owners of all photos and videos.