Biologically, a child (plural: children) is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority. "Child" may also describe a relationship with a parent or authority figure, or signify group membership in a clan, tribe, or religion; it can also signify being strongly affected by a specific time, place, or circumstance, as in "a child of nature" or "a child of the Sixties".

Legal, biological, and social definitions

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child defines a child as "a human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier". Ratified by 192 of 194 member countries. Some English definitions of the word 'child' include the fetus and the unborn. Biologically, a child is anyone between birth and puberty or in the developmental stage of childhood, between infancy and adulthood. Children generally have fewer rights than adults and are classed as not able to make serious decisions, and legally must always be under the care of a responsible adult.

As a non-adult

Recognition of childhood as a state different from adulthood began to emerge in the 16th and 17th centuries. Society began to relate to the child not as a miniature adult but as a person of a lower level of maturity needing adult protection, love and nurturing. This change can be traced in painting: In the Middle Ages, children were portrayed in art as miniature adults with no childish characteristics. In the 16th century, images of children began to acquire a distinct childish appearance. From the late 17th century onwards, children were shown playing. Toys and literature for children also began to develop at this time.

Attitudes toward children

Social attitudes toward children differ around the world in various cultures. These attitudes have changed over time. A 1988 study on European attitudes toward the centrality of children found that Italy was more child-centric and Holland less child-centric, with other countries, such as Austria, Great Britain, Ireland and West Germany falling in between.

Socialization

All children go through stages of social development. An infant or very young child will play alone happily. If another child wanders onto the scene, he or she may be physically attacked or pushed out of the way. Next, the child is able to play with another child, gradually learning to share and take turns. Eventually the group grows larger, to three or four children. By the time a child enters kindergarten, he or she is usually able to join in and enjoy group experiences.

Children with ADHD and learning disabilities may need extra help in developing social skills. The impulsive characteristics of an ADHD child may lead to poor peer relationships. Children with poor attention spans may not tune in to social cues in their environment, making it difficult for them to learn social skills through experience.

Age of responsibility

The age at which children are considered responsible for their own actions (e.g., marriage, voting, etc.) has also changed over time, and this is reflected in the way they are treated in courts of law. In Roman times, children were regarded as not culpable for crimes, a position later adopted by the Church. In the nineteenth century, children younger than seven years old were believed incapable of crime. Children from the age of seven forward were considered responsible for their actions. Therefore, they could face criminal charges, be sent to adult prison, and be punished like adults by whipping, branding or hanging. Today, in many countries like Canada and the United States, children twelve and older are held responsible for their actions and may be sent to special correctional institutions, such as juvenile hall.

Surveys have found that at least 25 countries around the world have no specified age for compulsory education. Minimum employment age and marriage age also vary. In at least 125 countries, children aged 7–15 may be taken to court and risk imprisonment for criminal acts. In some countries, children are legally obliged to go to school until they are 14 or 15 years old, but may also work before that age. A child's right to education is threatened by early marriage, child labour and imprisonment.

Child mortality

According to population health experts, child mortality rates have fallen sharply since the 1990s. Deaths of children under the age of five are down by 42% in the United States, while Serbia and Malaysia have cut their rates by nearly 70%.

One child policy

:''See also: Two-child policy'' China's ''one-child policy'' forces some couples to have no more than one child. China's population policy has been credited with a very significant slowing of China's population growth which had been higher before the policy was implemented. It has come under criticism that the implementation of the policy has involved forced abortions and forced sterilization. However, while the punishment of "unplanned" pregnancy is a fine, both forced abortion and forced sterilization can be charged with intentional assault, which is punished with up to 10 years' imprisonment. If born with another child and kept, parents must pay a large fine for every day he/she is alive.

See also

Child sexual abuse

Index of youth articles

Outline of children

References

External links

Wikichild.org

Category:Childhood Category:Developmental psychology Category:Humans

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name	Sarah McLachlan
background	solo_singer
birth name	Sarah Ann McLachlan
born	January 28, 1968 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
genre	Pop, soft rock, adult contemporary
occupation	Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, painter, executive producer
years active	1988–present
instrument	Vocals, piano, keyboard, guitar, harp
label	Arista (outside Canada), Nettwerk
website	sarahmclachlan.com }}

Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range,

In 1997, Lilith Fair, featuring McLachlan as one of the headlining acts, garnered a $16 million gross, making it the top-grossing of any touring festival. Among all concert tours for that year, it was the 16th highest grossing. Lilith Fair tour brought together 2 million people over its three-year history and raised more than $7 million for charities. It was the most successful all-female music festival in history, one of the biggest music festivals of the 1990s, and helped launch the careers of several well-known female artists. Subsequent Lilith Fairs followed in 1998 and 1999 before the tour was discontinued.

Nettwerk CEO and Lilith Fair co-founder Terry McBride announced that the all-female festival would make its return in Summer 2010.

Hiatus

In 1998, in addition to performing her own set, she performed a cover of "Sad Lisa" with rock band Phish at the annual Bridge School Benefit concert in California, hosted by Neil Young, after which McLachlan began an extended period away from recording or touring. Six years elapsed between the release of ''Surfacing'' and that of her next studio album, ''Afterglow''.

However, she did release a live album in 1999, entitled ''Mirrorball''. The album's singles included a new live version of her earlier doubles "I Will Remember You", a studio recording of which had previously been released on ''The Brothers McMullen'' soundtrack as well as ''Rarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff''.

Also that year, McLachlan recorded the Randy Newman song "When She Loved Me" on the ''Toy Story 2'' soundtrack. This song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song in 2000, and McLachlan performed it at the awards ceremony, but the award went to "You'll Be in My Heart" from ''Tarzan'', written and recorded by Phil Collins.

In 1997, McLachlan co-wrote and provided guest vocals on the Delerium song "Silence" for their album Karma. This song achieved a massive amount of top 40 airplay when released as a single in late 2000 and also featured on the soundtrack for the movie ''Brokedown Palace''. In 2001, McLachlan provided background vocals, guitar, and piano on the closing track "Love Is" from Stevie Nicks' eighth solo album, ''Trouble in Shangri-La'', in addition to drawing the dragon used for the "S" in Stevie's name on the album cover. In May 2002, her duet with Bryan Adams was released on the ''Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron'' soundtrack. She sang harmonies and played the piano on the song "Don't Let Go" while Sood did the drum work.

McLachlan also participated in several concerts during her break, such as Sheryl Crow's ''Live from Central Park'' in 1999, the Arista Records twenty-fifth anniversary celebration in 2000, as well as the 2002 British Columbia Cancer Foundation Benefit Concert in memory of cancer victim Michele Bourbonnais. She participated along with four other Canadian artists: Bryan Adams, Jann Arden, Barenaked Ladies, and Chantal Kreviazuk.

''Afterglow''

McLachlan returned to public life and touring with her 2003 album release, ''Afterglow'', which contained the singles "Fallen", "Stupid", and "World On Fire". Rather than shoot a conventional music video for "World On Fire", McLachlan donated all but $15 of the $150,000 budget to various charitable causes around the world and then used the video to explain how it benefited the communities that received the money.

Another live album, ''Afterglow Live'', was released in late 2004. The CD consisted of several tracks from a full-length concert, which was included in its entirety on a DVD, as well as the three music videos from ''Afterglow''.

In 2004, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, who credits McLachlan and her music for lifting him from a period of depression, invited her to join him on a track from his solo album. Although the album was not released until early 2006, remixes of the song "Just Like Me" were included on a number of compilations in 2005.

In 2007, McLachlan's song "Answer" featured in ''The Brave One'' starring Jodie Foster.

''Wintersong''

In October 2006, McLachlan released a Christmas album called ''Wintersong''. The album included 11 new recordings, featuring covers of Joni Mitchell's "River", Gordon Lightfoot's "Song for a Winter's Night", and John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)", which she recorded with her outreach children and youth choir, and seasonal favourites: "Christmas Time Is Here", "O Little Town of Bethlehem", "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "Silent Night", "The First Noel", and "Greensleeves (What Child Is This?)", among others. The title track is an original work of McLachlan's.

''Wintersong'' debuted at No. 42 on the Billboard 200 album chart the week ending 4 November 2006. It peaked at #7. For the week of 5 December 2006, it was the #1 album on iTunes. Worldwide the album has sold over 1.1 million copies to date. It has been certified Platinum in the U.S. and 2x Platinum in Canada.

''Wintersong'' was nominated for both a Grammy Award, in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category, as well as for a Juno Award, for ''Pop Album of the Year''.

Guest appearances

In November 2006, McLachlan performed the song "Ordinary Miracle" for that year's feature film, ''Charlotte's Web''. The song was written by Glen Ballard and David A. Stewart of Eurythmics. McLachlan was the subject of rumours of an Oscar nomination for the song, but in the end was not nominated. She helped to promote the song and movie by performing it on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' as well as during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. She also performed the song during the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in her hometown of Vancouver, in front of an estimated 3 billion television viewers worldwide.

In early 2007, she sang on Dave Stewart's ''Go Green'', alongside Nadirah X, Imogen Heap, Natalie Imbruglia, and others.

McLachlan also appeared on Annie Lennox's album, ''Songs of Mass Destruction''. Together with Madonna, Céline Dion, Pink, Sugababes, Angélique Kidjo, k.d. lang, Faith Hill, Fergie, Melissa Etheridge, Bonnie Raitt, Shakira, Anastacia, Joss Stone, Dido, and KT Tunstall, she performed on the song "Sing".

In 2010, McLachlan appeared as herself on the television series Life Unexpected and performed. On September 8, 2010, McLachlan performed and sang "Forgiveness" from her 2010 album ''Laws of Illusion'' on a semi-final show of ''America's Got Talent''; she did so again on the ''Tonight Show,'' two days later.

On November 22, 2010, McLachlan again performed and sang "Forgiveness" this time on the ''Regis and Kelly'' show.

Rereleases, ''Rarities Vol 2'', and ''Greatest Hits''

On October 3, 2006, the live album ''Mirrorball'' was re-released as ''Mirrorball: The Complete Concert''. This release contains 2 discs that were compiled from 2 concerts performed on consecutive nights in April 1998 at the Rose Garden arena in Portland, Oregon.

April 29, 2008 saw the release of ''Rarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff Volume 2''. The tracklist includes McLachlan's recent covers of Joni Mitchell's "River" and Dave Stewart's "Ordinary Miracle", as well as collaborations throughout her career with The Perishers, Cyndi Lauper and Bryan Adams, among others.

August 5, 2008 saw the release of the 15th anniversary 3-disc edition of ''Fumbling Towards Ecstasy''. The set includes the original re-mastered album, ''The Freedom Sessions'' and a DVD that includes live performances, music videos and more. The album was released by Legacy Recordings.

McLachlan released a greatest hits album, ''Closer: The Best of Sarah McLachlan'', on October 7, 2008. On August 12, 2008, she released a new song from the album, "U want me 2", a mid-tempo contemplative love song, as a digital single on iTunes; also accompanied with a video performance. McLachlan also admitted the song was inspired by the dissolution of her marriage, which she announced in September 2008, during initial promotion. Being quietly released as a single on 3 February 2009 the other new song found on the album, "Don't Give Up on Us", signalled a wrap.

2010 Winter Olympics, Laws of Illusion and Lilith Fair 2010

A new single, "One Dream," was released on September 29, 2009 and was a rumoured contender for the official theme song of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. McLachlan's first studio album of original material in seven years, ''Laws of Illusion'', was released on June 15, 2010. New York Times music critic John Pareles says about ''Laws of Illusion'' - "It’s a kindly, enveloping sound that Ms. McLachlan has long used to conjure passion and empathy laced with melancholy. But now it encompasses a new anguish, deeper and sharper than what she hinted at with ''Afterglow'' in 2003." It features 10 new songs in addition to the previously released tracks "U Want Me 2" and "Don't Give Up on Us," as well as various bonus tracks. Previews of the tracks and bonus materials were made available on iTunes and Amazon.com for listening and viewing on May 26, 2010. Lilith Fair kicked off in Calgary, AB on June 27, 2010. In anticipation of the soon-to-be released album and this summer's tour, McLachlan appeared on the WNYC-produced radio show ''Soundcheck''. During the wide-ranging interview, McLachlan discussed the last eleven years of her life and how she has changed — especially as working mother of two — over that time with ''Soundcheck'' host John Schaefer. She also played solo two songs from the new album.

Guitars and equipment

For years, Sarah McLachlan's main stage guitar has been a late-'70s Larrivée C-10 with rosewood back and sides, a spruce top, and a Florentine cutaway. The guitar is amplified with a Fishman Rare Earth Blend (which combines a magnetic pickup and an internal mic), running through a Radial JDV Mk3 active DI. She has also performed with Canadian-made Morgan guitars, and at the time of the interview, she was trying out Taylor models with Expression System electronics.

McLachlan strings her guitars with phosphor-bronze or vintage bronze Dean Markleys. She uses medium-lights (.012–.054) for her guitars in E A D G A D and D A D G A D tunings. Sometimes she uses lights (.011–.046) and raises E A D G A D a whole step so her capo positions can be two frets lower. For instance, in the past she played "Building a Mystery" in E A D G A D with a capo at the seventh fret, but now she tunes to F# B E A B E and capoes at the fifth fret. McLachlan's capo of choice is a Dunlop C-Four.

Awards and achievements

McLachlan has been nominated for twenty-one Juno Awards and awarded eight. In 1992, her video for "Into the Fire" was selected as best music video. In 1998, she won Female Vocalist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year (along with Pierre Marchand), Single of the Year for "Building a Mystery", and Album of the Year for ''Surfacing''. In 2000, she won an International Achievement award and in 2004, won Pop Album of the Year for ''Afterglow'' and again shared the Songwriter of the Year award with Pierre Marchand for the singles "Fallen", "World on Fire", and "Stupid."

She has also won three Grammy Awards. She was awarded Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1997 for "Building a Mystery" and again in 1999 for the live version of "I Will Remember You." She also scored Best Pop Instrumental Performance in 1997 for "Last Dance." Among these, she is credited for various nominations.

Her song "Building A Mystery" came in at 91 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s.

McLachlan has been extensively profiled by media including cover stories for ''Rolling Stone'', ''Time'' magazine, ''Entertainment Weekly'' and ''Flare'', a Canadian fashion magazine.

Through her career, she has also received many awards, primarily in recognition of her efforts in launching Lilith Fair. She was awarded the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Visionary Award in 1998 for advancing the careers of women in music. In 1999, she was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada by then-Governor General Adrienne Clarkson in recognition of her successful recording career, her role in Lilith Fair, and the charitable donations she made to women's shelters across Canada. In 2001, she was inducted to the Order of British Columbia.

On February 12, 2010, McLachlan performed her song "Ordinary Miracle" at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

On June 15, 2011, she was recognized with an honorary degree from Simon Fraser University.

Philanthropy

McLachlan contributed the track "Hold On" to the 1993 AIDS-Benefit Album No Alternative produced by the Red Hot Organization. She also performed at the Leonard Peltier Defense Fund Benefit Concert on February 12, 1997 and went on to release a haunting cover version of ''Unchained Melody'' created as part of her support for Peltier and later included on the album ''Rarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff Volume 2''.

In early 2005, McLachlan took part in a star-studded tsunami disaster relief telethon on NBC. On 29 January McLachlan was a headliner for a benefit concert in Vancouver along with other Canadian superstars such as Avril Lavigne and Bryan Adams. The show also featured a performance by the Sarah McLachlan Musical Outreach Choir & Percussion Ensemble, a children's choir and percussion band from the aforementioned Vancouver outreach program. In addition to her own headliner show she also joined Delerium live on stage for their first-ever performance of 'Silence'. The concert was titled ''One World: The Concert for Tsunami Relief'', and raised approximately $3.6 million for several Canadian aid agencies working in south and southeast Asia. The show was the brainchild of McLachlan's manager, Terry McBride, CEO of Nettwerk. It ran for four hours and aired live on CTV across Canada.

She is an avid supporter of the ASPCA and animal welfare. She filmed a two-minute advertisement for the organization which featured her song "Angel". The advertisement's imagery of shelter animals mixed with the soundtrack and McLachlan's simple appeal for donations has raised $30 million for the ASPCA since it began to air in 2006, which allowed the organization to air appeals in higher profile prime-time cable ad slots; subsequently the organization produced a new ad for the 2008 holiday season featuring McLachlan appealing for the ASPCA over her ''Wintersong'' performance of "Silent Night", and a new ad with her was released in January 2009 featuring the song "Answer".

On July 2, 2005, McLachlan participated in the Philadelphia installment of the Live 8 concerts, where she performed her hit "Angel" with Josh Groban. These concerts, which were held simultaneously in nine major cities around the world, were intended to coincide with the G8 summit to put pressure on the leaders of the world's richest nations to fight poverty in Africa by cancelling debt.

McLachlan also funds an outreach program in Vancouver that provides music education for inner city children. In 2007, the provincial government announced $500,000 in funding for the outreach program.

For raising millions of dollars for causes including women's charities, AIDS sufferers and inner-city kids, Simon Fraser University conferred Sarah McLachlan the degree of Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa on June 13, 2011.

Discography

1988: ''Touch''

1991: ''Solace''

1992: ''Sarah McLachlan Live EP''

1993: ''Fumbling Towards Ecstasy''

1996: ''Rarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff''

1997: ''Surfacing''

1999: ''Mirrorball''

2001: ''Remixed''

2003: ''Afterglow''

2005: ''Bloom: Remix Album''

2006: ''Wintersong''

2008: ''Rarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff Volume 2''

2008: ''Closer: The Best of Sarah McLachlan''

2010: ''Laws of Illusion''

References

External links

Official site

Interview with Sarah McLachlan

Category:Arista Records artists Category:Musicians from British Columbia Category:Canadian adoptees Category:Canadian female singers Category:Canadian mezzo-sopranos Category:Canadian pop singers Category:Canadian singer-songwriters Category:Canadian pop guitarists Category:Canadian pop pianists Category:Canadian harpists Category:Canadian keyboardists Category:Canadian music video directors Category:Canadian female guitarists Category:Canadian multi-instrumentalists Category:Canadian people of Scottish descent Category:Feminist musicians Category:Ballad musicians Category:Gemini Award winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Juno Award winners Category:Members of the Order of British Columbia Category:Musicians from Nova Scotia Category:Officers of the Order of Canada Category:People from Vancouver Category:People from Halifax, Nova Scotia Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:Animal rights advocates Category:NSCAD University alumni

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name	Andrea Bocelli
background	solo_singer
born	September 22, 1958Pisa, Toscana, Italy
instrument	Vocals, keyboards, flute, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, harp, harmonica, guitar, drums, melodica
genre	Adult contemporary, classical, easy listening, Latin pop, opera, operatic pop, pop, vocal
occupation	Musician, songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist
years active	1992–present
label	Universal, Philips, PolyGram, Decca, Sugar
website	Andrea Bocelli
abilities	Echolocation }}

Andrea Bocelli, (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor, multi-instrumentalist and classical crossover artist. Born with poor eyesight, he became completely blind at the age of twelve following a football accident.

Since winning the Newcomers section of the Sanremo Music Festival in 1994, Bocelli has recorded thirteen solo studio albums, of both pop and classical music, two greatest hits albums, and eight complete operas, selling over 70 million copies worldwide. Thus, he is the biggest-selling solo artist in the history of classical music and has caused core classical repertoire to "cross over" to the top of international pop charts and into previously uncharted territory in popular culture.

In 1998, he was named one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People. In 1999, his nomination for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards marked the first, and so far only time a classical artist had been nominated in the category, since Leontyne Price, in 1961. ''The Prayer'', his duet with Celine Dion for the animated film, ''The Quest for Camelot'', won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song and was nominated for an Academy Award in the same category. With the release of his classical album, ''Sacred Arias'', Bocelli captured a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records, as he simultaneously held the top 3 positions on the U.S. classical albums charts. Five of his albums have since reached the ''Top 10'' on the ''Billboard'' 200, and a record-setting 7, have topped the classical albums charts in the United States.

With over 5 million units sold worldwide, ''Sacred Arias'' became the biggest-selling classical album by a solo artist of all time, and with just under 20 million units sold worldwide, his 1997 pop album, ''Romanza'', became the best-selling album by an Italian artist ever, as well as the best-selling album by a foreign artist in Canada, and a number of other countries in Europe and Latin America. The album's first single, "Time to Say Goodbye", topped charts all over Europe, including Germany, where it stayed at the top of the charts for fourteen consecutive weeks, breaking the all-time sales record, with over 3 million copies sold in the country. He is widely regarded as the most popular Italian and classical singer in the world.

In 2006, Bocelli was made a Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, and on March 2, 2010, he was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for his contribution to Live Theater.

Early life

Childhood and education

Bocelli was born in 1958 to Alessandro and Edi Bocelli. They lived on the family farm, selling farm machinery and making wine in the small village of La Sterza, a frazione of Lajatico, Tuscany, Italy, which is about 40 km south of Pisa. Bocelli's mother and younger brother Alberto still live in the family home. Bocelli's father died in 2000.

As a young boy, Bocelli showed a great passion for music. His mother has said that music was the only thing that would comfort him. At the age of six he started piano lessons, and later also learned to play the flute, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, harp, guitar and drums.

Bocelli would also spend time singing during his childhood. At the age of 14 he won his first song competition, the Margherita d'Oro in Viareggio with ''O sole mio''.

After finishing secondary school in 1980, he studied law at the University of Pisa. To earn money Bocelli performed evenings in piano bars. He completed law school and spent one year as a court-appointed lawyer. It was there, in 1987, that he met his future wife, Enrica.

Loss of sight

It was evident at birth that Bocelli had problems with his sight, and after visits to many doctors, he was diagnosed with congenital glaucoma. In 1970, at the age of 12, he lost his sight completely following an accident during a football game.

Career

1992–94: Sanremo and ''Il mare calmo della sera''

In 1992, Italian rock star Zucchero held auditions for tenors to make a demo tape with of the song ''Miserere'' from his album of the same name, to send to Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti. After hearing Bocelli on tape, Pavarotti urged Zucchero to use Bocelli instead of him. The demo tape was from Caterina Caselli, who had discovered Bocelli. Caselli is Bocelli's current manager and producer.

Zucchero eventually persuaded Pavarotti to record the song with him and it became a hit throughout Europe. In Zucchero's European concert tour in 1993, it was Bocelli who accompanied him to sing the duet and he was also given solo sets in the concerts, singing "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's ''Turandot''. Bocelli signed with the Sugar Music label in Milan after the group's president heard Bocelli sing ''Miserere'' and "Nessun Dorma" at a birthday party for Zucchero.

In December Bocelli entered the preliminary round of the Sanremo Music Festival in the category of Giovani, performing both parts of the duet ''Miserere''. He won the preliminary competition with the highest marks ever recorded in the Newcomers section. On 28 December, he debuted in the classical world in a concert at the Teatro Romolo Valli in Reggio Emilia.

In February 1994 he entered the main Sanremo Festival competition with "Il mare calmo della sera", and he won the "Newcomers" section, again with a record score. His debut album, of the same name, was released and immediately entered the Italian Top Ten, going platinum within weeks.

In May he toured with Italian pop singer Gerardina Trovato. In September he sang at Pavarotti's annual Charity Gala concert, ''Pavarotti International'' in Modena, where he sang Ruggero Leoncavallo's "Mattinata" and sang a duet with Pavarotti, Maurizio Morante's ''Notte e Piscatore''. He also sang "Libiamo ne' lieti calici" from Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata in the finale, along with Nancy Gustafson, Giorgia, Andreas Vollenweider and Bryan Adams; and also Adams' song ''All for Love''.

In September he made his opera debut as Macduff in Verdi's ''Macbeth'' at the Teatro Verdi in Pisa. Bocelli had been an agnostic, but around 1994, partly as a result of immersing himself in the works of Tolstoy, he returned to the practice of the Catholic faith. He performed the hymn, "Adeste Fideles" in Rome before Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Basilica at Christmas.

1995–97: ''Bocelli'' and ''Romanza'' – Conquering Europe and Latin America

As winner of the 1994 Newcomers section at the Sanremo Festival, he was invited to return the following year, entering the main competition with "Con te partirò" and finishing in fourth place.

The song was included in his album ''Bocelli'' which was produced by Mauro Malavasi and released in the spring. His third album, ''Viaggio Italiano'', was released in autumn. Bocelli sang "Miserere" and "Funiculì, Funiculà" with guitarist John Miles. In Belgium, "Con te partirò" became the best-selling single of all time.

In 1996, Bocelli was invited to sing a duet with English soprano Sarah Brightman at the final bout of German IBF World Light-Heavyweight boxing champion Henry Maske. Brightman, a friend of Maske, approached Bocelli after she heard him singing "Con te partirò" whilst she was dining in a restaurant. Changing the title lyric of the song to "Time to Say Goodbye", they re-recorded it as a duet with members of the London Symphony Orchestra and sang it as a farewell for Maske. The single debuted atop the German charts, where it stayed for fourteen weeks. With sales nearing three million copies, and a sextuple platinum award, "Time to Say Goodbye" eclipsed the previous best-selling single by more than one million copies. He topped the Spanish singles chart in 1996 with a duet with Marta Sanchez, "Vivo Por Ella", the Spanish version of "Vivo per lei", recorded with Giorgia for the ''Romanza'' album. He also recorded a Portuguese version of the song with Sandy Leah.

The same year, Bocelli recorded "Je vis pour elle", the French version of "Vivo per lei", as a duet with French singer Hélène Ségara. Released in December 1997, the song became a hit in Belgium (Wallonia) and France, where it reached #1 on the charts. To date, it is the best-selling single for Ségara, and the second for Bocelli after "Time to Say Goodbye". On 3 March he appeared in Hamburg, Germany, with Sarah Brightman to receive the ECHO music award for "Best Single of the Year".

In August, he appeared at the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago, Italy, and then at the World Youth Festival in Paris, where he again sang in the presence of the Pope. In the summer, he gave 22 open air concerts in Germany, as well as an indoor concert in Oberhausen on 31 August. In September he performed in concert at the Piazza dei Cavalieri in Pisa for the home video ''A Night in Tuscany'' () with guests Nuccia Focile, Sarah Brightman and Zucchero. On 14 September in Munich, Germany, he received an ECHO Klassik "Best seller of the year" award for his album, ''Viaggio Italiano''.

Back in Italy in Bologna on 27 September, he yet again sang before the Pope at the International Eucharistic Congress. On 19 October, he sang at the TeleFood benefit concert held in the Vatican City, and organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization to raise awareness about world hunger. On 25 October he received a Bambi award, an annual television and media prize awarded by the German media company Hubert Burda Media, in the Klassik category in Cologne, Germany.

1998–99: ''Aria'', ''Sogno'' and ''Sacred Arias'' – Breaking into the United States

Bocelli made his debut in a major operatic role in 1998 when he played Rodolfo in a production of ''La bohème'' at the Teatro Comunale in Cagliari from 18 February to 25 February. His fifth album ''Aria - The Opera Album'' was released in March. On 19 April Bocelli entered the United States (USA) market with a concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. followed the next day by a reception at the White House with then US President Bill Clinton. On 5 May, he appeared in Monte Carlo, winning two World Music Awards, one in the category "Best Italian Singer", and one for "Best Classical Interpretation". He was also named one of People magazine's 50 most beautiful people of 1998.

In June, July, and August, he toured North and South America. His final concert of the tour at Madison Square Garden was sold out. In September, he received his next Echo Klassik award, this time for "Best selling classical album" with ''Aria - the opera album''. On Thanksgiving Eve Bocelli appeared as a guest on Céline Dion's Television special ''These Are Special Times'' in which he joined Dion with their hit ''The Prayer'' from Dion's album ''These Are Special Times'' and he also sang ''Ave Maria'' solo. Dion introduced him by saying, "I heard someone say – If God had a singing voice, he would sound a lot like Andrea Bocelli." As a result of his appearance on the show, his popularity in the USA further increased. Dion's album containing ''The Prayer'' was released in 1998 and re-issued with the DVD of the TV special in 2007. The song appeared on the ''Quest for Camelot'' soundtrack in 1998 and on Bocelli's album, ''Sogno'', the following year.

At the New Year, he performed two concerts at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas. The hotel used ''Con te partirò'' in its advertisements, further increasing his popularity in the USA. He also performed the first Internet live opera broadcast in its entirety from the Detroit Opera House, with Denyce Graves. At the 56th Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on 24 January, ''The Prayer'' won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song from the film ''Quest for Camelot''. At the 41st Grammy Awards ceremony held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on 24 February, Bocelli was nominated in the Best New Artist category which was won by Lauryn Hill. Bocelli and Dion received a standing ovation after singing ''The Prayer''. The song was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song and performed by Bocelli and Dion at the ceremony held at the Los Angeles Music Center on 21 March.

From 11 April to 24 April, he toured the West coast of North America from San Diego to Vancouver, with a final performance before over 18,000 spectators at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Actress Elizabeth Taylor stood by his side on the stage during the encore, while he sang ''The Prayer''.

At the invitation of Steven Spielberg, Bocelli sang in Los Angeles on 15 May before Bill Clinton at an event on behalf of the Democratic Party. At the end of May he toured Portugal and Spain and sang with the Portuguese Fado singer Dulce Pontes. On 27 June he took part in the Michael Jackson benefit concert for suffering children in Munich's Olympic Stadium.

From 10 July to 27 August he appeared in a guest role at seven performances of ''The Merry Widow'' at the Verona Arena in Rome. As the "Tenor Conte Andrea" he performed three arias, "La donna è mobile" from Verdi's ''Rigoletto''; "Tu, che m' hai preso il cuor" from Franz Lehár's ''Land des Laechelns'' and "Libiamo ne' lieti calici" from Verdi's ''La traviata'', again receiving standing ovations.

On 10 September, together with soprano Daniela Dessi and two Polish singers, he performed at the Great Theatre of Łódź in Poland. From 7 October to 19 November, he made his United States operatic debut in Jules Massenet's ''Werther'' at the Detroit Opera House with the Michigan Opera Theater. He was cheered by the audiences, but criticized by the press.

He also performed at Rodeo Drive in Hollywood and gave further concerts in Detroit, Cleveland and Chicago, and made an appearance on Jay Leno's first installment of The Tonight Show. Then Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani gave him the Crystal Apple, a gift to celebrated personalities from New York City. His seventh album ''Sacred Arias'', which contains exclusively sacred music, was released worldwide on 8 November, and two weeks later reached first place in the USA Classic Billboard charts -- making Bocelli the first vocalist to hold all top three places on the chart, with ''Aria, the opera album'' in second place, and ''Viaggio Italiano'' in third place. The album also included the hymn of the Holy Year 2000 which was chosen as the official version by the Vatican in October.

Immediately after his return to Italy, Bocelli sang in Florence at a meeting of the centre-left Heads of State. Invited by Queen Elizabeth II, he performed at the annual Royal Variety Performance in Birmingham, UK, on 29 November. On 30 November, his book ''La musica del silenzio'', an autobiographical novel, was released in Italy.

From 12 December to 21 December he performed six concerts in Barcelona, Strasbourg, Lisbon, Zagreb, Budapest and Messina, directed by Lorin Maazel, some of which were broadcast on local television. He also performed on German television; Wetten, dass..? on 11 December and the José Carreras Gala in Leipzig on 17 December. On 31 December, he finished a marathon twenty-four concerts in thirty days, with a concert at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in New York in front of 8,000 people, welcoming in the new millennium.

2000–01: ''Verdi'' and ''Cieli di Toscana''

At the 42nd Grammy Awards on 23 February, Bocelli was nominated twice. ''The Prayer'' was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Bocelli performed it with Dion at the ceremony. His "World Tour 2000" started on 31 March. In May his ''Sacred Arias'' album was voted album of the year by listeners of the Classic FM radio station in the UK. His world tour continued from 12 May to 14 May with four concerts in Japan and South Korea. At the end of the UEFA European Football Championship he performed with Valery Gergiev and Renée Fleming at a concert on the River Maas in Rotterdam. On 6 July he performed at the Statue of Liberty in New York and on 17 August he performed in Giuseppi Verdi's Messa da Requiem at the Verona Arena in Rome. His seventh album ''Verdi'' was released on 11 September. In September he also performed three concerts in Australia. He received another Echo Klassik award for "Bestseller of the year" for ''Sacred Arias''. In November his first complete opera recording, ''La Bohème'' was released. In December he received another award in Germany, the Goldene Europa for classical music.

In January 2001, Bocelli portrayed the main character in Pietro Mascagni's opera ''L'amico Fritz'' at the Teatro Filarmonico in Verona and again performed the tenor part in Verdi's Requiem. On 19 March the Requiem album was released with Bocelli as tenor. From 22 March to 6 April he toured North America accompanied by Cecilia Gasdia and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. On 17 June he performed at the re-opening of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. In July he performed two concerts in Dublin with Ana María Martínez and the New Symphony Orchestra. At the Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice on 4 October he presented his new album ''Cieli di Toscana'' and was recognised for having sold more than 40 million albums worldwide. In October he opened the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Sicilian opera composer Vincenzo Bellini in Catania. On 28 October, he sang Franz Schubert's ''Ellens dritter Gesang'' as a representative of the Roman Catholic faith, during a memorial concert at Ground Zero in New York City for the victims of the September 11 attacks there. In November he received the Platinum Europe Award for one million sales of the album ''Cieli di Toscana'', and at the Italian Music Awards he was given a special award from the Federation of the Italian Music Industry for his merits as an "Ambassador of Italian music in the world". He performed seven more concerts in the US accompanied by Ana María Martínez, and on 23 December, in front of the President of Italy and other guests of honour, he sang the Italian national anthem as well as works of Bellini and Verdi at the traditional Christmas concert in the Italian Senate, which was broadcast live on television for the first time.

2002–05: ''Sentimento'' and ''Andrea''

In Berlin on 5 February he received a Goldene Kamera award in the "Music & Entertainment" category. On 6 March he received two World Music Awards in Monte Carlo: "World best selling classical artist" and "Best selling Italian artist". On 11 March, he gave a concert for peace at the Basilica di San Marco a Venezia in Venice, accompanied by the orchestra of the Teatro La Fenice and conducted by Lorin Maazel. On 15 March he took part in the opening of Walt Disney Studios Park in Marne-la-Vallée France. On 7 May Bocelli and Tony Renis received a Telegatto Italian Television award for the soundtrack of the series ''Cuore''. On 23 May he received the 2002 Classical BRIT Award for "Outstanding Contribution to Music". On 27 May he performed at the Villa Madama in Rome in front of USA president George W. Bush and Italian president Silvio Berlusconi. On 28 May he took part in "Pavarotti & Friends" charity concert in Modena in aid of Angola. In June he again toured the USA, then on 26 July and 3 August he portrayed Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton in ''Madama Butterfly'' at the 48th Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago. On 14 October he and Lorin Maazel presented his new album ''Sentimento'' to a worldwide audience. Further presentations took place in Milan and New York, and the album was released on 4 November, selling over two million copies in 40 days. On 24 October he started his ''Sentimento'' tour in Zürich which took in large arenas in several European and North American cities.

In February 2003, Bocelli performed ''Madama Butterfly'' in an exclusive Monte Carlo concert, which was attended by Caroline, Princess of Hanover. In March for the first time he appeared as a producer, at the Sanremo Festival, where the young artists Allunati and Jacqueline Ferry sang for his new record label, Clacksong. In May his second complete opera, ''Tosca'', was released. At a private benefit gala for the Royal National Institute of Blind People Bocelli sang in front of the British Royal Family. A day later he received two awards for ''Sentimento'' at the 2003 Classical BRIT Award held at the Royal Albert Hall in London – "Best selling classical album" and "Album of the year". On 24 May he performed in a benefit concert for the Arpa Foundation for Film, Music and Art in the Piazza del Campo in Siena, with sopranos Maria Luigia Borsi and Lucia Dessanti, baritone Soo Kyung Ahn, and violinist Ruth Rogers, accompanied by Marcello Rota and the Orchestra Città di Pisa. Three days later he was again invited to perform at "Pavarotti & Friends" in Modena and sang a medley of Neapolitan songs together with Pavarotti. In June he continued his ''Sentimento'' tour in Athens and Cyprus. In September he took part in a concert for the Justice ministers and Interior ministers of the European Union at the Parco della Musica in Rome. He then resumed his tour, accompanied by Maria Luigia Borsi, Ruth Rogers and Marcello Rota.

He won the "Favourite Specialist Performer" award at the UK National Music Awards in October 2003. In November he once again toured in the United States, this time accompanied by Ana Maria Martinez, Kallen Esperian and Steven Mercurio. In December he gave his first concert in China and at the end of the month sang Gounod's ''Ave Maria'' at Pavarotti's wedding in Modena.

In Bologna in January he performed as Werther in four performances of the opera of the same name. In April and May he toured Asia again, visiting Manila, Hong Kong and Singapore. In May he took part in a concert at Circo Massimo in Rome organised by Quincy Jones to launch the "We are the Future" project. In June his third complete opera ''Il trovatore'' was released. In July he played the part of Mario Cavaradossi in ''Tosca'' at the 50th Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago. And he took part in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) global campaign for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

In September he performed his "Once in a Lifetime" tour in Australia with concerts in Sydney and Melbourne and one concert in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he was joined on stage by New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra. On 15 October he performed at the People Conference Hall in Beijing, China, and on 17 October at the Great Hall in Shanghai.

During early 2005 Bocelli was on tour including performances in Madeira, Hungary, Norway, USA, UK, Italy and Germany. He also appeared in ''Sesame Street'' singing "Time to Say Goodnight" a parody of ''Time to Say Goodbye'' as a lullaby to Elmo. On 21 March he performed on the ''Music for Asia'' benefit concert in Rome, televised on Italia 1, in aid of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake appeal.

In June he performed at the Deutsche Opera in Berlin. On 2 July he performed at the Paris concert as part of the Live 8 event. Also during the second part of the year, he performed in Croatia, Serbia, Italy, the US, Dubai, Switzerland and finally in Scandinavia. On 28 August he performed at the Faenol Festival held in Vaynol, Wales and organised by Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel. In December his first contemporary music concert took place at a Lake Las Vegas village resort in Nevada, US, which was recorded for PBS and released as the ''Under the Desert Sky'' DVD. He also took part in the Royal Christmas Show, which took place in several cities in the USA in December. The album ''Werther'' was released in December. During 2005 he was invited by Pope Benedict XVI, George W. Bush and Queen Elizabeth II to perform at special events.

2006–07: ''Amore'' and ''Vivere, Greatest hits''

On 18 February he sang at the Toyota Center in Houston during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2006 All-Star Weekend, and broadcast live on the TNT Cable television network.

On 26 February Bocelli sang "Because We Believe" from his ''Amore'' album in the Carnevale section of the closing ceremony of the Torino Olympics with a worldwide television audience. He also began another tour with a concert at the Piazza di Castello in Turin. In March he was honoured by the Italian state with a Grande Ufficiale Italian Order of Merit (Grand Officer of the Italian Republic), given to him by then President of the Italian Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi for his worldwide work for his country as a singer. The award was presented to him at the Sanremo Festival where he performed a duet with American singer Christina Aguilera on 4 March. From 31 March to 2 April he took part in the Maggio Musicale in Florence where he sang the ''Canto di pace (Canto of peace)'' by Marco Tutino and the tenor part from Gioachino Rossini's ''Messa di Gloria'' and in Naples where he took part in Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle.

In April 2006, he featured as a guest coach on ''American Idol'' helping the finalists sing the week's themed songs, "Greatest Love Songs." He also performed on that week's results show. American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee performed at three of Bocelli's concerts in California from 9 June to 11 June singing duets of ''Somos Novios'' and ''The Prayer'' with Bocelli. They also performed on '''J. C. Penney Jam: The Concert for America's Kids'' and recorded duet versions of ''Somos Novios'' for the resulting album, and also ''Can't Help Falling in Love'' on the CD of the Under the Desert Sky DVD.

In June he sang the Italian duet version of "Because We Believe", "Ama, credi e vai", with Gianna Nannini at the "großen Fan Party" at the opening of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, in Berlin in front of billions of worldwide television viewers.

On 1 July 2007, Bocelli performed "The Music of the Night" from Andrew Lloyd Webber's ''The Phantom of the Opera'', in a special musicals medley during the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Bocelli returned to his home town for a triumphant concert at the newly created Teatro del Silenzio in Lajatico on 5 July 2007, with guest appearance by Kenny G, Heather Headley, Lang Lang, Elisa, Sarah Brightman and Laura Pausini. The concert was later released as Vivere Live in Tuscany. In September he debuted at the Avery Fisher Hall, in New York, with four concerts. October saw the release of the opera album of Ruggero Leoncavallo's ''Pagliacci'' with Bocelli singing the role of Canio. In November he won the "Best Italian Artist" and "World's Best-selling Classical Artist" awards at the World Music Awards. In December he finished his 2006 tour with more concerts in North America and Europe.

Bocelli and Sarah Brightman's duet version of "Con te partirò" was used in the 2007 film ''Blades of Glory'', as an ice skating song. K-1 mixed martial arts fighter, Akiyama Yoshihiro started using "Con te partirò" as his ring entrance music. On 8 September Bocelli sang an arrangement of Mozart's ''Ave verum corpus'' at the funeral of Luciano Pavarotti in Modena, Italy.

On 21 October 2007, he sang "Con te partirò" with Katherine Jenkins on the UK television series ''Strictly Come Dancing'' results show, and on 30 October, he sang "The Prayer" with Céline Dion during an ITV Special ''An Audience with Céline Dion''. The show was broadcast on 23 December. Alongside fellow Italian singer Laura Pausini, he sang ''Vive Ya'' during the 2007 Latin Grammy Awards. The song, originally released in 1997 as a duet in Italian between Bocelli and Italian singer-songwriter Trovatto on Bocelli's ''Romanza'', was also released in English on his 2007 album, ''The Best of Andrea Bocelli: Vivere'', as ''Dare to Live''. The album, ''Vivere'', sold over 3 million copies.

2008: ''Incanto'' and ''Carmen''

On 20 January 2008, Bocelli received the Italian TV award Telegatto in platinum for ''Italian music in the world'', in Rome. He sang "La voce del silenzio" -- "The voice of silence" -- and "Dare to Live" during the ceremony. To promote the album, he performed ''"Canto della Terra"'' at The Alan Titchmarsh Show on the BBC in London on 1 February; was interviewed by Fabio Fazio on the Italian talk show ''Che tempo che fa'' on RAI 3 in Italy; and performed ''"Canto della terra"'', ''"A te"'' and ''"Besame mucho"'' from the album, as well as ''"My way"'' on 2 February; and made an appearance on The South Bank Show in London, where he sang the French aria "Pour mon âme" on 3 February. Then on 10 February, he performed "The Prayer" at the 50th Grammy Awards, held in Los Angeles, with Josh Groban in a tribute to Luciano Pavarotti, and sang ''"Dare to live"'' with Heather Headley the following day on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno''.

In April he toured in Asia with performances in Tokyo, Taichung, Taiwan, and Seoul. Each concert was attended by over 15,000 people.

On 7 May 2008, he sang at Steel Aréna in Košice, Slovakia, in front of 8,000 people. Then 13 May he sang at the ''"Teatro delle Muse"'' in Ancona, Italy, for a charity concert for "Francesca Rava – N.P.H. Italia Onlus", a foundation that helps poor and disabled children around the world.

On 23 May 2008 he sang ''The Prayer'' with Katharine McPhee in a Las Vegas tribute concert for Canadian producer and songwriter David Foster. Bocelli later praised Filipina teen-aged singer Charice, whom he had first heard perform at that concert.

On 2 June 2008 he performed at the Piazza del Duomo, Milan in front of 80,000 people during a concert celebrating the anniversary of the Republic of Italy's formation.

From June 17 to June 28, Bocelli played the role of Don José on stage, opposite Hungarian mezzo-soprano Ildiko Komlosi as Carmen, in Georges Bizet's opera at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, in Rome, for four nights. Bocelli released the complete opera recording of ''Carmen'' in Italy in the same year, which he recorded in 2005. Myung-whun Chung conducted the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the Chœur de Radio France for the recording, and Welsh Bass-baritone Bryn Terfel, was part of the Ensemble. The recording was not released internationally, until March 2010. ''Carmen: Duets & Arias'', a single-disc collection of some of the arias and duets of the recording, was also released in 2010.

On 20 July, Bocelli held his third concert at the Teatro del Silenzio in Lajatico, his hometown. The concert was a tribute to the cinema of Italy. Its performers included Italian composer and musician Nicola Piovani, Italian ballet dancer Roberto Bolle, Israeli singer Noa, and Charice. Then on 31 July, he performed at a concert in Vingis Park in Vilnius, Lithuania, in front of more than 18,000 people. Australian singer Tina Arena performed two duets with Bocelli -- ''"Canto Della Terra"'' and ''"The Prayer"'' -- at the closing stages of the concert.

On 7 August 2008, he held a benefit concert at Medjugorje, Bosnia Herzegovina, and was accompanied by Czech National Symphony Orchestra. Then, during the rest of August, he was on tour in Australia and New Zealand—for the third time—with performances at Vector Arena, Auckland, on the 20th; Entertainment Centre, Brisbane on the 22nd; Acer Arena, Sydney, on the 24th, Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, on the 27th; and Burswood Dome, Perth, on the 30th. His fiancée and both of his sons accompanied him on the tour. Tina Arena performed again with him in all 5 concerts during the tour.

On 26 September 2008, during the 2008 Veneto Festival, he held a concert in the Church of the Eremitani in Padova, Italy, in front of about 1000 people. He was accompanied by the I Solisti Veneti orchestra, celebrating its 50th birthday and conducted by Claudio Scimone, and by the Wiener Singakademie choir. The concert was a celebration of Giacomo Puccini's 150th birthday.

On 10 October and 11 he performed at Petra, singing ''"Dare to live"'' with Laura Pausini, as well as performing ''E Lucevan le Stelle'' from ''Tosca''. On 19 October he sang ''"O Surdato 'Nnamurato"'' and a duet of ''"Non Ti Scordar Di Me"'' with Cecilia Bartoli, both from the ''Incanto'' album, during the ECHO Awards in Germany; and later presented the soprano with an ECHO award. On 24 October, he performed at ''Piazza del Plebiscito'' in Naples, as a tribute to the city, where he celebrated the Italian release of ''Incanto''. Performing with him were flautist Andrea Griminelli, Italian pop singer Massimo Ranieri and soprano Cecilia Bartoli, with Steven Mercurio conducting the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. On 31 October, he performed a solo version of "The Prayer", as well as "Because", a song from ''Incanto'', live on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

On 21 November and 22, Bocelli was amongst a quartet of soloists (soprano Sabina Cvilak, mezzo-soprano Kate Aldrich and bass Alexander Vinogradov) to sing Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle, conducted by Plácido Domingo, at the Washington National Opera in Washington, D.C.. Bocelli sang twice in the piece and later the two famous tenors sang The Pearl Fishers duet which would be the first aria they had ever sang together. On 25 November and 26 he starred alongside soprano Verónica Villarroel in an opera in concert of Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana at the ''"Municipal Auditorium"'' in San Antonio, Texas. He later held a concert at ''"Atrio de la Catedral"'' in Campeche, Mexico, on 28 November, where he sang songs from ''Incanto'' as well as some of his Spanish hits, including ''Besame Mucho'', ''Somos Novios'', ''Amapola'' and ''Por ti Volare'' -- the Spanish version of ''Con te Partiro''.

2009: ''My Christmas'', first holiday album

On May 27, 2009, Bocelli sang "Il Gladiatore", from the Gladiator soundtrack, followed by the UEFA Champions League Anthem, which is based on "Zadok the Priest" by G.F. Handel, during the opening ceremony of the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final, in the Stadio Olimpico, in Rome.

On November 3, ''My Christmas'', his first Holiday album, produced by David Foster, was released and went on to become the best-selling Holiday album of the year.

The ''Andrea Bocelli & David Foster Christmas Special'', the PBS special of the album, first aired on Thanksgiving night in the United States, and continued to be broadcast in the United States and Canada throughout the month of December. In late November, the program was broadcast in Mexico and in the UK; it later aired, December 15 and 25, on Italia 1, in Italy, December 19, on TVE2 and TROS, in Spain and the Netherlands, and Christmas Eve, on vtm and RTL-TVI, in Belgium and Luxembourg.

On November 3, during the World Premiere of Disney's ''A Christmas Carol'', in Leicester Square, London, following the switching on of the annual Oxford Street and Regent Street Christmas lights, Bocelli led the St Paul's Cathedral Choir, and more than 14,000 people across the capital, as they broke the Official Guinness World Record for the biggest ever Christmas Carol sing-along, singing "Silent Night". He completed his performance in Leicester Square with, "God Bless Us Everyone", the closing song of the movie, which he provided the vocals for in English, Italian and Spanish. He returned to the United Kingdom, December 16, for an appearance on ''The One Show'', broadcast live by BBC One, and on ''The Alan Titchmarsh Show'' which aired December 18, on ITV1.

On November 21, a segment of ''Leute Heute'', a German tabloid-program on ZDF, was about ''My Christmas'' and Bocelli's meeting in Rome with Pope Benedict XVI and 250 other artists, an event which was broadcasted live earlier that day in Italy, by Rai Uno. Bocelli was also joined by the Piccolo Coro dell'Antoniano, in his home in Forte dei Marmi, where they sang "Caro Gesù Bambino", a song from ''My Christmas'' which was originally recorded by the choir in 1960. Rai Uno also broadcast the performance later that day, during the Zecchino d'Oro Festival. The following day, Bocelli was among Fabio Fazio's guests, on his popular Italian talk-show, Che tempo che fa, broadcast on Rai Tre. During the program Bocelli talked about his album and performed "The Lord's Prayer", "White Christmas", and "Silent Night". It was also announced that Bocelli would return to the show on December 20 and give a live concert of ''My Christmas''. Bocelli also took part in the annual 2009 ''José Carreras Gala'', on December 17, where he sang Adeste Fideles, before singing "White Christmas" with José Carreras for the very first time; this was broadcast live, by Das Erste, in Germany. He then returning to Italy, for a concert in the Upper Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi, on December 19, which was broadcast directly after the ''Urbi et Orbi'' blessing of Pope Benedict XVI, December 25, on Rai Uno.

In North America, Bocelli gave 6 concerts. On November 28, he performed in the Bank Atlantic Center, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He later performed in the Air Canada Centre, in Toronto, Canada, in the Izod Center, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the William Saroyan Theatre, in Fresno, California (changed from the much larger Save Mart Center due to scheduling conflicts), in the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, and finally in the Honda Center, in Anaheim, California, on December 3, 5, 8, 12, and 13. His last three arena concerts alone grossed a total of over 5,6 million dollars, placing him third on Billboard Magazine's week's Hot Tours ranking, behind the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Il Divo, who both held over 5 times more concerts worldwide, compared to Bocelli's three in the United States, explaining their better showings.

In the United States, Bocelli made a number of high profile TV appearances. He first performed "White Christmas" at the 83rd annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, broadcast live on NBC, November 26. He performed the song again on November 30 during ''The Today Show'' also live. His appearance on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' during her ''Holiday Music Extravaganza'', where he sang "What Child Is This", with Mary J. Blige, and later closed the show with Adeste Fideles, was also aired the same day, and was later rebroadcast on December 23. Bocelli also sang "Adeste Fideles" and was interviewed by Barbara Walters and Joy Behar on ''The View'', which aired December 2, on ABC. On December 8, he performed "Jingle Bells" with The Muppets on NBC's ''The Jay Leno Show''. He also performed a number of songs from the album, including "The Christmas Song" with Natalie Cole, during a dinner at David Foster's mansion in Malibu, which was featured on ''The Dr. Phil Show'', on December 10. Bocelli also performed "White Christmas" and "Silent Night", on the ''Larry King Live'' and ''Fox & Friends'' holiday-specials, broadcast December 23, on CNN, and December 19, 24 and 25, on Fox News.

In Brasil, following the success of the South American leg of the ''Incanto tour'', were over 100,000 people attended his free concert at the São Paulo's "Parque Indipendencia", earlier in the year, it was announced that Bocelli would hold another Open-Air, entrance free, concert in Florianópolis, on December 28, where a crowd of about a million people was expected to attend. However, due to financial and political reasons, the concert was later canceled on short notice, along with all the other events scheduled for Christmas in the city.

2010: Hollywood Walk of Fame and FIFA World Cup

On January 31, 2010, during the 52nd Grammy Awards, Bocelli, Mary J. Blige and David Foster joined forces again, singing "Bridge over Troubled Water" to raise awareness for the victims of the Haiti earthquake. The three had previously made an appearance on CNN's Larry King Live, January 28, 2010, to announce the performance.

On March 2, he was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to Live Theater, at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard, in front of the Roosevelt Hotel.

On March 12, Bocelli made an appearance on Skavlan, in Oslo, Norway, to promote his upcoming Scandinavian tour, giving a rare interview to the show's host Fredrik Skavlan, and later performing "Voglio Vivere Cosi", from his 2008 album ''Incanto'', with Norwegian Boys' choir, Sølvguttene.

In April, he returned to Scandinavia, for a concert in Telenor Arena, in Oslo, Norway, on April 8, a concert in Forum Copenhagen, in Copenhagen, Denmark, on April 9, and finally a concert in the Ericsson Globe, in Stockholm, Sweden, on April 11. He was joined by Tony Award winner Heather Headley and 120 musicians from the Stockholm Concert Orchestra, in all three concerts, and by Swedish mezzo-soprano Malena Ernman in his Swedish concert.

On April 30, Bocelli sang "Nessun Dorma" during the opening ceremony of the Expo 2010, in Shanghai, China, in front of twenty heads of state and government, including Chinese President Hu Jintao, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. The following day, on May 1, he held a concert, titled ''Charming China'', at Shanghai Stadium, in front of an audience of 80,000 people, along with Chinese singers Song Zuying and Jay Chou, and Chinese concert pianist Lang Lang; the China Philharmonic Orchestra accompanied them under the direction of its artistic director Yu Long. The concert was later broadcasted by Shanghai TV, and by CCTV channels throughout mainland China.

The two appearances coincided with Bocelli's Asian tour, consisting of a concert in Budokan, Tokyo, Japan, on April 28, a concert in Jamsil Gymnasium, Seoul, South Korea, on May 2, a concert in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, in Hong Kong, on May 4, a concert in Taipei Arena, Taipei, Taiwan, on May 6, The concert was later broadcasted, in its entirety, by Channel NewsAsia, on May 28 and 29, and by Okto, on May 30, in Singapore. An orchid in the Botanic Gardens' National Orchid Garden was also named after Bocelli in response to the concert. Australian pop singer Delta Goodrem performed again with Bocelli in all five concerts, after supporting him in his United States My Christmas 2009 winter tour.

On May 18, during the 2010 World Music Awards, Bocelli performed ""Un Amore Cosi Grande" from his 2008 album, ''Incanto'', and received his seventh World Music Award, for "Best Classical Artist".

On July 5, Bocelli gave a concert at the opening of the Khan Shatyry Entertainment Center, in Astana, on the occasion of Kazakhstan's president, Nursultan Nazarbayev's 70th birthday. Among the guests were, the President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, the President of Turkey, Abdullah Gül, the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, the President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, the President of Tajikistan, Emomalii Rahmon, the President of Kyrgyzstan, Roza Otunbayeva, the Crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the King of Jordan, Abdullah II.

On July 9, Bocelli headlined the "Celebrate Africa: The Grand Finale" Concert of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, at the Coca-Cola Dome, in Johannesburg, South Africa, to mark the end of the World Cup, two days before the World Cup final. During the concert, Bocelli was joined by Canadian rock star, Bryan Adams, Italian flautist, Andrea Griminelli, and South African singers, Nianell and Pretty Yende. FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, South Africain president, Jacob Zuma, and Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, were among the 12,000 in attendance.

On July 13, Montenegrin Statehood Day, Bocelli gave a concert at the seaside resort of Sveti Stefan, in western Montenegro, to mark the Golden Jubilee of the Sveti Stefan Hotel. During the hour-long show, on a stage right in front of the island-hotel's perimeter wall, Bocelli sang well-known arias, as well as some of his more popular hits, to the assembled dignitaries, including Montenegro's top officials, representatives of the diplomatic corps and many faces from cultural, political and public life, as well as many current and former tourist entrepreneurs who had contributed to the development of Montenegrin tourism.

On Juy 14, Bocelli gave a concert at the European Parliament's Espace Léopold, in Brussels, Belgium, during "Rome in the heart of the future", an event hosted by the Vice President of the European Parliament for the seventh parliament, MEP, Roberta Angelilli, "to highlight the city of Rome as the capital of international tourism through an important and ambitious project in Europe." A screening of the film ''Homage to Rome'', directed by Franco Zeffirelli, who was present during the event, and starring Bocelli, in his cinematographic debut, and Italian fashion model, Monica Bellucci, was shown prior to the special concert. The event was also attended by the President of the European Parliament, MEP, Jerzy Buzek, European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, Antonio Tajani, the Mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, the President of Lazio, Renata Polverini.

On July 25, Bocelli held the fifth and final edition of the Teatro del Silenzio, in his hometown of Lajatico, Tuscany, to an audience of 10,000, double the amount of the first edition of the annual Festival, held in 2006. After performing with Spanish tenor, Plácido Domingo and Welsh Mezzo-soprano, Katherine Jenkins on the previous edition of the Festival, in 2009, Bocelli's guests included the only other surviving member of The Three Tenors, Spanish Catalan tenor, José Carreras, and Italian rock singer, Zucchero. Sculptures by Swiss artist Kurt Laurenz Metzler, who attended the concert, were exhibited during this year's edition. The Teatro del Silenzio has in past incorporated sculptures by artists such as Arnaldo Pomodoro and Igor Mitoraj. Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida, who was also in attendance, donated a Bronze statue she had made of Bocelli, to the city of Lajatico, in the afternoon just before the concert. Bocelli was also awarded the ''Pisano Doc'', during the dress rehearsal for the concert, on July 24, "in recognition for a great citizen, who with his extraordinary art and his humanity brings great prestige, honor and respect to the city of Pisa", and received, the 2010 ''Premio Lunezia nel mondo'', during a private ceremony held on July 21, for "the musical-literary quality of his songs."

In September 2010, Bocelli held a concert at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, in Athens, Greece. The concert was attended by George Papandreou, the prime minister of Greece and Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens, among others. All proceeds were donated to help cure cancer. Bocelli also gave concerts in Cairo, Egypt, in front of the pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza, as well as a fundraising concert inside the famous Duomo di Milano to benefit victims of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake.

As part of the 2010 leg of the ''My Christmas Tour'', Bocelli gave two concerts in the two largest indoor arenas of the United Kingdom, The O2 Arena, in London, and The M.E.N Arena, in Manchester, and a concert in the largest indoor arena in Ireland, The O2, in Dublin, in late November 2010. His sold out concert at the O2 in London, was the most attended show in the venue's history, with 16,500 people attending the event. In early December, Bocelli gave 6 concerts in the United States. He performed in Madison Square Garden, in New York City, Prudential Center, in Newark, New Jersey, TD Garden, in Boston, Toyota Center, in Houston, Staples Center, in Los Angeles, and the MGM Grand's Garden Arena, in the Las Vegas Strip. The Toyota Center concert, in Houston, was attended by former president George Bush, Sr. and first lady Barbara Bush.

Bocelli also took part in the Christmas in Washington special on December 12, in the presence of president Barack Obama and the first lady. On December 19, Bocelli gave a concert, conducted by Claudio Scimone, in the Italian Senate. The concert was attended by Italy's top officials including Italy's president Giorgio Napolitano, Renato Schifani, the president of the Italian Senate, Gianfranco Fini, the president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and Tarcisio Bertone, Cardinal Secretary of State of the Holy See.

2011: Notte Illuminata Tour and Metropolitan Opera debut

In January, Bocelli gave three concerts in Germany. The concerts in Munich, Berlin, and Hamburg were all part of the Notte Illuminata Tour, launched in Pisa, at the Teatro Verdi, December 2010. In February, Bocelli made his Metropolitan Opera debut, performing a recital, as part of the tour.

In late March, early April, as part of the 2011 Latin Leg of his Incanto Tour, Bocelli gave concerts in Buenos Aires, Bogotá, and Panama City.

In May 2011, Bocelli held 5 concerts in East and Southeast Asia, and was joined by New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra during the Tour. He first gave a concert in Jakarta, Indonesia, his first visit to the country. The concert was attended by Indonesia's top political personalities, including Golkar Party chairman, billionaire Aburizal Bakrie, PDI-P chairwoman and daughter of former president's Sukarno, Megawati Sukarnoputri, herself a former president, and former president Suharto's second eldest daughter, Siti Hediyanti. Bocelli held two other concerts in Taipei, and two concerts in Beijing.

It was announced that Bocelli will give a free concert in September, on the Great Lawn of Central Park in New York City. He will be accompanied by the New York Philharmonic conducted by its music director, Alan Gilbert.

Voice

With the exception of the negative views of some Classical music critics, Bocelli is widely celebrated as a singer and is admired around the world. His voice's timbre is as recognisable as a signature, with a versatility ranging from the Bel canto to the furore of Verismo, from the sacred repertoire to popular ballads.

Franco Corelli, one of the greatest Spinto tenors of the twentieth century, praised Bocelli's voice after hearing it for the first time during a Master class in 1986, in Turin, and would later give him private lessons. Another great Italian tenor who championed Bocelli's singing from the very beginning was Luciano Pavarotti. Pavarotti publicly admired Bocelli's voice and played an early part in the younger man's career. He reportedly stated that "''There is no one finer,''" upon hearing his voice for the very first time. Bocelli would later sing during both his wedding ceremony, in 2003, and his funeral, in 2007.

After conducting Bocelli in the ''Verdi'' album, in 2000, Zubin Mehta commented that "''Andrea's voice is special in many ways. First of all, he has a complete control from forte to pianissimo on any note. The end of 'Celeste Aida,' he attacks the high B flat full voice and then pulls it down to nothing — hardly anybody can do that, it's also very risky on the stage at the opera. But it's not that we tried it 15 times and he got it once; he can do it every time. He can also, in the middle of a phrase, without breathing, change the color of a note, so it's a conductor's dream to ask and to get it because most people can't do that.''" The interview where Mehta made those comments was featured in a BBC documentary about Bocelli, entitled the "Story Behind the Voice". Mehta also compared Bocelli's voice to the old Italian style of singers, such as Tito Schipa.

The same documentary also featured an interview with Spanish Catalan tenor, José Carreras. He commented that "''The first time I had the possibility to listen to Andrea, he was a part of the Sanremo Festival. And I thought wow, that's a nice voice, very beautiful color, very tenor like.''" He proceeded by saying, "''I always thought that he has a wonderful instrument, that he knows very much how to use it.''"

Lorin Maazel, who conducted Bocelli's 2002 Classical album, ''Sentimento'', was also featured in the documentary. In the interview he says that "''Andrea Bocelli has amazing Tessitura, almost three Octaves, I would think two and a half, has excellent and very easy top notes; but he can also fill out the lower register very successfully.''" Maazel also praised Bocelli's Musical talent and knowledge of music, and compared his voice to that of celebrated Irish tenor John McCormack, during an interview with Charlie Rose, in 2002.

Similarly, during a 1999 interview on The Charlie Rose show, American soprano Renée Fleming praised Bocelli's voice, by saying "''first of all the sound is beautiful. There is something very soulful about the way he sings and it's captured the hearts of something like, the last I've heard eleven million fans.''" Grammy winning Puerto Rican soprano, Ana María Martínez, who regularly performs with Bocelli, also said that "''More than anything, Andrea has something that is unique in that he brings this light that is always around him. And this purity of heart and beauty of sound just touches the listener. It can’t be described.''"

French Canadian singer Celine Dion famously said while introducing him during her Christmas Special for ''These Are Special Times'', in 1998, that "''if God would have a singing voice, he must sound a lot like Andrea Bocelli''," and multiple Grammy Award winner David Foster, a producer of the album, often describes Bocelli's voice as the most beautiful in the world. Similarly, seven-time Grammy Award winning Jazz singer, Al Jarreau, who performed with Bocelli on the "Night of the Proms" tour in Europe, in 1995, described him as "''the most beautiful voice in the world,''" and American talk show host, Oprah Winfrey, commented on her talk show that, "''when I hear Andrea sing, I burst into tears''."

After attending Bocelli's concert at the Hollywood Bowl in 2009, the first time she'd been out "in months", legendary American actress Elizabeth Taylor said, "''My mind, my soul were transported by his beauty, his voice, his inner being. God has kissed this man and I thank God for it.''" Taylor had been a passionate fan of Bocelli's since the beginning of his music career in the mid-90's. Other fans include, Prince Albert of Monaco, who invited the tenor to sing at his wedding, as well as Sarah, Duchess of York, and actress Isabella Rossellini. Bocelli's voice was also a favorite of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, and Pope John Paul II, for whom he sang on many occasions, and released ''Credo'', a ''DVD'' dedicated to his life, shortly after his death, in 2006.

Other world class artists from both the Pop and Opera worlds have also publicly expressed their admiration, including opera singers Plácido Domingo, and Cecilia Bartoli, who collaborated with Bocelli, and conductor Myung-whun Chung, who conducted Bocelli's 1999 album, ''Sacred Arias''. Some point to his "poor phrasing, uneven tone and lack of technique."

In 1999, ''The New York Times'' chief music critic Anthony Tommasini in his review of Bocelli's North American opera debut at the Detroit Opera House in the title role of Massenet's ''Werther'' commented, "The basic color of Mr. Bocelli's voice is warm and pleasant, but he lacks the technique to support and project his sound. His sustained notes wobble. His soft high notes are painfully weak. Inadequate breath control often forces him to clip off notes prematurely at the end of phrases." In December 2000 Tommasini again criticised Bocelli, this time for his ''La bohème'' album when he claimed that Bocelli "still has trouble with basic things, like breath support" and his voice had been "carefully recorded", "to help it match the trained voices of the other cast members in fullness and presence."

In describing Bocelli's singing, ''New York Times'' music critic Bernard Holland noted, "the tone is rasping, thin and, in general, poorly supported. Even the most modest upward movement thins it even more, signalling what appears to be the onset of strangulation. To his credit, Mr Bocelli sings mostly in tune. But his phrasing tends toward carelessness and rhythmic jumble... The diction is not clear." Furthermore, Holland observed that "The critic's duty is to report that Mr Bocelli is not a very good singer." The Associated Press reported "Passion? Yes. Power. No. Bocelli's voice – though robust in spirit and precisely in tune, even in the upper register – had a thin quality that never opened up." Similarly, classical music critic Andrew Clement found Bocelli's studio opera recordings consistently disappointing in quality: "Bocelli's profoundly unmusical contribution, with its unvaryingly coarse tone, wayward intonation and never a phrase properly shaped, fatally undermines all their contributions." Anne Midgette of ''The New York Times'' agreed, noting "a thinness of voice, oddly anemic phrasing (including shortchanging upper notes of phrases in a most untenorial manner), a curious lack of expression."

In 2008, in a live performance, Bocelli was described by Baltimore Sun music critic Tim Smith thus: "as unaided by electronics, he produced an undernourished, often under-pitch tone. Top notes were strained, phrases monochromatic. Bocelli's most loyal fans presumably didn't mind any of the weaknesses, but, frankly, I found most of his singing embarrassing."

During a 2009 performance in New York, the music critic Steve Smith wrote "For cognoscenti of vocal artistry the risks involved in Mr. Bocelli's undertakings, both then and now, need no explanation. Substantial technical shortcomings masked by amplification are laid bare in a more conventional classical setting. Mr. Bocelli's tone can be pleasant, and his pitch is generally secure. But his voice is small and not well supported; his phrasing, wayward and oddly inexpressive."

In 2010, Joe Banno of the ''Washington Post'' gave an unfavorable review of Bocelli's Carmen recording, describing the oft-noted failings in Bocelli's vocal resources on full display in this performance: "Bocelli, to be fair, possesses an essentially lovely tenor and knows his stuff when it comes to selling a pop ballad. And Decca's close miking of his puny voice inflates his sound to near-Franco Corelli-like dimensions. But his short-breathed, clumsily phrased, interpretively blank and often pinched and strained singing makes his Don Jose a tough listen."

An audio commentary by New York Times editor Anne Midgette providing a comparison of Bocelli's tone and technique with Luciano Pavarotti's appears below. According to the commentary, Bocelli's tone and technique is not as firm or full as Pavarotti's. And Bocelli's singing of the high note in the passage sounds "squeezed" as opposed to the "ringing" quality Pavarotti achieves when singing the same note in the passage.

In a 2011 review of an all-classical recital, Zachary Woolfe of the ''New York Times'' commented that Bocelli "seemed out of his element and ill at ease... listeners responded politely and pleasantly, as if fulfilling their duty, a bit puzzled by the gap between the cautious sounds they were hearing and the smooth polish of Mr. Bocelli's blockbuster recordings." Woolfe goes on to observe "If people don’t know the works on a program (and Sunday evening's selection was far from populist), the singer needs to make those works happen, to prove them. But Mr. Bocelli was too nervous and not a powerful enough artist to do that. Even the French songs that were seemingly the best fit for his delicate instrument fell flat. Demonstrating little responsiveness to text or emotional specificity — Fauré's "Lune Blanche" did have an aptly gauzy sheen — they passed in a blur. In Mr. Bocelli's conception of the canon there is little audible difference between Handel and Gounod, and little urgency to either, a bland homogeneity... Ringing Pavarotti-style high notes are difficult for Mr. Bocelli; his effect of choice is extended falsetto tones, with which he dramatically ended several numbers. The audience responded warmly to this easy tactic, keen for something, anything, it could recognize as charismatic, stylish singing."

Recognition

Honors

50px Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (''Grande Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana'') awarded in Rome, on March 4, 2006.

50px Made a Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of Duarte, Sanchez and Mella by the President of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernández in 2009, for his contributions to International art and culture.

50px Honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for his contribution to live theater, at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard, in 2010.

ECHO music award for "Best Single of the Year", for ''Time to Say Goodbye'', in 1997.

ECHO Klassik "Best seller of the year" award for his album, ''Viaggio Italiano'' in 1997.

Bambi Award in 1997.

Two World Music Awards, one in the category "Best Italian Singer", and one for "Best Classical Interpretation" in 1998.

ECHO Klassik, for "Best selling classical album" with ''Aria - The Opera Album'' in 1998.

ECHO Klassik for "Bestseller of the year" for ''Sacred Arias'' in 2000.

Two 2000 Classical BRIT Awards for "Best selling classical album" and "Album of the year" for ''Sacred Arias'' in 2000.

Goldene Europa for classical music in 2000.

Goldene Kamera award in the "Music & Entertainment" category 2002.

Two World Music Awards, for "World best selling classical artist" and for "Best selling Italian artist" in 2002.

Telegatto award for the soundtrack of the series ''Cuore'' in 2002.

2002 Classical BRIT Award for "Outstanding Contribution to Music" in 2002.

Two 2003 Classical BRIT Awards for "Best selling classical album" and "Album of the year" for ''Sentimento'' in 2003.

Two World Music Awards for "Best Italian Artist" and "World's Best-selling Classical Artist" in 2006.

Telegatto award in platinum for ''Italian music in the world'' in 2008.

World Music Awards for "World's Best-selling Classical Artist" in 2010.

Personal life

Bocelli met his first wife, Enrica Cenzatti, while singing at piano bars early in his career. They were married on 27 June 1992, and had two children. Their first child, Amos, was born in February 1995. Their second son, Matteo was born in October 1997. The couple separated in 2002. Although not yet divorced, Bocelli lives with his girlfriend and manager, Veronica Berti. They met in 2002.

The couple live in a spacious villa, which used to be a hotel, in Forte dei Marmi on the Mediterranean, complete with recording studio. Meanwhile, Bocelli's estranged wife and two sons live in the couple's previous residence in the same comune, in Versilia.

On 30 April 2000, Bocelli's father, Sandro Bocelli, died. His mother encouraged him to honour his commitments, and so he sang for the Pope, in Rome, on May 1, and immediately returned home for the funeral. At his July 5 performance, filmed for PBS as ''American Dream—Andrea Bocelli's Statue of Liberty Concert'', Bocelli dedicated the encore ''Sogno'' (Dream), from his 1999 album ''Sogno'', to the memory of his father.

A section of the way along the beach in Jesolo, on the Italian Adriatic coast, was named after Bocelli on 11 August 2003.

Teatro del Silenzio

In 2006, Bocelli influenced the municipality of his hometown Lajatico to build an outdoor theatre, the "Teatro del Silenzio". Bocelli serves as its honorary president and performs for one night only, every July, the rest of the year, the theatre remains silent.

Since the opening in 2006, Bocelli has held 5 concerts, in every July, with guests ranging from opera singers Plácido Domingo and José Carreras to classical crossover artists Sarah Brightman and Katherine Jenkins, as well as Italian rock and pop stars Zucchero, Laura Pausini, and Elisa. Bocelli's guests have also included instrumentalists Lang Lang, Chris Botti, and Kenny G. The 2007 edition of the "Teatro del Silenzio" was released on ''DVD'' in 2008.

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

1994: ''Il Mare Calmo della Sera''

1995: ''Bocelli''

1996/1997: ''Viaggio Italiano''

1997: ''Aria – the opera album''

1999: ''Sogno''

1999: ''Sacred Arias''

2000: ''Verdi''

2001: ''Cieli di Toscana''

2002: ''Sentimento''

2004: ''Andrea''

2006: ''Amore''

2008: ''Incanto''

2009: ''My Christmas''

Compilation albums

1997: ''Romanza''

2007: ''The Best of Andrea Bocelli: Vivere''

Collaborative albums

1997: ''A Hymn for the World''

1998: ''A Hymn for the World 2'' (''Voices From Heaven'')

2000: ''Verdi's Requiem''

2010: ''Carmen: Duets & Arias''

Complete opera recordings

2000: ''La bohème''

2003: ''Tosca''

2004: ''Il trovatore''

2005: ''Werther''

2006: ''Pagliacci''

2007: ''Cavalleria rusticana''

2008/2010: ''Carmen''

2010: ''Andrea Chénier''

Digital albums

2011: ''Notte Illuminata''

Singles

Duet singles

1995: "Vivo per lei" (with Giorgia)

1996: "Vivo por ella" (with Marta Sánchez)

1996: "Vivo por ella" (with Sandy Leah)

1996: "Time to Say Goodbye" (with Sarah Brightman)

1997: "Ich lebe für sie" (with Judy Weiss)

1997: "Je vis pour elle" (with Helene Segara)

1999: "The Prayer" (with Celine Dion)

2001: "L'Abitudine" (with Helena Hellwig)

2006: "Somos Novios (It's Impossible)" (with Christina Aguilera)

2006: "Because we believe" (with Marco Borsato)

2006: "Ama credi e vai" (with Gianna Nannini)

2007: "Dare to live" (with Laura Pausini)

2008: "Vive Ya" (with Laura Pausini)

2009: "What Child Is This" (with Mary J. Blige)

2010: "Bridge over Troubled Water" (with Mary J. Blige)

Solo singles

1994: "Il mare calmo della sera"

1995: "Con te partirò"/"Vivere"

1995: "Macchine da guerra"

1995: "Per amore"

1999: "Ave Maria"

1999: "Canto della Terra"

2001: "Melodramma"

2001: "Mille Lune Mille Onde"

2004: "Dell'amore non si sa"

2004: "Un nuovo giorno"

2009: "White Christmas/Bianco Natale"

Live albums & videos

1998: ''A Night in Tuscany''

2000: ''Sacred Arias: The Home Video''

2002: ''Tuscan Skies (Cieli di Toscana)''

2006: ''Credo: John Paul II''

2006: ''Under the Desert Sky''

2008: ''Vivere Live in Tuscany''

2008: '' Incanto The Documentary''

2009: ''My Christmas Special''

Bibliography

2000: ''The Music of Silence: A Memoir'' (''La musica del silenzio'') - Autobiography

2010: ''The Music of Silence: A Memoir'' - Reworked autobiography

See also

Teatro del Silenzio

Andrea Bocelli discography

List of Popera artists

List of Easy Listening artists

List of Adult Contemporary artists

List of awards and nominations received by Andrea Bocelli

List of best-selling music artists

References

External links

Bocelli's official site

Official German fan site (English version)

Bocelli Community

Official forum

Bocelli on Myspace.com

Bocelli on Facebook.com

Bocelli on Youtube.com

Bocelli on discogs.com

Biography of Andrea Bocelli, from RAI International

Bocelli pages at Music City

Andrea Bocelli on Universal Classics and Jazz Website

Andrea Bocelli section on classicalx.com

C Music TV Profile of Andrea Bocelli

Bocelli lyrics

classical-crossover tenor

Category:1958 births Category:Blind musicians Category:BRIT Award winners Category:Converts to Roman Catholicism from atheism or agnosticism Category:Crooners Category:Decca Records artists Category:French-language singers Category:English-language singers Category:German-language singers Category:Italian drummers Category:Italian flautists Category:Italian guitarists Category:Italian harpists Category:Italian keyboardists Category:Italian lawyers Category:Italian-language singers Category:Italian male singers Category:Italian opera singers Category:Italian philanthropists Category:Italian pianists Category:Italian pop singers Category:Italian Roman Catholics Category:Italian saxophonists Category:Italian singers Category:Italian singer-songwriters Category:Italian tenors Category:Italian trombonists Category:Italian trumpeters Category:Living people Category:Multi-instrumentalists Category:Opera crossover singers Category:Operatic tenors Category:People from the Province of Pisa Category:Portuguese-language singers Category:Sanremo Music Festival winners Category:Spanish-language singers Category:Torch singers Category:Traditional pop music singers Category:Universal Music Group artists Category:University of Pisa alumni Category:World Music Awards winners

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Name	Mary J. Blige
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Mary Jane Blige
Born	January 11, 1971 The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Origin	Yonkers, New York
Instrument	Vocals
Genre	R&B;, soul, gospel, pop hip hop, hip hop soul
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, Rapper, record producer, actress, and Philanthropists
Years active	1989–present
Label	Uptown / MCA (1989–1996)MCA (1997–2002)Matriarch / Geffen (2003—present )
Website	}}

Mary Jane Blige (; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. A recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, Blige has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B;. Blige has received the World Music Legends Award for combining hip hop and soul in the early 1990s. She was ranked number 100 in the list of 100 greatest singers of all time by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine.

Blige started her musical career in 1992, releasing her multi-platinum US selling debut album, ''What's the 411?'' on MCA Records and Uptown. ''What's the 411?'' gave Blige her first Billboard 200 top ten album, which has continued since the release of her debut album until her latest album, ''Stronger with Each Tear'' (2009), which became Blige's seventh consecutive album to debut at number one or number two on the Billboard 200. As of 2010, Blige has sold over 50 million albums and 15 million singles worldwide.

Early life

Blige was born in the Bronx, New York. She is the second of four children born to parents Cora, a nurse, and Thomas Blige, a jazz musician. Blige's mother was an avid fan of R&B;/Soul music and constantly spun Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Patti Labelle, Chaka Khan, and Jean Carne records when Blige was a child. These artists had a profound impact on Mary J. Blige at a very young age. Blige was taught to sing by her father. When Blige was four, her father abandoned the family. At the age of five, Blige was molested by a family friend.

Blige spent her early years in Richmond Hill, Georgia, where she sang in a Pentecostal church. She later moved to Schlobohm Apartments in Yonkers, New York, where she lived with her mother, older sister, five cousins, and two aunts. She dropped out of Roosevelt High School in the eleventh grade.

At the age of 17, Blige recorded an impromptu cover of Anita Baker's "Caught Up In the Rapture" at a recording booth in the Galleria Mall in White Plains, New York. Her mother's boyfriend at the time later played the cassette for Jeff Redd, a recording artist and A&R; runner for Uptown Records. Redd sent it to the president and CEO of the label, Andre Harrell. Harrell met with Blige and in 1989 she was signed to the label, becoming the company's youngest and first female artist.

Blige's early years consisted of session work as a background vocalist for the likes of Jeff Reed, who introduced her during a live performance at the Apollo Theater. A year later, she sung the hook on Father MC's hit "I'll Do 4 U" and was prominently featured at the end of the video singing.

Blige sang with K.C. from K.C. and Jojo and endured domestic violence. They both were damaged by drugs, abuse, and violence. Their relationship off stage eventually caused the on stage chemistry to die down and ended their relationship. Mary's early years were full of depression and at times, made her feel suicidal.

Career

''What's the 411?'' (1992–1993)

Production for Blige's debut album began in 1992, with Sean "Puffy" Combs, who was at the time a 19-year-old A&R; executive at Uptown, selected as the executive producer of the project. When first introducing Mary J. Blige to Uptown Executives at a convention, Sean Combs originally nicknamed Blige the "Queen of Ghetto Love;" however, Andre Harrell, Combs's supervisor, found the name unsatisfactory and subsequently dubbed her the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul.

Establishing Blige's niche in R&B; became the paramount goal for Sean Combs. Given the fact that most female R&B; acts during that time were very glamorous and refined, Combs purposely molded Blige into the exact opposite so as to underscore her uniqueness and maintain her connection to her urban roots. From her fashion syle to her sound, Blige was completely different from most female artists in the early 1990s. Baseball caps, combat boots, and baggy clothes constituted her signature syle. In regards to her music, on July 28, 1992, Uptown Records released ''What's the 411?''. Blige's inaugural album ushered in a new era and genre of R&B; music. Blige's raw and gritty sound was utterly antithetical to that of pop icons Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Janet Jackson. Her East Coast hip hop, Northern Urban City-influenced sound became the blueprint for artists such as Faith Evans, Aaliyah, TLC, Destiny's Child, Monica, Ashanti, Pink, and Keyshia Cole.

"You Remind Me", the album's first single, peaked at number one on the R&B; singles chart that summer. The second single, "Real Love", was released in the fall. It too topped the R&B; singles chart, and became Blige's first top ten Hot 100 single, peaking at number seven. Both singles were certified gold for their sales volume. More ''What's the 411?'' singles followed into 1993, including "Sweet Thing", a cover of Rufus's "Sweet Thing", and "Love No Limit". By the end of the year, ''What's the 411?'' had sold three million copies. Blige, meanwhile, released a hip hop single "You Don't Have to Worry". After the success of ''What's the 411'', Sean "Puffy" Combs hailed the singer as "the queen of hip-hop soul". The name of her album, ''What's the 411?'' stems from her previous job as Directory Assistance operator. The album's success spun off ''What's the 411? Remix'', a remix album released in December that was used to extend the life of the ''What's the 411?'' singles on the radio into 1994, as Blige recorded her follow-up album. With combined sales of over 5 million albums and singles from her debut album, Blige was the best selling female artist on the Uptown label.

''My Life'' (1994–1996)

On November 29, 1994, Uptown Records released Blige's second album, ''My Life'' which was again overseen by Combs who also produced more than 50% of the album along with Washington DC native Carl "Chucky" Thompson (despite his having recently left the label), who with Thompson co-produced all but one of the album's tracks, and took over as Blige's manager. Unlike ''What's the 411?'', Blige co-wrote a large body of the material, basing it on her personal life.

"Be Happy", the album's single, peaked at number 29 and number six on the Hot 100 and R&B; singles chart, respectively. In early 1995, it was followed up with a cover of Rose Royce's 1976 hit "I'm Goin' Down", which became her first top 20 hit in the UK, peaking at number 12. Other ''My Life'' singles include "You Bring Me Joy" and "I Love You". "Mary Jane (All Night Long)" and "My Life" received heavy radio play, despite never being officially released as singles apart from the UK, where "Mary Jane (All Night Long)" became Blige's second top 20 hit from the album there. ''My Life'' was eventually certified triple platinum. In spite of its success and her growing fame, Blige later admitted that she was simultaneously dealing with long time bouts of drug addiction, alcoholism, and depression, as well as an abusive relationship with then-boyfriend K-Ci Hailey of Jodeci. Blige involved herself in several outside projects, recording a cover of Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" for the soundtrack to the FOX series ''New York Undercover'', and "Everyday It Rains" (co-written by R&B; singer Faith Evans) for the soundtrack to the hip hop biopic, ''The Show''. That summer she dueted with rapper Method Man on his song, "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By" (which sampled Marvin Gaye's "You're All I Need to Get By", and for which she won a Grammy award.) Later in the year, she recorded the Babyface-penned and produced "Not Gon' Cry", for the soundtrack to the motion picture ''Waiting to Exhale''. The platinum-selling single rose to number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs in early 1996, and became her biggest commercial hit at the time. Blige won her first Grammy Award – 'Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group' for her collaboration with Method Man. ''My Life'' was also nominated for Best R&B; Album, but lost to TLC's CrazySexyCool.

In 1996, after winning her first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for the platinum selling certified single, "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need to Get By with Wu Tang Clan member Method Man, later that year, she appeared on another Wu-Tang Clan member, Ghostface Killah's single, "All That I Got Is You", for which she co-wrote, and sung the second verse of the song, which is Ghostface Killah's account of his early boyhood.

She was unavailable for the music video, and was replaced by a backing singer named Megan Powell at the last minute; her original vocals remained on Ghostface Killah's debut album, Ironman.

In December of that year, ''My Life'', was certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA.

''Share My World'' (1997–1998)

On April 22, 1997, MCA Records (parent company to Uptown Records, which was in the process of being dismantled) released Blige's third album, ''Share My World''. By now, she and Combs had dissolved their working relationship. In his place were the Trackmasters who executive produced the project along with Steve Stoute. Sharing production duties were producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, R. Kelly, Babyface and Rodney Jerkins.

The album was made at a time where Blige was trying to "get her life together", by trying to overcome drugs and alcohol, as well as the ending of her relationship with Hailey. After an encounter with a person who threatened her life the previous year, she tried to quit the unhealthy life style and make more upbeat, happier music. As a result, songs such as "Love Is All We Need" and "Share My World", were made.

''Share My World'' debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 and spawned five hit singles: "Love Is All We Need" (featuring Nas), "I Can Love You" (featuring Lil' Kim), "Everything", "Missing You" (UK only) and "Seven Days." (featuring George Benson) The album became Blige's most commercially successful; selling three million copies in the U.S.. In February 1997, Blige performed her hit at the time, "Not Gon' Cry" at the 1997 Grammy Awards, which gained her third Grammy Award nomination, her first for Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance, as Blige was recording the follow-up to ''My Life''.In early 1998, Blige won an American Music Award for "Favorite Soul/R&B; Album." That summer she embarked on the Share My World Tour, which resulted in a Gold-certified live album released later that year, simply titled ''The Tour''. The album spawned one single, "Misty Blue."

''Mary'' (1999–2000)

On August 17, 1999, Blige's fourth album, titled ''Mary'' was released. It marked a departure from her more familiar hip hop-oriented sound; this set featured a more earthy, whimsical, and adult contemporary-tinged collection of songs, reminiscent of 1970s to early 1980s soul.

On December 14, 1999, the album was re-released as a double-disc set. The second disc was enhanced with the music videos for the singles "All That I Can Say" and "Deep Inside" and included two bonus tracks: "Sincerity" (featuring Nas, Andy Hogan and DMX) and "Confrontation" (a collaboration with hip hop duo Funkmaster Flex & Big Kap originally from their 1999 album ''The Tunnel''). The ''Mary'' album was critically praised, becoming her most nominated release to date, and was certified double platinum (selling over two million in sales.) It was not as commercially successful as Blige's prior releases, though all of the singles: "All That I Can Say", "Deep Inside", "Your Child", and "Give Me You" performed considerably on radio. In the meantime, MCA used the album to expand Blige's demographic into the nightclub market, as club-friendly dance remixes of the ''Mary'' singles were released. The club remix of "Your Child" peaked at number-one on the ''Billboard's'' Hot Dance Club Play chart in October 2000.

In 2001, a Japan-only compilation, ''Ballads'', was released. The album featured covers of Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed", and previous recordings of Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and Dorothy Moore's "Misty Blue".

''No More Drama'' (2001–2002)

On August 28, 2001, MCA released Blige's fifth studio album, ''No More Drama''. The album's first single, "Family Affair" (produced by Dr. Dre) became her first number-one single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, where it remained for six consecutive weeks. It was followed by two further hit singles, the European only single "Dance for Me" featuring Common and the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-produced title track (originally recorded for the ''Mary'' album), which sampled "Nadia's Theme", the piano-driven theme song to the daytime drama ''The Young and the Restless''.

Though the album sold nearly two million copies in the U.S., MCA was underwhelmed by its sales, and subsequently repackaged and re-released the album on January 29, 2002. The ''No More Drama'' re-release featured a new album cover, deleted three of the songs from the original track listing, while adding two brand-new songs—one of which was the fourth single and top twenty Hot 100 hit "Rainy Dayz", (featuring Ja Rule), plus two remixes; one of the title track, serviced by Puff Daddy and the single version of "Dance for Me" featuring Common. The album sold another million-plus units (3.2 million in total) in the U.S. and seven million worldwide. Blige won a Grammy for 'Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance' for the song "He Think I Don't Know." In April 2002, Blige performed with Shakira with the song "Love Is a Battlefield" on VH1 Divas show live in Las Vegas, she also performed "No More Drama" and "Rainy Dayz" as a duet with the returning Whitney Houston.

On July 22, 2002, MCA released ''Dance for Me'', a collection of club remixes of some of her past top hits including the Junior Vasquez remix of "Your Child", and the Thunderpuss mix of "No More Drama." This album was released in a limited edition double pack 12" vinyl for DJ-friendly play in nightclubs.

''Love & Life'' (2003–2004)

On August 26, 2003, Blige's sixth album ''Love & Life'' was released on Geffen Records (which had absorbed MCA Records.) Blige heavily collaborated with her one-time producer Sean Combs for this set. Due to the history between them on ''What's the 411?'' and ''My Life'', which is generally regarded as their best work, and Blige having just come off of a successful fifth album, expectations were high for the reunion effort.

Despite the album debuting at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 and becoming Blige's fourth consecutive UK top ten album, ''Love & Life'''s lead-off single, the Diddy-produced "Love @ 1st Sight", which featured Method Man, barely cracked the top ten on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs, while altogether missing the top twenty on the Hot 100 (although peaking inside the UK top twenty). The following singles, "Ooh!", "Not Today" featuring Eve, "Whenever I Say Your Name"featuring Sting on the international re-release, and "It's a Wrap" fared worse. Although the album was certified platinum, it became Blige's lowest-selling to date. Critics and fans alike largely panned the disc, citing a lack of consistency and noticeable ploys to recapture the early Blige/Combs glory. Blige and Combs reportedly struggled and clashed during the making of this album, and again parted ways upon the completion of it.

The album became Blige's first album in six years to debut at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 285,298 copies in first week.

''Love & Life'' received mixed reviews from music critics. ''Allmusic'' gave it 4 stars and said the album "beamed with joy" and ''Rolling Stone'' gave it three stars, saying "You may not always love Blige's music, but you will feel her".

The album was eventually certified Platinum by the RIAA. To date the album has sold over 1,000,000 copies in the U.S. and over 2,000,000 copies worldwide. The album was nominated for the Best Contemporary R&B; Album at the 46th Grammy Awards.

''The Breakthrough'' and ''Reflections – A Retrospective'' (2005–2006)

Geffen Records released Blige's seventh studio album, ''The Breakthrough'' on December 20, 2005. For the album, Blige collaborated with J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Rodney Jerkins, will.i.am, Bryan Michael Cox, 9th Wonder, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Raphael Saadiq, Cool and Dre, and Dre & Vidal. The cover art was photographed by Markus Klinko & Indrani. It debuted at number one on both the ''Billboard'' 200 and Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Selling 727,000 copies in its first week, it became the biggest first-week sales for an R&B; solo female artist in SoundScan history, the fifth largest first-week sales for a female artist, and the fourth largest debut of 2005. Since its release, ''The Breakthrough'' has sold over three million copies in the U.S and over seven million copies worldwide, becoming one of the five best-selling albums of 2006.

The lead-off single, "Be Without You", peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, while peaking at number one on the R&B; chart for a record-setting fifteen consecutive weeks; it remained on the chart for over sixteen months. "Be Without You" found success in the UK (peaking in the lower end of the top forty) it became Blige's longest charting single on the UK Singles Chart. It is her second longest charting single to date. The album produced three more singles including two more top five R&B; hits—"Enough Cryin'", which features Blige's alter ego Brook-Lynn (as whom she appeared on the remix to Busta Rhymes's "Touch It" in 2006); and "Take Me as I Am" (which samples Lonnie Liston Smith's "A Garden of Peace"). Blige's duet with U2 on the cover of their 1992 hit, "One" gave Blige her biggest hit to date in the UK, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart eventually being certified one of the forty highest-selling singles of 2006; it was her longest charting UK single. The success of ''The Breakthrough'' won Blige nine ''Billboard'' Music Awards, two American Music Awards, two BET Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, and a Soul Train Award. She received eight Grammy Award nominations at the 2007 Grammy Awards, the most of any artist that year. "Be Without You" was nominated for both "Record of the Year" and "Song of the Year". Blige won three: "Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance", "Best R&B; Song" (both for "Be Without You"), and "Best R&B; Album" for ''The Breakthrough''. Blige completed a season sweep of the "big three" major music awards, having won the American Music Awards in November 2006, the Billboard Music Awards in December 2006, and the Grammy Awards in February 2007.

In December 2006, a compilation called ''Reflections - A Retrospective'' was released. It contained many of Blige's greatest hits and four new songs, including the worldwide lead single "We Ride (I See the Future)". In the UK, however, "MJB da MVP" (which appeared in a different, shorter form on ''The Breakthrough'') was released as the lead single from the collection. The album peaked at number nine in the U.S, selling over 170,000 copies in its first week, while reaching number forty in the UK. It has sold more than 1.6 million copies. In 2006, Blige recorded a duet with rapper Ludacris, "Runaway Love", which is the third single on his fifth album, ''Release Therapy''. It reached the top five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the R&B; chart. Blige was featured with Aretha Franklin and The Harlem Boys Choir on the soundtrack to the 2006 motion picture ''Bobby'', on the lead track "Never Gonna Break My Faith". The song was nominated for a Golden Globe and won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.

''Growing Pains'' (2007–2008)

Blige's eighth studio album, ''Growing Pains'', was released on December 18, 2007, debuting at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 and at number one on the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It sold 629,000 copies in its first week, marking the third time since Nielsen SoundScan began collecting data in 1991 that two albums sold more than 600,000 copies in a week in the United States. In its second week, the album climbed to number one, making it Blige's fourth number-one album. The lead single, "Just Fine", peaked at number twenty-two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and at number three on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart. "Just Fine" was nominated for the Grammy Award for "Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance", and Blige won "Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" for the Chaka Khan duet "Disrespectful" (featured on Khan's album ''Funk This'') which Blige wrote.

''Growing Pains'' was not released in the UK until February 2008, where it became Blige's fifth top ten and third-highest charting album.''The Breakthrough'' and ''Reflections (A Retrospective)'' were released in the Christmas rush and therefore settled for lower peaks, although both selling more than her top five album ''Mary''. "''Just Fine''" returned Blige to the UK singles chart top 20 after her previous two singles failed to chart highly. Subsequent singles from ''Growing Pains'' include "Work That", which accompanied Blige in an iTunes commercial, and "Stay Down".

Blige was featured on 50 Cent's 2007 album, ''Curtis'', in the song "All of Me". In March 2008, she toured with Jay-Z in the Heart of the City Tour. They released a song called "You're Welcome". In the same period, cable network BET aired a special on Blige entitled ''The Evolution of Mary J. Blige'', which showcased her career. Celebrities such as Method Man and Ashanti gave their opinions about Blige and her music. Blige is featured on singles by Big Boi, and Musiq Soulchild.

''Growing Pains'' was nominated for and won the Grammy Award for "Best Contemporary R&B; Album", at the 51st Grammy Awards held on February 8, 2009, earning Blige her 27th Grammy nomination, in a mere decade.

Blige went on the Growing Pains European Tour, her first tour there in two years. A tour of Australia and New Zealand was scheduled for June but was postponed due to "weariness from an overwhelming tour schedule" and then eventually canceled entirely.

On August 7, 2008, it was revealed Blige faced a US$2 million federal suit claiming Neff-U wrote the music for the song "Work That", but was owned by Dream Family Entertainment. The filing claimed that Dream Family never gave rights to use the song to Blige, Feemster or Geffen Records. Rights to the lyrics of the song used in an iPod commercial are not in question.

''Stronger with Each Tear'' (2009–2010)

Blige returned to performing in January 2009 by performing the song "Lean on Me" at the Presidential Inauguration Committee's, "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial". Blige also performed her hit 2007 single, "Just Fine", with a new intro at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball after Barack Obama was sworn in on January 20, 2009. Blige appeared as a marquee performer on the annual ''Christmas in Washington'' television special.

Blige's ninth studio album, ''Stronger with Each Tear'', was released on December 21, 2009, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 and at number one on the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 332,000 units in its first week of release. It became her fifth album not to take the top spot in the United States.

The lead single, "The One", which features Canadian rapper Drake, was released for airplay in June 2009, and was officially and digitally released in July 2009, peaking at number sixty-three on the Hot 100. Blige recorded "Stronger", as the lead single from the soundtrack to the basketball documentary "More Than a Game" in August 2009. The second single from ''Stronger with Each Tear'', "I Am", was released in December 2009 and reached number fifty-five on the Hot 100. The third international single from the album, "Each Tear", was remixed with different featured artists from different countries, then being released in February 2010. The single failed to chart anywhere except in the UK where it reached number one-hundred-eighty-three and in Italy where it reached number one. The album's third U.S. single, "We Got Hood Love" featuring Trey Songz, was released in March 2010 and reached number twenty-five on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Singles chart though it failed to reach the Hot 100. One of Blige's representatives reported to US Weekly magazine that a tour in support of ''Stronger with Each Tear'' will begin in the fall of 2010. On March 2010, Blige released ''Stronger with Each Tear'' in the United Kingdom, as well as in the European markets. The album performed modestly in the United Kingdom, debuting at number thirty-three on the UK Albums Chart and at number four on the UK R&B; Chart. It reached the top 100 in other countries.

Blige was honored at the 2009 BET Honors Ceremony and was paid tribute by Anita Baker and Monica. On November 4, 2009, Blige sang ''The Star-Spangled Banner'' at Yankee Stadium before the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies played the last game (game 6) of the World Series. Blige performed two songs from her ninth album as well as her previous hits, "No More Drama" and "Be Without You" along with the song "Color", which was featured on the ''Precious'' soundtrack. Blige appeared as a guest judge on the ninth season of American Idol on January 13, 2010.

On January 23, 2010, Blige released a track "Hard Times Come Again No More" with The Roots as well as performing it at the Hope for Haiti Now telethon. At the 2010 Grammy Awards, Blige and Andrea Bocelli performed Bridge Over Troubled Water. Blige also performed on BET's SOS Help For Haiti, singing "Gonna Make It" with Jazmine Sullivan and "One." Blige also took part in February 2010's We Are the World 25 for Haiti, singing the solo originally sung by Tina Turner in the original 1985 We Are The World version. At the 41st NAACP Image Awards Blige won Outstanding Female Artist and Outstanding Album for ''Stronger with Each Tear''. On November 18, 2010, Billboard revealed Mary J. Blige as the most successful female R&B;/Hip Hop Artist on the Top 50 R&B;/Hip Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years list. Mary came in at number 2 overall.

''My Life II, The Journey Continues'' (2011–present)

On January 4, 2011 on Hot 97, Angie Martinez premiered a new version of Diddy-Dirty Money's "Someone to Love Me". The remix, titled "Someone to Love Me (Naked)", features new vocals from Blige and Lil Wayne. The song was released as an iTunes digital download single on March 29, 2011 and serves as a teaser until the official first single from the album. The video for the song was directed by Colin Tilley. The video premiered online via Vevo on April 4, 2011 and made their television debut on April 5, 2011 following BET’s “The Game.”

Rolling Stone revealed the tracks likely to make the final cut of Mary's tenth studio album are the Jerry Wonder-produced "Feel Inside" and "Beautiful Scars," a ballad by Diane Warren. Also describing the album as retro with lots of live instrumentation and soul samples. Mary has also teamed back up for production from long time collaboraters Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Babyface. MTV.com revealed that the album titled ''My Life II, The Journey Continues'', will be released September 3, 2011. The LP, recorded in Los Angeles and New York City, sees Mary looking toward the future while acknowledging the past. ''“From me to you, My Life II… Our journey together continues in this life,”'' explained Mary. ''“It’s a gift to be able to relate and identify with my fans at all times. This album is a reflection of the times and lives of people all around me.”'' The album will aso feature production from Kanye West and The Underdogs.

Mary was awarded Outstanding Female Artist at the 42nd NAACP Image Awards.

On June 26, 2011 Mary J. Blige performed a new single called It Ain't Over Till It's Over with Jadakiss and DJ Khaled at the BET Awards 2011. It will be on We the Best Forever

On July 5, 2011, Mary released the song The Living Proof as the lead single to the soundtrack of the film The Help. On July 24, VH1 premiered their third Behind the Music on Mary that profiled Mary's personal and career life.

Acting career

In 1998, Blige made her acting debut on the sitcom ''The Jamie Foxx Show'' playing a character, the apparently southern Ola Mae; a preacher's daughter who wanted to sing more than gospel music. Her father was portrayed by Ronald Isley of The Isley Brothers. In 2001, Blige starred opposite rapper Q-Tip in the independent film ''Prison Song''. That same year, Blige made a cameo on the Lifetime network series, ''Strong Medicine''; playing the role of Simone Fellows. Blige's character was the lead singer of a band who was sick, but would not seek treatment. In 2000, Blige was featured in a superhero web cartoon in junction with Stan Lee. Blige used the cartoon as part of her performance while on her 2000 Mary Show Tour. In 2004, Blige starred in an Off-Broadway play, ''The Exonerated''. The play chronicled the experiences of death row inmates. Blige portrayed Sunny Jacobs, a woman who spent 20 years in prison for a crime she did not commit. In late 2005, it was reported that Blige landed the starring role in the upcoming MTV Films biopic on American singer/pianist Nina Simone. According to IMDB.com the film will be released in 2012.

In February 2007, Blige guest-starred on ''Ghost Whisperer'', in an episode called "Mean Ghost", as the character Jackie Boyd, the school's cheer leader coach grieving for the death of her brother and affected by the ghost of a dead cheerleader. The episode features many of Blige's songs. In August 2007, Blige was a guest star on ''Entourage'', in the role of herself, as a client of Ari Gold's agency. In October 2007, Blige was also a guest star on ''America's Next Top Model'', as a creative director for a photo shoot by Matthew Rolston. In May 2009, Mary made a guest appearance on ''30 Rock'', as an artist recording a benefit song for a kidney. Blige also had a supporting role in Tyler Perry's Movie ''I Can Do Bad All By Myself'', which was released in September 2009.

As of March 2011, Blige has signed on to star alongside Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough, and Alec Baldwin in the film adaptation of the 80s jukebox hit musical 'Rock of Ages.' Blige will play Justice Charlier, the owner of a Sunset Strip gentlemen's club, when production begins in May 2011.

Business ventures

In 2004 Blige launched her own record label, Matriarch Records, distributed through Interscope.

In July 2010, Blige launched her first perfume, My Life (through Carol's Daughter), exclusively on HSN. The fragrance's unprecedented success broke sales records in hours and has been awarded two prestigious FIFI awards from the Fragrance Foundation. The newest fragrance, My Life Blossom launched in August, 2011 exclusively to HSN.

In October 2010 Blige released a line of sunglasses called "Melodies by MJB". The first Melodies collection featured four styles with a total of 20 color options. Each style represented a specific facet of Blige’s life. Essence magazine reported that in the spring of 2011, "Melodies by MJB" extended their collection to offer more styles.

Blige's production company, along with William Morris Endeavor is also working on several TV and film projects.

Blige has had endorsement contracts with Reebok, Air Jordan, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Gap, Target, American Express, AT&T;, M·A·C, Apple Inc. and Chevrolet. She has also been a spokesperson with Carol's Daughter beauty products and Citibank's with Nickelback program.

Personal life

During the early 1990s, Blige dated singer K-Ci from Jodeci. The affair ended in 1997. Blige also briefly dated rapper Nas. In 2000, Blige met record industry executive Martin Kendu Isaacs (known as "Kendu") who became her manager. The two were married on December 7, 2003, in a small private ceremony at Blige's home attended by 50 guests.

Blige earned her GED in 2010.

Blige has been a resident of Cresskill, New Jersey.

Philanthropy

In 2001, Mary performed "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me" for the Red Hot Organization's compilation album ''Red Hot + Indigo'', a tribute to Duke Ellington, which raised money for various charities devoted to increasing AIDS awareness and fighting the disease

On May 9, 2008, The Mary J. Blige and Steve Stoute Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now, Inc. (FFAWN) was inaugurated at Roosevelt High School in Yonkers, New York. FFAWN's purpose is to inspire women "to reach their individual potential". The foundation offers scholarships and programs whose aim is to foster self-esteem and career development. The Mary J. Blige Center for Women has opened in Yonkers.

In 2008, Mary teamed up with Carol's Daughter executive Lisa Price to make a perfume which would be called "My Life". On July 31, 2010, Mary J. Blige was on 6 live televised Home Shopping Network specials to promote and sell her perfume. On that day, "My Life" sold a record breaking 60,000 + units. Her perfume was the first to sell over 60,000 bottles in one day on HSN. Also $1 from each purchase was donated to FFAWN her foundation for women to send more women to college.

Discography

1992: ''What's the 411?''

1994: ''My Life''

1997: ''Share My World''

1999: ''Mary''

2001: ''No More Drama''

2003: ''Love & Life''

2005: ''The Breakthrough''

2007: ''Growing Pains''

2009: ''Stronger with Each Tear

2011: ''My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act I)''

Awards

American Music Awards

ASCAP Awards

BET Awards

Billboard Awards

Golden Globe Awards

Grammy Awards

Lady of Soul Awards

MTV Europe Music Awards

MTV Video Music Awards

NAACP Awards

Satellite Awards

Soul Train Music Awards

Source Awards

Vibe Awards

World Music Awards

Tours

Share My World Tour (1998)

The Mary Show Tour (2000)

No More Drama Tour (2002)

Love & Life Tour (2004)

The Breakthrough Experience Tour (2006)

Heart of the City Tour (with Jay-Z) (2008)

Growing Pains European Tour (2008)

Love Soul Tour (2008)

Music Saved My Life Tour (2010–11)

Filmography

''Angel: One More Road to Cross'' ''Ghost Whisperer'' I Can Do Bad All By Myself (film) ''American Idol'' ''Rock of Ages (2012 film)

colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"	Film
Year	Film & Television	Role	! Notes
1998	''The Jamie Foxx Show''	Ola Mae
rowspan=3>2001	|	Guardian Angel	Direct to DVD
''Prison Song''	Mrs. Butler
''Strong Medicine''	Simone Fellows
rowspan=2	2007	|	Jackie Boyd	"Mean Ghost" (episode 15, season 2)
''Entourage (TV series)	Entourage''	Herself
rowspan=2	2009	''I Can Do Bad All By Myself'' ||	Tanya	Supporting Role
''30 Rock''	Herself
2010	|	Guest judge/Herself	Auditions were held in Atlanta, Georgia at the Georgia Dome when Blige guest judged.
2012	Rock of Ages'' ||	Justice Charlier

See also

List of best-selling music artists

List of honorific titles in popular music

References

External links

Official website

Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:American songwriters Category:Actors from New York City Category:African American actors Category:American record producers Category:African American record producers Category:African American female singer-songwriters Category:American hip hop musicians Category:American mezzo-sopranos Category:African American singer-songwriters Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Category:American soul singers Category:American television actors Category:English-language singers Category:Geffen Records artists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:MCA Records artists Category:Musicians from New York City Category:People from Cresskill, New Jersey Category:People from the Bronx Category:People from Yonkers, New York Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:People self-identifying as substance abusers Category:Rappers from New York City

cs:Mary J. Blige da:Mary J. Blige de:Mary J. Blige es:Mary J. Blige fr:Mary J. Blige ko:메리 제이 블라이즈 id:Mary J. Blige it:Mary J. Blige he:מרי ג'יי בלייג' hu:Mary J. Blige nl:Mary J. Blige ja:メアリー・J. ブライジ pl:Mary Jane Blige pt:Mary J. Blige ru:Блайдж, Мэри Джей simple:Mary J. Blige fi:Mary J. Blige sv:Mary J. Blige th:แมรี เจ. ไบลจ์ tr:Mary J. Blige yo:Mary J. Blige zh:玛丽·布莱姬 vi:Mary J. Blige

name	Josh Groban
background	solo_singer
birth name	Joshua Winslow Groban
born	February 27, 1981Los Angeles, California, U.S.
instrument	Vocals, piano, drums, percussion, flute
genre	Easy listening, pop, vocal, operatic pop, pop rock
occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, actor, record producer
years active	1997–present
label	143, Reprise
website	}}

Joshua Winslow "Josh" Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. His four solo albums have been certified at least multi-platinum, and in 2007, he was charted as the number-one best selling artist in the United States with over 21 million records in this country. To date, he has sold over 24 million albums worldwide.

Groban originally studied acting, but as his voice changed, it developed into a "significant instrument". The event that changed Groban's life was when his vocal coach, Seth Riggs, submitted a tape of Josh singing "All I Ask of You", from ''The Phantom of the Opera'', to Riggs' friend, renowned producer, composer and arranger David Foster. Foster called him to stand in for an ailing Andrea Bocelli to rehearse a duet, "The Prayer," with Celine Dion at the rehearsal for the Grammy Awards in 1998. Groban, being shy, reluctantly agreed. Rosie O'Donnell was so impressed that she immediately invited him to appear on her daytime talk show. He got another big break when Foster asked him to sing at the California Governor's Gray Davis' 1999 inauguration. His name and career soared with the public recognition he received, after being cast on ''Ally McBeal'' by the show's creator, David E. Kelley, who asked him to perform "You're Still You" for the show's 2001 season finale.

Early life and education

Groban was born in Los Angeles to Lindy, a school teacher and full time mother, and Jack Groban, a businessman. His father is of Jewish background and a descendant of Russian and Polish immigrants. His mother is Norwegian American, the daughter of immigrants from the eastern Norwegian district of Toten. His parents joined the Episcopal Church after his father's conversion from Judaism to Christianity. Chris, his younger brother, shares the same birthday, four years later.

Groban debuted as a singer in the seventh grade. His music teacher chose him to sing a solo of "S'wonderful" at the school's Cabaret Night, where he sang alone on stage for the first time. At this time, he was more focused on theatrical arts. He transferred from a traditional school to Bridges Academy because, he explains, "I didn't feel that I was getting enough creative input. So I went to Bridges Academy to get my grades up to straight A's." There he was permitted to take regular classes from 9 AM to 1 PM, and attend theater classes in the afternoon. In the summers of 1997 and 1998, he also attended the Interlochen Center for the Arts Camp in Michigan, majoring in music theatre, and began taking vocal lessons. Groban went on to attend the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts as a theatre major and graduated in 1999. He was admitted to Carnegie Mellon University, intending to study drama, but he left four months into his first semester. Offered a recording contract, he decided to pursue his singing career.

Career

Early career

In late 1998, the 17-year-old Groban was introduced by his vocal coach to Grammy-winning producer/arranger David Foster and future manager Brian Avnet. At the time Groban had no recording experience and was preparing to begin studying at Carnegie Institute of Technology. Groban worked for David Foster as a rehearsal singer on a series of high-profile events, including the January 1999 inauguration of Gray Davis as Governor of California and the 1999 Grammy Awards where — as a stand-in for Andrea Bocelli — he rehearsed Foster's "The Prayer" with Céline Dion. According to manager Avnet, Groban was very nervous about standing in for Bocelli and had to be talked into it, but his performance prompted the show hostess, Rosie O'Donnell, to ask him to appear on her show the following week, which then led to an appearance on the Ally McBeal show. David E. Kelley, creator of the television series ''Ally McBeal,'' created a character, Malcolm Wyatt, for Groban in the season finale aired in May 2001. The character of Malcolm Wyatt was so popular, prompting 8,000 emails from viewers, that Groban was asked to return the next season to reprise his role and perform "To Where You Are." Avnet claims this sequence of events effectively got Groban's career off the ground.

Groban was offered a recording contract at Warner Bros. Records through Foster's 143 Records imprint. Avnet told HitQuarters that Warner initially proved resistant to the deal because "They were afraid they wouldn’t be able to get a voice like that on radio." Explaining his reasons for signing the artist, Foster said: "I love his natural ability in the pop and rock arena, but I love his sense of classics even more. He's a true musical force to be reckoned with." Under Foster's influence, Groban's first album focused more on classics such as "Gira Con Me Questa Notte" and "Alla Luce Del Sole."

Groban performed "There For Me" with Sarah Brightman on her 2000–01 ''La Luna World Tour'', and was featured on her "La Luna" concert DVD. He recorded "For Always" with Lara Fabian on the movie soundtrack to ''A.I.: Artificial Intelligence'' (2001). Groban performed in many benefit shows, including: "The Andre Agassi Grand Slam Event For Children," singing alongside Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Don Henley, and Robin Williams; "Muhammad Ali's Fight Night Foundation" which honored Michael J. Fox and others; "The Family Celebration" (2001), which was co-hosted by President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and David E. Kelley and his wife, Michelle Pfeiffer; and Michael Milken's CapCure event, which raises funds for cancer research.

The singer's self-titled debut album ''Josh Groban'' was released on November 20, 2001. Over the next year, it went from gold to double-platinum.

On February 24, 2002, Groban performed "The Prayer" with Charlotte Church at the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and by November, he had his own PBS special, "Josh Groban In Concert" (2002). In December 2002, he performed "To Where You Are" and sang "The Prayer" in a duet with Sissel Kyrkjebø at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway. He joined The Corrs, Ronan Keating, Sting, Lionel Richie, and others for a Christmas performance at the Vatican in Rome, Italy. In 2003, Groban performed at the David Foster concert for World Children's Day, singing "The Prayer" with Celine Dion and the finale song, "Aren't They All Our Children?" with artists including Yolanda Adams, Nick Carter, Enrique Iglesias, and Celine Dion.

Recent years

Groban's second album ''Closer'', produced and written by Foster, was released on November 11, 2003. Groban said that he believed that this second album was a better reflection of him, and that his audience would be able to get a better idea of his personality from listening to it. "What most people know about me, they know through my music. This time, I've tried to open that door as wide as possible. These songs are a giant step closer to who I really am and what my music is all about. Hence the title."

Two months after ''Closer'' was released, it rose on the ''Billboard'' charts from number 11 to number one. His cover of Brian Kennedy's "You Raise Me Up" became very popular on the adult contemporary charts. Groban also performed the song "Remember" (with Tanja Tzarovska) on the ''Troy'' soundtrack, "Believe" on the soundtrack to the 2004 animated film ''The Polar Express'', and a cover of Linkin Park's "My December".

In the summer of 2004, Groban returned to Interlochen, performing and discussing his earlier experiences with local residents and campers. On November 30, 2004, his second live DVD, ''Live At The Greek'', was released; it was also shown as a ''Great Performances'' special on PBS. Also in 2004 , Groban performed "Remember When It Rained," backed by a full orchestra, at the American Music Awards, where he was nominated for Favorite Male Artist in the pop category. Groban and his recordings were nominated for more than a dozen awards in 2004, including the American Music Award, a World Music Award, an Academy Award, and a Grammy.

Groban has appeared on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' six times, as well as on ''The Ellen Degeneres Show'', ''Larry King Live'', ''The Rosie O'Donnell Show'', ''Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'', ''The Jay Leno Show'', ''20/20'', ''Today'', Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Super Bowl XXXVIII, the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade, the Rockefeller Tree Lighting, and ''Glee''.

During the first week of September 2006, Groban's single entitled "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)" was released exclusively on AOL's First Listen. His third studio album ''Awake'' was officially released on November 7, 2006. Groban performed "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)" as well as two other tracks from ''Awake'' at his recording session for ''Live from Abbey Road'' at Abbey Road Studios on 26 October 2006. On that album, Groban also collaborated with British musician and songwriter Imogen Heap, on the single "Now or Never". He performed two tracks with the South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, "Lullaby" and "Weeping." Groban's "Awake" world tour visited 71 cities between February and August 2007, and travelled further to Australia and the Philippines with Lani Misalucha as his special guest in October 2007. He performed a duet with Barbra Streisand ("All I Know of Love") and with Mireille Mathieu ("Over the Rainbow"). As to his future, Groban is open to a plethora of possibilities. He said, "I am fortunate enough to have had many really big moments in my career. I think the mistake a lot of people in my position make is to always search for the next big thing. I am looking forward to playing some small theaters. I'm looking forward to writing more. I want to delve further into my acting career and explore some of the film and TV opportunities that I haven't had time for. My outlook is to expect the unexpected. And when the next step comes, I'm prepared to take it." Groban has also expressed an interest in performing on Broadway.

Groban has twice appeared on hit British TV Music Quiz show Never Mind The Buzzcocks. His first appearance was as a guest on Omid Djalili's team and the second appearance was as the host/quiz master of an episode.

2010–present

Groban finished his fifth studio album, entitled ''Illuminations'', and the album was released on November 15, 2010. Most of the songs on the album are about "specific situations that I've had where love has existed and ultimately failed," Groban told The New York Times, adding: "And other songs are about the quest, and it just not working out." Groban wrote 11 of the 13 songs on the album. The first single from the album, "Hidden Away," was made available for free download via Facebook on September 8. “For me to sit in a room with a piano in one take with some of Johnny Cash’s musicians — that was totally new for me.” Josh added. “and I think that excitement is on the record.” On October 12, a second single from the upcoming album, "Você Existe Em Mim", was made available on iTunes. This song is sung in Brazilian Portuguese and was written by Brazilian artist Carlinhos Brown. The Washington Post said: "Illuminations" is not a revelation, but it offers a perfectly fine, and often quite lovely, glimpse at a pop-classical crossover artist in the middle of crossing over." Josh plans on making one more record with Rubin. Beginning May 12, 2011, Groban is scheduled to embark on a worldwide tour entitled Straight to You Tour to promote ''Illuminations''.

On Tuesday, May 24, 2011, he appeared as a mystery guest star on the season 12 finale of Dancing With the Stars to surprise Petra Nemcova by singing "You Raise Me Up" to her dance. When she saw that it was he who was actually singing the song and not one of the usual performers, she momentarily was too stunned to continue dancing.

Film

In a comedy called ''Crazy, Stupid, Love.'', a film starring Emma Stone and Steve Carell, released on July 29, 2011, Groban played a character named Richard, a caddish and nerdy attorney. Recently, Groban has sung in a number of comedy sketches on afterhours programs, including Jimmy Kimmel Live, Late Show with David Letterman, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Television

Groban is going to guest appear in ''The Office'' in late 2011 as Andy Bernard's brother.

Notable performances

On April 14, 2007, Groban joined Idina Menzel for a PBS ''Soundstage'' taping. The next day, he held his own taping for the same PBS TV series at Lincoln Center's Rose Hall at Jazz in New York City.

In June 2007, Groban recorded a Christmas album in London with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Magdalen College Choir, which he discussed on the DVD from "The Making of ''Noël''". It was released on October 9, 2007, and is titled ''Noël''. The album has been highly successful in the US, breaking numerous records for a Christmas album, as well as becoming the best selling album of 2007 in only its tenth week of release, at sales of 3.6 million.

On July 1, 2007, Groban performed with Sarah Brightman at the ''Concert for Diana'' at Wembley Stadium; it was broadcast to over 500 million homes in 140 countries.

On February 10, 2008, Groban performed at the 2008 Grammy Awards with Andrea Bocelli in a tribute to Luciano Pavarotti.

On September 21, 2008, Groban performed a comical medley of well-known TV theme songs at the 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

In December 2008, Groban appeared on ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks''. He performed a duet with Only Men Aloud! at the Royal Variety Show at the London Palladium for the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.

On January 18, 2009, Groban performed as part of the Presidential Inauguration ceremonies, performing "My Country 'Tis of Thee" in duet with Heather Headley.

On January, 19. 2009, Groban performed with Herbie Hancock as part of Feeding America's Rally Against Hunger in Washington DC. The event was also attended by Martin Luther King III and actor Ben Affleck.

Two days later he made the first of two appearances on ''Glee'', playing himself. His second appearance was in the Season 1 finale Journey to Regionals.

At the 2010 BCS National Championship Game, he performed the ''Star Spangled Banner'' on Jan. 7, 2010, with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, at the historic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California.

On December 21, 2010, Groban returned to BBC Two's ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'', this time as guest host and ending the show duetting with Michael Ball in a version of "I Dreamed a Dream" from ''Les Miserables''.

On March 4, 2011, Groban filled in for Regis Philbin on Live with Regis and Kelly, where he interviewed Heather Locklear and LaToya Jackson and performed "Higher Window" from his latest CD "Illuminations".

Vocal technique

Various music critics have described Groban's voice in different ways, with some referring to him as a tenor and others as a baritone. In performance, Groban's music goes as low as G2 (as in the song "To Where You Are") and extends up to at least B♭4 (as heard in "You Raise Me Up" or to the B4 in "February Song"). This places his voice lower than the tenor range on the low end, and just short of Tenor C, and therefore above the baritone range, on the high end. There is currently no authoritative system of voice classification in non-classical music. The problem lies in the fact that classical terms are used to describe not merely various vocal ranges, but specific vocal timbres each unique to those respective ranges, and produced by the classical training techniques with which most popular singers are not intimately familiar and which are not universally employed by the few that are. In a 2002 ''New York Times'' article, Groban described himself as a "tenor in training".

Charity

Under the guidance of his mentor David Foster, Groban performed for many charity events that included VH1 Save the Music (2005), Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope (2005), Fifth Adopt-A-Annual Minefield concert (2005), 2nd Annual Grammy Jam (2005), Live 8 (2005), The Heart Foundation Gala (2005), and David Foster and Friends Charity Gala (2006). He also sang a solo on the recording of We Are The World 25 for Haiti (2010). Inspired by a visit with Nelson Mandela during a 2004 trip to South Africa, he established the Josh Groban Foundation to help children in need through education, healthcare and the arts. Mandela appointed Groban as an Official Ambassador for Mandela's Project 46664, a campaign to help raise Global awareness of HIV/AIDS in Africa. On April 25, 2007, Josh Groban performed with the African Children's Choir on ''American Idol'''s "Idol Gives Back" episode. Also on September 2, 2007, Groban donated $150,000 to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to fund music education. On February 28, 2008, he appeared in One Night Live at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada with Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan, Jann Arden and RyanDan in aid of the Sunnybrook Hospital Women and Babies Program. In honor of his 27th birthday, his fans set out to raise $27,000 in a project called "Raise 27". They ended up raising a total of $44,227 for the Josh Groban Foundation, to benefit the Noah's Ark children's orphanage called Siyawela in South Africa. Groban has since referred to this donation as "the best birthday present ever". For those who could afford the $1500 ticket, Josh Groban performed at the The Angel Ball on October 21, 2010. Proceeds went to the Gabrielles Angel Foundation for cancer research.

Impact

Some of Groban's musical influences have been Radiohead, Steve Perry, Paul Simon, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Freddie Mercury and Björk. He cites as vocal influences "anyone who told a story with their songs," including Mandy Patinkin, Klaus Nomi, George Hearn, and Luciano Pavarotti.

He was named the #1 Best Selling Artist of All Time on Barnes & Noble in 2007. Groban has sold more than 20 million albums in less than ten years.

In 2002, Groban was listed as "100 Sexiest Newcomer" and in 2008, he became one of People's "100 Most Beautiful People".

Personal life

Groban dated January Jones from 2003–06. Although maintaining a home in Los Angeles, he recently moved his primary residence to New York, where he indicates that "dating can be very easy or very tough."

Discography

2001: ''Josh Groban''

2003: ''Closer''

2006: ''Awake''

2007: ''Noël''

2010: ''Illuminations''

Concert tours

Closer Tour (2004–2005)

Awake Tour (2007)

Before We Begin (2010)

Straight to You Tour (2011)

References

External links

BroadwayWorld: Idina Menzel & Josh Groban to Star in 'Chess' Musical UK Concert?

Chess in Concert (2008)

Brown, Bob. "A Star in the Making: Who is Josh Groban?." ABCNews. com: 20/20

Josh Groban video interview on Virgin Red Room

Watch Josh Groban make a northern cuppa in this exclusive interview with Virgin Red Room

Category:1981 births Category:American people of Jewish descent Category:American male singers Category:American pop pianists Category:American pop singers Category:Carnegie Mellon University alumni Category:English-language singers Category:Living people Category:American musicians of Norwegian descent Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:Warner Music Group artists Category:American performers of Christian music

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