In the world of boy singing sensations it may pay to know the opposition. The Italian teenagers who make up operatic boy-band Il Volo have heard of Justin Bieber but draw blank stares at the name Jack Vidgen.
The Australia's Got Talent winner from Sydney's northern beaches clearly hasn't registered with the visiting Italian trio.
One thing is certain though.
Young guys barely out of short pants have something most of us don't: legions of adolescent female fans.
"We went to Mexico and there were all these girls standing out in the rain, yelling 'Il Volo, Il Volo we love you'," says Ignazio Boschetto, who started singing at the age of three by listening to his family's records.
The three members of Il Volo, which means "flight", fit the boy-band archetypes perfectly: the smart one, Piero Barone, 17; the good-looking one, Gianluca Ginoble, 16; and the funny one, Boschetto, 16.
After they appeared on Italian talent show Ti Lascio Una Canzone the boys were signed by record company Universal Music and recorded their debut album, a mix of favourites such as O Sole Mio and Charlie Chaplin's classic film tune Smile.
The boys, in Sydney to promote the album, met through the same singing teacher two years ago and have since become like brothers.
"We have spent so much time together, but we never argue, we try to discuss things," Boschetto says, as Ginoble gives him a playful punch on the arm.
Barone says they know how lucky they are to have risen to fame so quickly, thanks to their appearance on American Idol earlier this year.
"We definitely got our fame through American Idol, when our album was released there it was in the top 10 on iTunes," he says.
But Ginoble says the reason for their success has more to do with their passion for music. "Every day we practise, all the time we are practising," he says.
When it comes to musical inspiration the boys all praise their grandfathers, who reared them on the records of singers such as Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli.
But like all teenagers they have varied musical tastes.
"You know I like everything, I'm a teenager. I love Aerosmith and AC/DC, even Lionel Richie," says Boschetto.
Source: The Australian
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/il-volo-takes-flight-with-flock-of-female-fans/story-e6frg8n6-1226113321974
