In 2004, four of the greatest voices in the world emerged to spearhead an entire musical genre by bringing the sound of opera to the world of popular music. Now as one of the most successful groups in the world with over 22 million albums sold, Il Divo is ready to re-emerge with a brand new album and massive touring plans.
On November 10th, 2008, Il Divo will release ‘The Promise’, the group’s fifth album (Syco). And today, Live Nation, the world’s largest live music company, announced that it has signed a global touring agreement with Il Divo who will be launching their worldwide tour in February 2009.
The deal also gives Live Nation exclusive rights to the group’s merchandise, tour sponsorships, fan club and VIP/travel packages.
“Il Divo have the best of both worlds; Simon Cowell, Syco and SonyBMG to continue producing their records and help guide their careers, and now Live Nation to handle their touring activities,” comments Peter Rudge, Il Divo’s manager from Octagon. “This new Live Nation deal was the result of great work from our team including our agents John Giddings from Solo and David Zedeck from CAA, with the support of our music partners at Syco and SonyBMG.”
For ‘The Promise’, Il Divo members David Miller, Sebastien Izambard, Urs Buhler and Carlos Marín reunited with acclaimed producer and long-time collaborator Steve MCutcheon aka Steve Mac (Kelly Clarkson, Leona Lewis, Westlife) who produced Il Divo’s #1 albums ‘Siempre’ and ‘Ancora’ plus their self-titled debut.
Sung primarily in Spanish, Italian and English, songs on ‘The Promise’ include “The Winner Takes It All”, “Hallelujah”, “Amazing Grace”, a Latin original entitled “La Promessa” and “The Power of Love,” which marks the first time songwriters Holly Johnson and Trevor Horn have allowed the song to be re-cut by any artist other than Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
“People might be surprised by this album,” suggests tenor David Miller. “Our goal was to approach it with fresh ears and fresh spirits, and try some different things. We’ve still got all the cannons and fireworks, but there is more range, different dynamics, more light and shade, more color. It’s a more complete album.”
A touring force of nature, Il Divo will announce their massive 2009 touring plans this fall.
Two sold out world tours have seen them performing to over 1.5 million people in thirty countries. They appeared at the opening and closing ceremonies of the FIFA 2006 World Cup singing the official theme song with Toni Braxton and they were special guests of Barbara Streisand on her 2006 tour of North America.
“IL DIVO have established themselves as one of the biggest global breakthrough artists of the last decade and has proven to be a powerful force in global touring with tremendous potential to expand their fan base,” said Live Nation Arthur Fogel, CEO, Global Touring and Chairman, Global Music for Live Nation. “We look forward to helping them reach their full potential over the next two years through our global distribution and marketing platform.”
Il Divo comprised of American tenor David Miller, popular French singer Sebastian Izambard, Swiss tenor Urs Buhler, and Spanish baritone Carlos Marin were initially brought together by pop impresario Simon Cowell in 2004, following an extensive worldwide audition process.
The virtuoso blending of operatic technique with romantic and popular song took the world by storm, with sales of over 22 million.
Their first three albums, ‘Il Divo’, ‘Ancora’ and ‘Siempre’, scored 39 #1 chart positions across the world. The group also released the platinum album ‘The Christmas Collection’ in 2005. Sales of their debut self-titled album smashed Led Zeppelin’s 25 year-old record of being the only band to achieve a number 1 album without a single release.
Il Divo – The Promise on amazon.co.uk
The Promise (Deluxe Edition) on amazon.com
Il Divo Official Website