27 February 2024 , 08:38
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The X Factor's Il Divo said they struggled to figure out their sound when they first formed 20 years ago.
Around 20 years ago, Simon Cowell formed his version of The Three Tenors and Il Divo was the result. His team at what was then Syco Music scoured music halls around the world before bringing together California native David Miller, Frenchman Sebastien Izambard, Urs Buhler from Sweden, and the late Carlos Marin, from Spain.
The four original band members created a unique sound, classical-meets-pop, and jumped to No1 in the UK charts with their first release. They also sold 30 million albums around the world. However, they initially didn't know what sound to go with when they first formed.
They explained Simon took them into a room, gave them the type of songs he wanted and left them to figure out what to do. David, 50, explained: "The four of us were put in a room by Simon and he said, 'These are the songs I want, what can you do with them?' It took us four months to figure out what our sound was, what our dynamic was, and what the point of Il Divo was in this emerging genre called 'classical crossover'. What did that even mean?
Il Divo struggled to form their sound at first (Press Association)"We needed to figure out how our voices would blend, and how they translated to pop music. So we just took one song at a time and made it interesting. And when learnt that we find it interesting, we do a good job singing it, and when we do a good job, our audience, they enjoy it."
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The existing band now features 36-year-old Steven LaBrie from Dallas. He joined the band after Carlos passed away in late 2021. While being interviewed about their latest album, XX: 20th Anniversary Album, they also discussed their bandmate's tragic death.
Il Divo last performed in the UK in December 2021. However, a few shows later, Carlos was hospitalised and was diagnosed with the Delta strain of Covid-19 before passing away days later. Sebastien, who spent 20 years with his late bandmate, said Carlos' death deeply affected them all.
"We have wonderful memories and those moments will never leave me. Carlos is always here and he'll always be part of the band. Doing this every day, it's still paying tribute and keeping the legacy alive. I don't think we'll move on, we're just continuing in a different way, but Carlos is still Il Divo," he said.