Matteo Bocelli is breaking out on his own after years of touring with his father.
The melancholy ballad “Chasing Stars,” written by Ed Sheeran and his brother Matthew, about an artist whose inspiration came from his father, was released by the pop singer and Andrea Bocelli‘s son on Friday.
“[Ed] sent me a few songs, but ‘Chasing Stars’ was the one that I really, really, really loved,” The song will be featured on Matteo’s upcoming self-titled debut album, he tells PEOPLE. “The story was so incredibly relevant to me because, of course, we both shared the trait of being born into a family who loved music, and this passion was passed down to us from our parents,” the author said.
The singer-songwriter, 25, who has been a fan of Sheeran, 32, since he was a young child, was “super, super excited” to collaborate with the “Thinking Out Loud” performer. “I recall witnessing him perform. In Toronto, he served as Taylor Swift’s opener, according to Matteo. So you can imagine how honoured I am to include one of his songs on my debut CD. It’s pretty awesome and thrilling.
He first thought “Chasing Stars” was “perfect as it was,” but he later changed some of the vocal lines to fit his own sound. Sheeran was pleased with the outcome. According to Matteo, “I got the impression that he respected every artist’s [personal] ideas and wanted you to feel at ease and genuine in what you did.”
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Through his upcoming debut album, which sees him deviate from the classical stuff he’s previously played with Andrea and lean into pop music, the vocalist will reveal more about himself to listeners.
We used to listen to opera, classical music, and famous artists like Frank Sinatra, Charles Aznavour, and Whitney Houston in my family, adds Matteo. “But I was listening to Ed Sheeran and Eminem since I was raised in a different generation. In the end, we are a composite of our internal and external experiences.
On September 22, Matteo will be released, serving as both a creative triumph for the musician and “a good gift” for Andrea since that day also happens to be his birthday. “I swear I didn’t choose the date; it’s rather hilarious. It was stated on the label,” he chuckles. Therefore, it will be rather lovely.The album was created over the course of the last three years, and the lyrics reflect many of the events he had during that time.
“I feel like I’ve been able to really put in these songs all the things I wanted to talk about, from love songs to the ones about things that really mean a lot to me in my life, like friendship,” claims Matteo.