World-Renowned Vocalists Andrea Bocelli And Josh Groban Perform Impressive Duet Of ‘We Will Meet Once Again’

Mar 15, 2021 by apost team

Andrea Bocelli is one of the most beloved classical singers of our time and by now, his reputation precedes him. The opera-tenor mostly sings in his native Italian and he is a frequent collaborator with other talented musicians. In fact, he is so revered for his musical output that dueting with him can bring a lot of favorable attention to whoever he works with.

Josh Groban doesn't have the decades-long career that Bocelli has, but he sure seems to be headed that way. Ever since he burst onto the music scene at the tender age of 18, Groban has won people's hearts with his equally stunning vocal abilities. He too has collaborated with many talented musicians, including Bocelli on a number of occasions.

In 2018, Groban and Bocelli performed their newest duet, "We Will Meet Once Again," in Portovenere, Italy. Groban described the performance as the result of 20 years of work in an emotional post on Instagram.

Despite having met years earlier, under very meaningful circumstances, Bocelli and Groban have only collaborated together a handful of times. One of these times was in 2008 when they sang a duet in honor of Luciano Pavarotti at the Grammy Awards.

In this most recent duet together, Bocelli and Groban show how well they perform as a pair. Singing mostly in Italian and some English, they both harness incredible singing power, which they're able to translate into a stunning song that is sure to move you. What's more, the performance of the duet took place in a small coastal town in Italy, as part of a concert put on by Bocelli.

Andrea Bocelli has been impressing the world with his voice for decades. After showing an interest in music from the age of six, Bocelli won his first singing competition at 14. He got his professional start in the early '90s when he was in his 30s, and his career has only continued to go from strength to strength. Bocelli has managed to build his career over the period of nearly three decades and has worked with some of the biggest names in contemporary music including Luciano Pavarotti, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Sarah Brightman, Ed Sheeran, and even Jennifer Lopez and Ariana Grande. He also often performs with members of his family, who are all musically inclined. 

Meanwhile, Josh Groban is one of the most impressive male singers of his generation, with a voice that's simultaneously strong but also angelic. About 20 years younger than Bocelli, Groban has also been lucky to duet with many leading musicians, including a number of the same artists Bocelli has worked with, such as Dion, Streisand, and Brightman.

The two men have even sung together before — with one notable duet performed at the 2008 Grammy Awards in honor of Pavarotti. So when it was announced in 2018 that they were teaming up once again, fans were understandably excited. Adding to the intrigue, Groban referred to the new song as "a duet almost 20 years in the making" on Instagram, suggesting it must be a very special piece. Indeed, "We Will Meet Once Again" is remarkable simply because it is a duet with Bocelli. 

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With "almost 20 years in the making" Groban refers to the fact that his and Andrea Bocelli's paths first crossed about 20 years ago when he stood in for Bocelli at a Grammy rehearsal with none other than Dion because Bocelli was stuck on an airplane. 

That day means everything to Groban as it changed his life forever. "A terrified, pimple-faced and blissfully naive kid sang his heart out that afternoon and the rest is history," Groban remembers in his Instagram post. When he met Bocelli, Groban was more than starstruck telling himself: “How cool is this? What a world this is!”

The other person in this story is Dion, who once recounted the story from her side to a live audience just before inviting Groban to the stage to sing a duet with her. As she described the events that took place, she revealed that the conductor of the orchestra, David Foster, approached her and suggested a 17-year-old teenager could replace Bocelli's part for the rehearsal, to which she made a funny joke. She describes how the boy was nervous and shaking, which can be seen in home-video footage that was released of the encounter. Once the young and nervous Groban began to sing, however, he proved why he was chosen to fill in for Bocelli on that day and his life was never the same again.

It is therefore hardly surprising that this new duet with Groban's idol Bocelli has a very special meaning to him. To Groban, their song, "We Will Meet Once Again," "is one of the favorite ones [he has] ever written down and recorded," he revealed in the same Instagram post.    

In September 2018, Groban and Bocelli sang their song in front of an audience for the first time. Their performance took place in Portovenere, a beautiful coastal town in Italy, as part of the Celebrity Fight Night Italy event put on by the Andrea Bocelli Foundation. The private concert showcased incredible musical talent in a gem of a location, culminating in a once-in-a-lifetime performance. Bocelli performed multiple songs during the evening, including "We Will Meet Once Again" with Groban.

The video of the song focuses on behind-the-scenes footage of the event, shown mostly in black and white. As the location is prepared for the stunning concert, the two artists, along with Foster, the man who introduced them, can be seen rehearsing earlier in the day. As the song's chorus comes in for the first time — and the only English lyrics — the video changes to color and takes the audience directly to the performance that night.

Both artists are dressed in white as they took the stage to perform their stunning duet that mesmerized everybody in the audience, as well as all people watching the performance at home. The song is an incredibly emotional one and that is reflected both in the way the two artists are singing and in the striking video too. 

What makes "We Will Meet Once Again" so incredibly moving is the back story of how it was made. Knowing that Bocelli was able to inadvertently give Groban his professional start, with the help of Foster and Dion, and that the two would reunite nearly 20 years later to honor that moment is truly heartwarming.   

Did you know the backstory behind how Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban first met? What did you think of this performance? Tell the music lovers in your life about this story so you can enjoy it together.