Delivering On The Promise
Interview by Evelyn Teo

POP OPERA IS NOT USUALLY PLAYED ON mainstream radio stations but Il Divo have managed to capture the hearts of music listeners both young and old regardless of that fact. The all-male quartet's latest album, The Promise, reached the No. 1 spot on the U.K. album chart the week it was released world-wide last month. Charming French pop singer Sebastien Izambard, 35, chats with us about the Il Divo phenomenon, Simon Cowell and the plan to come back to Malaysia.


Coming Up With The Promise
"This fifth album is very different (as) we took some time to record it," Sebastien reveals over the phone from Dublin, Ireland. "We had a year off. We wanted to come back and do something very different but keep the sound of the old Il Divo as well. (We recorded) songs like Abba's The Winner Takes It All in Spanish. Frankie Goes To Hollywood's Power Of Love - we are proud to be the first band allowed to record it - and Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah, which is one of my favourites and we kept that song quite intimate." And why did they name their latest release The Promise? "We call the album The Promise, after the original song of the same name. It is an amazing melody and I love it."


Suiting Up
"When we (appear as) Il Divo, we wear suits because it really reflects the kind of music we do and that's important to us," he says about the spiffy suits they wear in their promotional photos. "When we're outside and not (appearing) as Il Divo, we wear jeans. The clothes represent the type of music we are doing. Imagine if we were wearing leather jackets and leather pants, it wouldn't quite work with the mix of pop and opera. Suits are classy and that's what we want to bring to our music, that class."


Il Divo Mania
"People were throwing their underwear at Carlos (Marin) because Carlos is a fan of Tom Jones and that's where it started," Sebastien tells us about some of Il Divo's more expressive fans. So, we have a collection of underwear (laughs), which is quite funny. For me, fans give me books and pictures of their country. We are very lucky we have very good fans."


Simon Cowell is Actually Nice
"He is a complete gentleman, a very nice person," he says of working with Simon Cowell, the man who put together the group. "For me, he's a bit of a character when he's on TV (for American Idol). He just says what he thinks out loud. But in general he's a very respectful person, very down-to-earth, lovely man. We always have a very good time when we're with him."


Back To Kuala Lumpur
"I remember I was (in K.L.) with my girlfriend at that time and we got married this summer," Sebastien reflects on Il Divo's last trip to our corner of the world. "It was really hot and there were lots of places to go. It's something we are planning to do again in September (2009). We are going to come back and perform there." You heard it here first!


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