Andrea Bocelli: ‘I don’t like lies. They always have short legs, especially the ones we tell ourselves’

Born in Tuscany, Italy, Andrea Bocelli, 66, became blind at the age of 12. Discovered by Luciano Pavarotti, he released his debut album in 1994. Two years later, his classical pop duet with Sarah Brightman, Time to Say Goodbye, was a hit across Europe. He has sold more than 90m records worldwide and generated 16bn streams; his accolades include six Classical Brits, seven World Music awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His new album is called Duets. He is married for the second time and lives in Tuscany.

When were you happiest?
When each of my three children was born.

What is your greatest fear?
I fear the arrogance we are all at risk of, the pride that pushes us to put “I” in place of “God”. More prosaically, I fear physical pain because it risks stripping us of our dignity.

Which living person do you most admire and why?
The many nuns and priests who often work in the shadows, dedicating their lives to the service of others.

What is your most treasured possession?
My faith: a gift I strive to protect and nurture.

What was the last lie that you told?
I don’t like lies and try to avoid them. Lies always have short legs, especially the ones we tell ourselves.

What would your superpower be?
More than a superpower, it’s a goal I hope to achieve every time I sing: to enter the hearts of those who listen to me, offering a bit of peace and solace from the struggles of daily life.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Lack of humility, the absence of goodness.

If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would you choose?
Jesus Christ, my father, to thank him and have the joy of his presence once more.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A singer. I wanted to live off music ever since I was a child – a wish that came true when I was over 35 years old.

Would you choose fame or anonymity?
Luciano Pavarotti used to tell me: “Never grumble about too many interviews; worry when they stop asking for them!”

To whom would you most like to say sorry and why?
My father, with whom I had a complex relationship: often, when I was young, his desire to protect me clashed with the stubbornness of my choices.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My wife, Veronica, is the electric current that energises everything and makes it all work in perfect harmony.

What was the best kiss of your life?
From the first to the last, from the most sensual to the tender paternal or filial one, there hasn’t been a kiss not worth giving.

How would you like to be remembered?
As a man who tried to respect everyone, treating them with a smile and with due regard, despite the limitations of being human.

What is the closest you’ve come to death?

As a young man I had a car accident on a foggy night that left the vehicle looking like a squashed box, even though, by some miracle, I walked away unscathed.

What happens when we die?
Earthly life is merely the infancy of our soul. What comes after physical death is, I imagine, like returning home.

Tell us a secret
Despite the profession I’ve been in for more than 30 years, I try to avoid social events and large dinner gatherings as much as possible.