Il Divo

The mega-popular multinational classical quartet Il Divo are pioneers of “popera,” a genre that transforms popular songs into traditional opera in languages like English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Latin. • Il Divo (“divine performer” in Italian) was formed in 2003 by Simon Cowell, who sought to recreate the popular late-’90s operatic trio The Three Tenors. • Cowell conducted an international search from 2001 to 2003 and selected four male members: American tenor David Miller, Swiss tenor Urs Bühler, French pop singer Sébastien Izambard, and Spanish baritone Carlos Marín. • In 2004, Il Divo released their self-titled debut album on Cowell’s label, Syco Music. It topped the UK albums charts and later went Top 5 on the Billboard 200 in the US. • The group’s 2006 sophomore album, Ancora, topped the US and UK charts. The single “I Believe in You (Je Crois en Toi),” featuring Celine Dion, went Top 40 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. • Also in 2006, Il Divo joined Toni Braxton for the official World Cup anthem “The Time of Our Lives.” • The group notched a third No. 1 album in the UK with 2008’s The Promise. • Il Divo was crowned “Artist of the Decade” at the 2011 Classic BRIT Awards after selling more than 25 million albums worldwide.