Veteran opera singer Andrea Bocelli has gone viral with his own take on the Leonard Cohn classic ‘Hallelujah.’ Released as the fourth single on his album ‘Believe,’ the music video has garnered over 3 million views.
It features him singing the song on a rocky seashore surrounded by a troupe of ballet dancers. The gray lighting of the scene reflects the song’s somber mood, as does the muted movements of the ballet dancers.
Andrea Bocelli is an Italian opera tenor and multi-instrumentalist who has had an extraordinary journey. He was diagnosed with congenital glaucoma when he was just a few months old and later lost his eyesight in an accident when he was 12 years old.
In an interview, Andrea credited his eyesight problems with his choice of dedicating his life to music. He said: “When I was five, my mother discovered that the only way to comfort me with my glaucoma was to play classical music on the record player.”
He learned how to read music using Braille, a remarkable feat in and of itself. He ultimately became the opera star that he is today.
‘Hallelujah’ was initially written by Canadian singer Leonard Cohen in 1984 as part of his album Various Positions. The song has become an everlasting classic with many covers by pop stars of every generation and by contestants on talent shows like AGT and American Idol.
Andrea included this song on his album because it contains a message of unity and hope that runs through the core of the entire album.
