Il Divo Dazzles Genoa City!
December 29, 2003- The Young and the Restless pulled out all the stops for a very special New Years Eve episode with the internationally famous group Il Divo performing their rendition of the beautiful song from West Side Story, "Somewhere". Il Divo's latest CD Siempre, available now in stores, contains some other classic and contemporary songs re-worked with the operatic supergroup's pop/classic flair. The fabulous four are comprised of an American (David Miller), a Frenchman (Sebastien Izambard), a Spainard (Carlos Marin) and a Swiss (Urs Bhler). This is their second visit to Genoa City. In 2005, Victor (Eric Braeden) surprised Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) with a serenade from Il Divo, who sang "Unchained Melody." This time they acclaimed four will share the stage with the cast of Y&R as Kay Chancellor rings in the New Year with all her friends.
We chatted them up backstage and found them to be just as handsome and charming as you would expect them to be. We covered everything from touring with Barbra Streisand to what it is really like behind the scenes while on tour. Enjoy!
Is it really possible to rent you out for the night like Kay did on the show?
Carlos Marin (baritone, from Spain): "You can rent me anytime you want, my darling!"[Laughs all around]
Sebastien Izambard (pop singer from France): "For a lot of money! "
Your last appearance on Y&R didn't include the cast as an audience. How was this time different?
David Miller (tenor from the USA): "Yes, the first time we were on, there was actually no audience at all. We were literally singing in someone's backyard [the Newman's] and the Y&R cut the rest of the cast in later. This time the principals were there. It was cool. It was great getting feedback from them and they seemed to honestly enjoy our performance. "
What was it like working with Jeanne?
[They all laugh]
David: "She's a hoot!"
Urs Bhler (tenor, from Switzerland): "She knows Barbra Streisand. Jeanne is very entertaining."
Do you feel that the Y&R audience is Il Divo's target audience?
Sebastien: "It is probably our demographic audience. The show actually airs in France. It is called The Fire of Love."
Do you ever watch The Young and the Restless?
David: "We travel so much it is really hard to catch a television program and if we are in a foreign country, I may not even speak the language. The TV guide might be in Malaysian."
Urs: "It's funny. When we taped the show last year, I think it was in June, and then, in August, it aired. I really never watch TV but I switched it on a Saturday morning and it was that very episode. It was the only episode I have ever seen. Can you believe that?"
Are any of you interested in becoming actors down the line?
Urs: "All four of us! [Laughs] It is funny because whenever we do a video or a film shoot and we are standing in the studio for the whole day, very often it is so boring. You are literally sitting around waiting for the whole day but then when you see all the big movies and all the actors and what they can do, that is a very tempting career."
What surprised you the most about becoming an international success?
Sebastien: "I think learning that the biggest artists in the world are the ones that have nothing to prove. Like, at the moment, we are touring with Barbra Streisand and I feel like she is very down to earth. She has opinions and she doesn't care what others think, she just stays true to herself. She's sexy and she has a great personality. She has nothing to prove to anyone."
Does she speak with you?
David: "She talks to us and we talk to the feet! (Jokily). No, she is fantastic. We had a very limited time for rehearsal, a couple weeks in L.A. and then a week in New Jersey before we started the tour. The thing is, it is her show, and she has a lot on her plate and we are just the guests. We didn't have much time, in between times that she was dealing with the lights, dealing with the cameras, dealing with the set lists which changed every day and is still changing because she is a perfectionist and she wants it to be perfect for the fans every show, to just hang out with her."
You have such an international fan base, is there any place where you have been that the fans are just out of control?
Carlos: "Spain is unbelievable! It was an amazing experience when we went there. In Madrid, there were 18, 000 people and most of them were 14 and 15 years old. They were all screaming and, more surprisingly, singing along to the songs. It was unbelievable."
When you are a guest on a show like this, do you get to choose the song you are going to sing?
Sebastien: "When we do a TV show now, we have a very limited time to sing the song. We decide on the song and the length of the song."
Carlos: " Normally, the show gets a few options."
Urs: "We give the two or three options. It is a very give and take process between us, the management and the producers of the show."
Do you ever tire of wearing the suits?
Sebastien: [Flashing a fabulous smile] "These (he points to his wardrobe) are like our pajamas."
Do you have much input from Simon Cowell?
Sebastien: "We don't hear from him very often. He had the idea of putting us all together, 2 years ago. We don't see him much at all, maybe once a year to talk about future albums, ways we can improve. It is teamwork and he trusts us. He is very, very busy as well."
David: "That's part of the reason why he hired people who had careers going into this so that he knew that he would be able to trust us. He knew he wouldn't be around much, he trusted us to fly and be free."
David, is it true that you have friends and family that watch The Young and the Restless?
David: "I have friends from high school and college who watch. My girlfriend's family watches. I think her grandmother has watched the show from the very beginning. They are Y&R nuts!"
Do you miss your solo careers?
Urs: "I do miss it because of the music. We are singing this pop crossover classical. But in the classical arena, we are all very young. We do not know where Il Divo is going to take us. Maybe it is going to take us on for another 10 years or maybe 5."
Do you critique yourself or others?
Carlos: "Both! Everything that moves."
Do you argue about things when you are on tour?
Il Divo: [In unison] "Everything!"
Sebastien: "Imagine four different cultures and personalities. We have to find compromises. When you are tired or you are having a bad day, you will disagree with other people."
David: "We try to be diplomatic whenever possible which does give rise to disagreement but we deal with it."
What do you like to listen to besides your own music?
Carlos: "Tom Jones!"
Urs: "Classical and Heavy Metal."
Sebastien: "Lots of different music. At the moment, I really like John Mayer."
David: "Techno."
Thanks, boys! Come back again soon.

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