Matteo Bocelli Talks Debut Album and How Earning Praise for His Good Looks Helps His 'Self-Esteem'
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Gisela Schober/Getty Images for amfAR Matteo Bocelli
It's been a few years since Matteo Bocelli first sang publicly with his renowned vocalist father Andrea, but the 25-year-old Italian singer-songwriter is just getting started.
After releasing his first few solo singles over the past year, Matteo released a new collaborative holiday album alongside his father and 10-year-old sister Virginia titled A Family Christmas earlier this month — ahead of his debut solo album coming next year.
Featuring both modern and classic festive songs from "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" to "Feliz Navidad," Matteo says the idea for A Family Christmas came about after record label executives saw the trio perform together. "They said, 'The reaction of people when they come to Andrea's concert and see him sing with his kids is very beautiful," he tells PEOPLE.
Given that Andrea's My Christmas album has become one of the best-selling holiday albums in the United States since its 2009 release, Matteo was understandably a little nervous to take part in its follow-up project. "That was basically my first fear," he says. "It was an amazing project he did with David Foster, so it wasn't easy to repeat something like that... But we're very excited with what we got."
Next up, he'll join Andrea and Virginia to perform the album's songs in several countries on tour throughout the rest of the year before heading home to Italy to celebrate the holiday with relatives. "We're super happy to be all over the world until Christmas," says Matteo.
Courtesy The Bocelli family
Then, he'll head into the studio to finish creating his upcoming debut solo album, which has been preceded by singles including "Solo," "Close," "Until She's Gone" with Sebastian Yatra and "Tempo" over the past year.
"I've planned new writing sessions for January and February. That's one of my favorite parts of my career, because it's the most creative one," he details. "[The album] should be released in spring, and I can't wait to be fully there in my project."
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Franziska Krug/Getty Matteo Bocelli
While his album may feature more collaborations, listeners can expect that his father likely won't be on the project — which may come as a surprise considering the amount of music and performances they've worked on together. "I'm 99.9% sure it won't [happen this time around]," dishes Matteo.
Earlier this year, he and Andrea joined forces as the surprise performers at Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker's wedding, an experience he was "honored" to be a part of.
"Sometimes, when you follow these people on socials, everything seems so big. And actually, they're people like everyone else with a soul and heart," says Matteo. "It's beautiful to have had the chance to meet them and know a little bit more about them."
Performing at one of the most high-profile celebrity events of the year is merely the latest step in Matteo's rise to fame. Since releasing his first-ever single "Fall On Me" with Andrea in 2018, he's performed all over the world and scored modeling gigs with brands including Guess (alongside Jennifer Lopez) and Bulgari.
RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Andrea Bocelli's Gorgeous Son Matteo
Along the way, he's earned a flurry of press and social media buzz for his good looks — which has taken some adjustment for him to get used to.
Marc Piasecki/WireImage Andrea and Matteo Bocelli
"When I was a little kid, I never really liked myself much. Being in public a little more and receiving those compliments has actually raised my self-esteem a little bit," he says. "But it's not something I feel like I deserve. If you have beauty, it's not because of you — it's because had the fortune from nature to get it."
"If someone says, 'You sing well,' you may deserve it a bit more because you work on your voice. But beauty is something that God gives to you," continues Matteo. "Modeling has never been my passion, but sometimes these experiences are fun — together with music."
A Family Christmas is available now to purchase and stream.
