Il Divo

Il Divo (Italian pronunciation: [il ˈdiːvo]) is a multi-national classical crossover vocal group. The male quartet originated in the United Kingdom in December 2003, bringing together singers Urs Bühler (Switzerland), Carlos Marín (Spain), David Miller (USA), and Sébastien Izambard (France). The group was created and promoted by music producer Simon Cowell for the label Syco Music (a subsidiary of Sony Music). Although it is unclear how the group's name came about, "Il Divo" is translated from Italian as "divine performer." As of 2018, the group has released ten albums: Il Divo (2004), Ancora (2005), Siempre (2006), The Promise (2008), Wicked Game (2011), A Musical Affair (2013), Amor & Pasión (2015) and Timeless (2018) ; a compilation album The Greatest Hits (2012); special Christmas songs album The Christmas Collection (2005). Two other albums – An Evening with Il Divo: Live in Barcelona (2009) and Live in Japan (2014) – presented recordings of live concerts. Additionally, they have collaborated with other artists. Since its inception, Il Divo has enjoyed success worldwide, selling well over 30 million copies of its albums worldwide. With 160 certified gold and platinum hits in 35 countries, it pioneered the genre of operatic pop, or "popera", in classical crossover music. Il Divo's live concerts sold over two million concert tickets worldwide just from their first four albums. In their first world tour, concerts in 69 cities in 18 countries were sold out.