SEBASTIEN IZAMBARD Pop Singer (France)
Roguishly handsome, philosophical, passionate, mercurial and somehow almost quintessentially Gallic, 35-year-old Sébastien Izambard is the only completely self-taught singer in Il Divo. "The big strength of Il Divo is its differences," smiles Sébastien. "For myself, I am total pop rock. I don't know much about opera. But I hope know about emotion, singing with the heart."
An established pop star in his native France, Sébastien's 2000 solo album, 'Libre' spawned a number one hit, 'Si Tu Savais'. "I was playing electric guitar, it was a little bit wilder, between Jeff Buckley, Damien Rice, Coldplay." He wrote and produced for other French artists, and was special guest of French legend Johnny Halliday on tour in 2001. "It was a different life, writing my own songs, travelling in a truck, doing the gig, living on the road. Il Divo is a completely different discipline and very enjoyable mentally and professionally."
Sébastien initially turned down approaches from Simon Cowell, however. "I didn't want to join the band. I had a little success. I always thought music was to bring a message to the world somehow by continuing writing my own music. I wasn't interested in nice cars, nice suits." What changed his mind was the creative challenge and being involved with a whole new genre of music. "This was a chance for me to travel abroad to many varied countries, to grow as a person and open my eyes to the way I thought the world was. Whatever you do, there's always a challenge against yourself, something you have to prove, otherwise you don't go very far. It wasn't about recognition, it was about where could I go that I thought I could never go."
It has been a steep learning curve. "I was terrified, first time I stepped into the studio," he confesses. "You are fighting your whole life to be an artist and then suddenly you have to wear a suit and sing someone else's song with a bunch of other guys." As egos got put aside, and the four singers began to bond, share with and learn from each other, Sébastien became convinced he had made the right decision. "The quality time, singing, getting to know each other, that is the best. To blend our voices together, somehow the differences make it richer, I can't explain why but it does. For everybody, it has been a big journey but such a rewarding one."
What Sébastien brings to Il Divo is some of rock's spirit of spontaneity. "I try to be just a guy from the moment when we are on stage, not trying to repeat, make my own timing." This can have a downside, however. "I have got lost many times. I am absorbed by the music and I just simply forget where I am. But I love that about music. We have performed 'Every Time I Look At You' I don't know how many times, but it still surprises me. Music is a spiritual condition."
Sébastien admits he has been pleasantly surprised by how much of himself he is able to express in music he initially feared might be formulaic. "As a songwriter, I want to step back and look at the world and draw a picture of it as a painter would. What I like about Il Divo is you can still find this colour, just with your own voice, your own feelings."
This year, Sébastien got married to Renee Murphy (with all of Il Divo present) and became the father of twins, a boy and a girl. "When I recorded this new album, I was a new father, and that gave me a strength. When I went into the studio, I had a picture of them and my wife, and it brought a lot to me. You think about so many things, what's going on in the world, there's crises everywhere, everything is getting crazy, what world are we bringing them into, my kids. And that brings so much emotion, good and horrible things, when you have to find the feelings, they're there. When things work and fit together its magical."
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Sébastien supports Assistance Medicale Toit de Monde (AMTM). To find out more about their work and the cause, visit www.amtm.org
