Video: Ed Sheeran Sings With Andrea Bocelli and Makes It a ‘Perfect’ Match

(Getty Images | Samir Hussein)

From the archives: This story was last updated in August 2019.

It’s hard to imagine not having heard Ed Sheeran’s song “Perfect.” This incredible tune remains one of the biggest hits on YouTube, with a staggering count of more than 2 billion views, and has been the theme song of countless weddings around the world.

In December, 2017, Sheeran sang another version for two called “Perfect Duet” with none other than Beyoncé, including a live performance at the Global Citizen Festival in Johannesburg, South Africa. Their version hit #1, Beyoncé’s first since “Single Ladies.”

While bringing an artist from such a different background as Beyoncé on board already showed Sheeran’s willingness to experiment artistically, the most recent version of the song took him into completely new territory—classical music.

For this incredibly special project, called “Perfect Symphony,” Sheeran made a special song for the holidays that involved a meeting of two great voices and two great musical families. This time, his partner on vocals was none other than Andrea Bocelli, the great classical crossover star whose incredible voice has been wowing audiences since the 1980s.

But the duet didn’t just involve the two great singers; it also brought together their talented families. On Sheeran’s side, there was his brother Matthew Sheeran, who is a composer and orchestrator, well versed in the classical world.

For Bocelli, it was the support and involvement of his two musically gifted sons, Matteo Bocelli and Amos Bocelli, who have sung and played the piano, respectively, for his latest album, Si (2018).

The video for the song shows Sheeran in Tuscany, meeting Bocelli and his family and going through the recording process together. It’s obvious that the young singer, however famous he may be, is truly awed to be in the process of such a legend. As for Bocelli, he’s very much the consummate professional, taking pop material just as seriously as if it were opera.

The whole group has a lot of fun with the song, especially since Sheeran gets his first opportunity to sing in Italian, with lyrics translated by Bocelli himself to reflect the original ones.

As Bocelli sings his own words back to him in another language, Sheeran follows along closely, listening to the phrasing. The two are clearly pleased with their collaboration, and it shows. After Sheeran sings the first verse in English and Bocelli sings the second in Italian, the two voices come together at the end.

The result is nothing less than “perfect” to be sure! Just in time for the holidays, the song was a beautiful picture of family and musical friendship. At the end, Sheeran could honestly say “thank you so much, man. It’s exactly what I wanted.”

The two would go on to perform at Wembley Stadium in front of thousands of adoring spectators. Bocelli was so touched by the project that he would go on to use “Perfect Symphony” on his album Si, performing a duet this time with his son Matteo Bocelli. Their version of the song was just as incredible, as father and son brought to life the words Sheeran wrote.

“Perfect” has definitely been the song that keeps on giving!