From a religious calling comes the voice from Assisi as Friar Alessandro lands himself a major record deal…
We at Italia! are rather excited about Friar Alessandro ? the first friar in the history of music to land a major record deal. The tenor, who hails from Assisi in Umbria, has been signed to Decca Records, part of the influential Universal Music Group. Having taken a personal vow of poverty, any profits from the sale of his album Voice from Assisi will go directly to charitable causes. The new release was recorded by none other than Mike Hedges (who has produced albums from the likes of U2 and The Cure) at the prestigious Abbey Road studios in London ? a trip which provided the friar?s first ever experience of travelling on an aeroplane. Having sung all his life, Alessandro grew up listening to Michael Jackson and Bach, and his current musical interests include Icelander Bj?rk. He received his religious calling as a teenager and decided to become a friar at age 21. The modern man also has a website (www.friaralessandro.com) where you can listen to samples from his forthcoming album, and even a Twitter account (@FriarAlessandro) which lets you in on his daily insights.