In 2016, Tori Kelly and Andrea Bocelli put on the performance of a lifetime, singing the ’90s ballad “The Prayer” live on stage in Seattle. With 14.5M views to date, their masterful duet is bound to take any Music Man reader’s breath away, soaked in Disney vibes and featuring a stellar orchestra fronted by two of the greatest voices on Earth.
Singing “The Prayer,” Tori tackles the song with exceptional respect for the living legend of opera beside her; opening the song solo in complete, ethereal tenderness before Andrea’s powerful tenor takes on the second verse. Italian and English language interplay beautifully as the two sing each other’s languages and explore some truly majestic harmonies, topped with Tori’s mesmerizing R&B touches.
California-born Tori Kelly, who was only 24 at the time of this captivating duet, shot to fame on American Idol’s ninth series back in 2010. Despite not making it to the live shows, Tori released her debut EP two years later, swiftly signed with Capitol Records, and released her debut album, “Unbreakable Smile,” in 2015, which hit #2 on the US album charts.
After releasing a further four albums, the most recent being 2024’s eponymous album, Tori is now a two-time Grammy Award winner, awarded with 2019’s Best Gospel Album and Best Gospel Performance/Song.
Meanwhile, the Italian-born Andrea Bocelli, who was permanently blinded after a childhood football accident, boasts one of the most remarkable living voices in opera. Aged 57 at the time of this show, Andrea’s career stretches back to the 1990s, with 17 solo albums released to date and a vast spread of stand-out duets alongside the world’s greatest pop artists, including Ed Sheeran, Jennifer Lopez, and Nelly Furtado, performing on the world’s most prestigious stages, cathedrals, and events across the globe.
This isn’t the first time Andrea Bocelli has duetted with a superstar on this song, however. “The Prayer” was first recorded in 1998 by Andrea and Celine Dion, to appear in the 1999 animated film “Quest For Camelot,” where it later won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Check out Celine’s original version in the second video above!
Despite Celine and Andrea’s version topping 220M views, Music Man readers will be equally stunned by Tori Kelly’s rendition, which, we argue, is even more radiant, as the two balance their harmonies without a hint of diva attitude or attempts to out-sing the other. As one viewer noted, “You don’t need to belt super high notes to be legendary… Just hear the control, nuances, inflections, transition, musicality, tone and above all the feel with which she sings. Mesmerising!”
Tori later mentioned that it was “an incredible honour not only to sing with Andrea Bocelli, but to sing this beautiful song with him. [It was] also a dream come true to sing with a full orchestra,” making this moment even more special.
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