Andrea Bocelli has praised Dua Lipa's talents and loved working with her in the studio.

Andrea Bocelli

Andrea Bocelli

The Italian tenor collaborated with both Ed Sheeran and the 'New Rules' hitmaker on his new album 'Si', and he was delighted with the chance to team up with them both.

He told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre column: "I loved Dua's voice - it's very recognisable and has a lot of tension.

"With Ed, he has a great determination and lots to communicate, and he does that in a sincere way. He's a great guy."

The 59-year-old singer - who received the Classic BRIT Icon Award this year - was keen to start a new chapter with his first LP in 14 and channel his youth, which led to collaborations with Josh Groban and even his own son Matteo.

He previously said: "I wanted to go back to my memories of being a young man, playing at a piano bar. Obviously since then, I've produced lots of albums, sung lots of covers, performed many other things.

"But at a certain point I said to myself: 'Maybe the time has come to put my effort into finding new songs.'

"Like starting all over again, as it were, in my career."

The record will be his 16th studio release since his debut 'Il Mare Calmo della Sera' in 1994, and he has now given the secret to his longevity.

Explaining the need to avoid narcissism and alcohol, he added: "It's a mistake to fall in love too much with yourself and what you've done."

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