“‘MONEY WAS NEVER THE GOAL.’ ❤️🎤 — IL VOLO’S HONEST CONFESSION ABOUT SUCCESS IS INSPIRING FANS EVERYWHERE After 17 years together, Il Volo opened up like never before about the realities of fame, friendship, and building a global career while staying true to themselves. The trio reflected on balancing music with business, the emotional highs and lows of life on tour, and the personal passions that keep them grounded away from the spotlight. They also shared touching stories about family, fatherhood, and the powerful bond that has kept them united through the years. But it was their heartfelt message about purpose, money, and finding your true voc*tion that has resonated deeply with fans around the world.

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THE SHIELD AND THE SHIFT: HOW IL VOLO SURVIVED 17 YEARS OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY’S GREATEST TRAPS

At a time when the music industry churns out viral, short-lived sensations designed to be consumed and discarded within a single scroll cycle, a trio of Italian balladeers is proving that the old-school rules of survival still apply.

Celebrating their 17th anniversary on their 2026 World Tour, Il Volo—Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto, and Gianluca Ginoble—sat down with Forbes Leader to pull back the curtain on what it really takes to transition from teenage prodigies to the heads of a highly profitable, self-managed global enterprise.

For the three 30-somethings who started as boys on the Italian talent show Ti lascio una canzone in 2009, the secret to staying alive isn’t just about flawless three-part harmonies. It is about financial literacy, checking their egos, and realizing that a group is not a cage, but a shield.

1. Running the Boardroom: The Three Partners of Il Volo

Most musicians find out the hard way that the music industry is “90% business and 10% music.” For Il Volo, that realization hit them when they transitioned from being managed teenagers to realizing they were actually a corporation.

“At 16, you have no idea what corporate responsibility is,” Piero admitted during the interview. “You trust the professionals. But by 30, you have a completely different level of awareness. You try not to take steps that are bigger than your legs.”

Rather than letting external managers dictate their finances, the trio functions like an active three-way partnership, with each member bringing a distinct corporate personality to the table:

[The Corporate Boardroom of Il Volo]
  ├── Gianluca: The Visionary (Creative, ambitious, prone to massive, expensive stage concepts)
  ├── Piero: The Conservative (Pragmatic, cautious, keeps the group's feet on the ground)
  └── Ignazio: The Financial Officer (Studies market economics, tracks investments, manages cash flow)

“If we left the company entirely in Gianluca’s hands, we would have gone bankrupt in three years,” Ignazio joked. “He has the vision, but he doesn’t look at the expenses. Piero is the cautious one, and I’m the one who actually runs the numbers, balances the accounts, and tells them what we can and can’t afford.”

Ignazio’s self-taught financial acumen has led him to advocate for a subject rarely discussed by classical crossover stars: financial literacy for youth. “In Italy, we are raised with the mindset of: get a job, buy a house, throw money at a mortgage for 40 years, and then take out another loan to renovate it,” Ignazio explained. “Studying finance gives you a different perspective. It’s crucial, especially for young people trying to build a life.”

2. The Trap of the Ego and “The Post-Stage Melancholy”

One of the most profound segments of the interview focused on the psychological cost of early fame. When an individual achieves global success at 14, their identity is often hijacked by public adoration.

Gianluca spoke candidly about the “mask” of the performer and the sudden crash that happens the moment the spotlight turns off:

“Sometimes you put on the singer’s mask, and when you step off the stage, you’re still that fragile child trying to figure out who he is, while your external identity has been handed to you by a manager or an applauding public. Your ego swells from a success that can be fleeting, when behind the mask, you are still just a man trying to find your footing.”

Gianluca described this feeling as a form of saudade—a deep, melancholic longing. “On stage, I am my truest self. The hardest part for me is the detachment—managing that quiet sadness when the show ends.”

To keep that heavy melancholy from taking over, the boys rely on their brotherhood and a healthy dose of humor. While Gianluca processes the weight of his artistry, Ignazio keeps things grounded: “I’m happy when I get off stage,” he laughed, “because I know there are roasted potatoes with ketchup waiting for me in the dressing room!”

3. The Shield Against Individualism

Il Volo | Spotify

In an era dominated by solo acts, bedroom pop producers, and hyper-individualistic social media branding, Il Volo believes their longevity is a direct rejection of modern isolation.

“Our biggest message to the younger generation isn’t even in our lyrics—it’s our story,” Piero explained. “In a world that is rushing toward extreme individualism, staying together with the same people for 17 years is a fundamental statement. Being in a group gives you a shield. It gives you trust, complicity, and strength.”

The trio also warned against the “all-and-now” culture of the modern internet, where numbers, streaming stats, and instant gratification are prioritized over long-term craftsmanship.

“Viver per i soldi—living for money—is the greatest failure in life,” Gianluca asserted. “We come from very humble backgrounds. We know what it means to struggle to make it to the end of the month. But our advice to teenagers is to focus entirely on finding your vocation. Make money the consequence of your passion, not the goal.”

4. The Horizon: Changing Priorities

As the group celebrates 17 years together, their personal lives are beginning to shift the parameters of their career. The years 2024 and 2025 were massive transitional years for Ignazio, who got married and welcomed his first child, now three months old.

“I’ve only seen my baby for two weeks out of his three months of life because of the tour,” Ignazio shared softly. This new reality has sparked intense discussions in their business meetings. While some members want to push for longer, more aggressive global tours to maximize their momentum, others are advocating for a “smarter, not harder” approach to live performance.

“We are sowing the seeds right now so that we can eventually reach a status where we can decide when and where to work, allowing us to spend time with our private lives,” Ignazio said.

But no matter how many months they spend on the road, some things never change. Before every single show, the three men stand in a circle, lock hands, look each other intensely in the eye, and exchange a silent moment of peace—right before Piero yells his final, most important technical instruction of the night:

“Guys, smile, and check your zippers!”