“‘WE ASK FOR CAT LITTER BACKSTAGE.’ 😂🎤 — IL VOLO’S WILDEST CONFESSIONS LEFT EVERYONE STUNNED Il Volo surprised fans with one of their funniest interviews ever, sharing hilarious behind-the-scenes stories from life on tour—including the unexpected reason cat l*tter appears on their backstage rider. The trio also laughed about an unpaid marathon bet, awkward encounters with Hollywood superstars when they were teenagers, and the group chats that keep their brotherhood alive after 15 years together. They even addressed the breakup rumors that recently made headlines, making it clear that disagreements are simply part of their creative process. But it was the unbelievable explanation behind their most bizarre backstage request that had everyone laughing.

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Cat Litter, Marathon Wagers, and Hollywood Shock: Il Volo Drops Wild Backstage Secrets on Rai2

When Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto, and Gianluca Ginoble of Il Volo stopped by Rai2’s late-night show Stasera c’è Cattelan on March 19, 2024, host Alessandro Cattelan expected a standard celebratory chat about their recent Sanremo run with the hit “Capolavoro” and their 15-year career anniversary.

Instead, the pop-opera trio delivered one of the most hilariously unhinged and transparent interviews of their career, exposing everything from bizarre backstage rider requests to what really happens in their Group Chats.

L'intervista a Il Volo - Stasera c'è Cattelan su Rai2 del 19/03/2024

1. The Million-Dollar Question: Why Do They Order Cat Litter for Backstage?

Cattelan kicked off a segment about bizarre celebrity dressing room demands (riders), mentioning the classic industry myth that artists demand specific fruits or rare treats. Il Volo took the opportunity to reveal a real, highly functional, and completely absurd request that left Cattelan stunned.

A promoter recently came up to the boys entirely baffled, asking: “Guys, just out of curiosity… why do you guys request cat litter in your backstage rider? None of you own a cat.”

Ignazio looked straight at the camera and replied: “The cats are us.”

[The Quick-Change Reality Check]
  ├── The Problem: A 2-hour high-intensity concert offers zero time to run to a distant dressing room bathroom.
  ├── The Solution: Backliner Alessio Gorrieri created a rapid-solution protocol.
  └── The Execution: While two members are singing, the third slips into the dark "quick-change" tent, makes use of the cat litter box, and runs back out onto the stage.

Piero laughed, warning the audience: “From now on, when you see Il Volo singing passionately on stage, just try to imagine what is happening directly behind the curtain!”

2. The 19,000-Euro Dinner Wager: Piero’s NYC Marathon Run

The conversation shifted to New York City, which prompted Cattelan to bring up Piero’s incredible feat running the New York City Marathon.

  • The Stakes: While staying in Athens, Greece, a year prior, Ignazio and Gianluca looked at the scale of the marathon (over 55,000 runners) and made a high-stakes bet with Piero: “If you finish in the top 25,000, we will buy you a massive celebration dinner.”

  • The Result: Piero smashed expectations, crossing the finish line in a blistering 4 hours and 15 minutes, placing roughly 19,000th overall.

  • The Dodge: When asked if he ever received his hard-earned dinner, Piero groaned that he was still starving. Ignazio quickly defended the delay with typical lawyer-like showmanship: “The bet was made in Athens. The dinner is only valid when we return to Athens!”

Piero also recalled his favorite spectator sign from the 2 million people lining the 42-kilometer NYC track: a girl holding up a massive banner reading, “Jack, I’m pregnant!”—leading the boys to joke that “Jack” is probably still running in absolute terror.

"La capisco al Volo" con Pierpaolo Spollon - Stasera c'è Cattelan su Rai2 del 19/03/2024

3. Rubbing Shoulders with Hollywood Royalty at 15 (While Wearing Bad Scarves)

Reflecting on the Netflix documentary about the making of We Are The World, the trio had an emotional moment realizing they recorded the 2011 We Are The World 2.0 for Haiti in the exact same iconic studios alongside Justin Bieber, Beyoncé, and Miley Cyrus.

Cattelan pulled up vintage, slightly embarrassing photos of the boys at 15 years old posing with global icons, exposing their questionable early-career styling:

  • The Scarf Obsession: In photos with Miley Cyrus (who was transitioning from Hannah Montana), Celine Dion, and Will.i.am, the boys were systematically draped in massive, vibrant scarves. “We bought those scarves at some random street market!” Ignazio laughed.

  • The Protagonists Who Didn’t Know Anyone: Music tycoon Jimmy Iovine threw a massive welcome party at his house to introduce Il Volo to Interscope Records’ elite roster—including Lady Gaga, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Cindy Crawford, and Puff Daddy.

  • The “Puff Daddy” Incident: Being small-town teenagers fresh out of Italian schools, they had no idea who most of these legendary figures were. Gianluca was an anxious wreck, biting his nails in the corner. Suddenly, a 40-year-old man walked up, clapped Piero on the back, and said, “Welcome to the family.” A confused Piero turned to the others and whispered, “Who was that?” It was Puff Daddy.

4. Addressing the Breakup Rumors Head-On

Before wrapping up, Cattelan addressed the recent media avalanche surrounding a tense radio interview where Piero and Gianluca had a brief, sharp disagreement over their musical direction. The tabloids immediately blew it out of proportion, claiming a bitter breakup was imminent.

Cattelan jokingly begged: “If you guys are actually going to split up, please do it right here on Rai2 tonight. Give me the ratings bounce!”

The trio immediately put the rumors to rest with a unified front:

Ignazio: “Unfortunately for the gossip columns, we are happy to announce that Il Volo will be together for many, many years to come.”

They explained that having different musical opinions is exactly what makes their group dynamic healthy. During the infamous radio fight, Gianluca had simply expressed excitement about singing Queen at Sanremo to show they could be “something else.” Piero had snapped back: “If you want to be something else, speak for yourself—I know exactly who I am and what I want to sing.”

As the two re-enacted the bicker on Cattelan’s couch, Ignazio casually shrugged: “And as usual, I was just asleep in the corner when it all happened!”