Matteo Bocelli, born on October 8, 1997, to Andrea Bocelli and Enrica Cenzatti, has followed in his father’s musical footsteps. “I’ve been into music since I was a kid,” Matteo shared with PEOPLE in 2018. “I was following my dad when I could, and I played the piano since I was 6 years old.” As a child, Matteo loved to sing but kept his performances private, singing only for his mom and not his dad, as he admitted being “a little bit shy.” Eventually, he decided, “‘Probably it’s better if I receive maybe a little direction from my dad.’”Matteo’s talents flourished as he studied piano at a local music school and vocal performance at the Institute of Musical Studies Luigi Boccherini in Tuscany, Italy. Still, despite his natural abilities, he initially hesitated about pursuing a career in singing.