His brooding looks and unashamedly popular repertoire have helped Andrea Bocelli to sell 60 million records, but the Italian tenor has now admitted that he compromised his natural talent for the rewards of fame.

Bocelli, 49, pioneered the amalgamation of classical and pop styles that helped a wave of operatic singers to cash in on the crossover appeal of the Three Tenors.

Critics despaired of Bocelli's decision to trade singing arias for Can't Help Falling in Love. But the singer, blind since the age of 12, gladly accepted the riches that accompanied his hit tours and albums. Russell Watson and Vittorio Grigolo followed the path to “popera” fame.

Now Bocelli has admitted that at times he sold his talent short. He said: “I regret being forced by circumstances to do things that were very profitable, but occupied a lot of time I could have dedicated to more artistically satisfying work.”

Speaking to Radio Times, Bocelli added: “Every TV appearance based on commercial foundations robs me of time I'd prefer to devote to studying. In this business you have to do what the world requires.”

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa recently criticised crossover singers as “the new fakes for the new generation — they sing with a microphone”. Bocelli said: “I agree with her. It's a pity to sing with a microphone, if you can do without it, although it's excusable in an arena. It's much easier without one, because you sing the way nature teaches you.” However Caruso also used “amplification”, Bocelli noted.

On Thursday, Bocelli will appear at the Classical Brit Awards at the Royal Albert Hall, where he will sing Funiculì, funiculà. The demands of crossover opera mean that he will also duet with Sarah Brightman.

He said: “If I stop it wouldn't be easy to start again. I was never very ambitious, and was lazy in seeking out opportunities. Now I'm even lazier, but that is countered by a strong sense of duty.”

Bocelli expects the critics to sharpen their knives when he returns to the opera stage in Rome next month as Don José in Carmen. His voice has been described as “rasping” and “thin” in The New York Times.

“I'm in good company,” he shrugged. “All great artists are subject to harsh criticism. I didn't get many gifts from recording companies. It was difficult to convince them to believe in what I was doing as the market was dominated by teenagers.”

Andrew Lloyd Webber will receive the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Classical Brits. Visit www.royalalberthall.com for tickets . The show will be broadcast on ITV1 on May 15.

SO YOU WANT TO BE A POP TENOR?

Vittorio Grigolo Studied music for five years as a boy at the Scuola Puerorum at the Sistine Chapel in Rome.

Andrea Bocelli Has a law degree and was briefly a defence attorney. Took singing lessons with Luciano Bettarini and his hero, the tenor Franco Corelli.

Russell Watson No classical training. The son of a factory worker, Watson first pursued his passion for singing on the pub and club circuit.

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