Much hailed tenor Paul Ettore Tabone, who spent four years playing the role of Ubaldo Piangi in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, will release his first studio album This is Me on 6 March.

Dubbed “Australia’s Andrea Bocelli”, he fell in love with singing from an early age and graduated from CQ University with a Bachelor of Music Theatre degree in 2009. He was invited by Signora Nicoletta Mantovani (mentor and wife to the late Luciano Pavarotti) to perform as one of four tenors at the Verona Arena, sharing the stage with Placido Domingo, Andrea Bocelli and Ambrogio Maestri in memoriam to Pavarotti, in front of an audience of 20,000. 

Producer, arranger and composer Robin A Smith, who worked with Tabone on this album, said: “Paul has a beautifully warm and rounded tone that can cover all material from Bocelli and Pavarotti to high opera; Neapolitan songs, his Caruso is formidable. His style is as original and it is eclectic – a classical crossover, luscious and rich.” 

With the help of Wirandjuri Soprano and composer Shauntai Batzke, Paul has had some parts of the songs translated into an aboriginal language to pay respect to the Wirandjuri people, the first people of his nation. He also sings in Italian, honouring his own family and other Italians who have made Australia their home. 

Commenting on the album, Tabone said: “In the shadow of lockdown and theatre closures, I was getting withdrawal symptoms and missing singing, performance and the audiences and for me, this became a time to reflect on my journey and the burning need to make that first album. Every song on the album reflects who I am and where I come from and the people and places that matter to me. I’ve lived and sang all over the world, but I’m close to my roots and have a deep love and respect for the land, the earth and my heritage, Australia’s heritage. It’s important that my album reflects this.” 

To pre-order the album, please click here.

You can watch the music video to ‘Heaven’, which features on the album, below…