Millions around the world watched Andrea Bocelli perform at Easter in an empty Duomo in Milan. But the Italian tenor, who has been blind since boyhood, says he never felt alone

Your new album, Believe, is released this week, and you’ve described it as a collection of “poignant and personal songs for the soul”. In this difficult moment, how important is music right now?

Music is a universal language that has the strength and ability to affect our consciousness and help make us better people. It encourages us to listen to that inner sky we all cherish inside our hearts. Music, like philosophy, originates from wonder and speaks to us through the “divine thresholds” that are our senses, thus reaching our souls.

Music makes us feel less alone and that we are not here by chance, as chance does not exist. Through music and prayer, our souls are liberated from the noisy presence of our egos and show us the beauty and fullness of life. This is more relevant than ever in these difficult and uncertain times.

I firmly believe music has the power to console us and help us grow. It can even be a mystical experience, touching the lives of many among us. Of course, none of this is new: Aristotle argued that music could change the moral character of our souls and open our hearts and minds. Music is like a light: it shows us the way to the joy of living.