Formed in the United Kingdom in 2003, it is a male quartet that was created and then promoted by British media magnate Simon Cowell for Syco Music, a record label that he had administered.

Examples include media in French (such as with "Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore"), in Italian (such as with "Nella Fantasia"), and in Spanish (such with "Isabel"), with most of Il Divo's performances involving the Romance languages.

The vocalists have additionally attracted notice due to their public image; for instance, they have almost exclusively worn suits by Giorgio Armani during their concerts and other social affairs.

Since its inception, Il Divo has enjoyed significant commercial success, with the group selling over thirty million copies of their albums worldwide as of 2018.

An Australian news article has noted that, "[w]hile other copycat" type "bands were formed after Il Divo’s success", "most [of them] have split" and additionally Il Divo stands out due to the vocalists proactive choices in managing their output, such as with the tenor Miller directing the music video for their song "Hola".

[2] With 160 certified gold and platinum hits in 35 countries, the group has pioneered the genre of operatic pop, or "popera", in classical crossover music.

[3] Il Divo was composed of four singers:[4] former child performer, television and recording artist, and classical baritone Carlos Marin, born in Germany but raised in Spain; two classically trained tenors, Urs Bühler from Switzerland, and David Miller from the USA; and pop singer-songwriter Sébastien Izambard, from France.

After Marín's death in late 2021, fellow baritone Steven LaBrie, from the US, joined the band as a special guest on tour before being announced as a full-time member of the group on 17 August 2023.

The idea behind Il Divo came when Simon Cowell, inspired after listening to the Three Tenors, decided to form a multinational quartet of talented young singers to recreate the quality of Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras, and Placido Domingo.

[12][failed verification] On 24 January 2006, Sony BMG released Encore, a concert at the Roman Theatre in Mérida, Spain, recorded on 7 October 2005.

[13] On 25 October 2005, the group released their second studio album The Christmas Collection in seven countries: the United States, Canada, Austria, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland.

After the release of Ancora, the group spent almost half their time as the bestselling act in Europe, building on the success they achieved with their debut self-titled album.

[19] Il Divo was named the Most Multinational UK No.1 Album Group in the 2006 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.

[citation needed] On 16 January 2007, Il Divo began a tour to promote Siempre in Asia, Australia, Latin America Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, and Venezuela.

It was designed by creative director Brian Burke, who stated that "Il Divo is the perfect modern fusion of opera, theater, and concert.

On 1 December 2014, Live in Japan was released, which contains the A Musical Affair tour filmed at the Nippon Budokan Theater in Tokyo on 11 March 2014.

[44][non-primary source needed] On 21 October, Il Divo performed the first public appearance to promote the sixth album on the program Despierta America, the US network Univision, from Miami, playing his first single "Si voy a perderte (Don't Wanna Lose You)".

[50] As a tribute, Il Divo performed a Greatest Hits Tour in 2022, with Mexican-American baritone Steven LaBrie joining the group, but not as a member at that time.

[81] Il Divo records their songs in several languages: Spanish ("Regresa A Mí", "Hasta Mi Final", "La Vida Sin Amor"), English ("Mama", "Amazing Grace", "Don't Cry For Me Argentina"), Italian ("Senza Parole", "Passerà", "Notte Di Luce"), French ("Pour Que Tu M'Aimes Encore", "Le Temps des Cathedrales"), Latin ("Panis Angelicus"), Portuguese ("Volta Pra Mim"), and Japanese ("Furusato").

For every vote cast during that show, Idol sponsors Coca-Cola, AT&T, and others donated money to the Charity Projects Entertainment Fund and other groups such as Save the Children and America's Second Harvest.

[87][88] Between 20 and 30 September 2015, Miller and Bühler participated in a motorbike ride from Miami to Los Angeles to raise funds for the Nordoff Robbins music therapy charity.