麻豆约拍

Alexis Ffrench is an artist with a special ability to create music for the soul. A pioneering superstar of Classical Soul, Alexis’s sound refuses to be penned in by genre, time period, or by expectations of the kind of musician he should be. Rather than leaning into the narrow, traditional understandings of ‘classical’, Alexis instead leans outward, expansive in his perspective, drawing on a multifarious mosaic of influences that takes the listener by the hand and leads them on a journey through a world of possibility. His accolades speak for themselves, as he nears a staggering 1 billion streams across his catalogue, with his record Evolution surpassing 30,000 UK sales, and achieving Gold selling status in the USA for his single Bluebird.

For the pianist and composer, music is more than a career, it is threaded into his very being, influencing not only what he does each day, but how he perceives the world and everyone in it. Music offers Alexis intimate glimpses of seismic shifts - political, cultural and social – creating a vivid picture of humanity and how people relate to one another.

His new album, Classical Soul Volume One – partly recorded at Brad Pitt’s stunning Miraval Studios – draws on flickering impressions of memory as they appear in Alexis’s mind’s eye. Evoking classic hip hop mixtapes, Classical Soul Volume One makes use of tiny snippets of soul anthems – like Ain’t No Sunshine and A Change Is Gonna Come – dotted as palette cleansers throughout the record, pulling you into half-remembered moments from Alexis’s childhood and his West Indian household. He hopes the listener comes away with a song in their heart, and the feeling that certain tracks have been written specifically for them.

The opening lines of Alexis’s musical story were written at his kitchen table at four-years-old, playing along to Stevie Wonder without keys or pedals. When his family’s first piano arrived a year later that natural musicality was given an outlet to thrive, and by seven, Alexis was the youngest church organist in the country. Then came the Royal Academy of Music, The Purcell School and a scholarship at London’s prestigious Guildhall.

Today, he is committed to improving access to music education for all – regardless of background – Alexis has taken on roles as Governor and Trustee of the Royal Academy of Music, and Artistic Director of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.

Whether it’s performing at the King’s Coronation in 2023, headlining the Royal Albert Hall, performing at Latitude Festival, or hosting his own Apple Music show, Alexis’s litany of achievements are as varied as they are numerous. Collaboration has always been a part of his work, with his 2022 duet with Leona Lewis a perfect example of his unique ability to blend genres.

For Alexis, collaboration always has to happen organically: “It’s about finding people who are in a similar space artistically. But, crucially, I don’t think we need to have similarities in style or genre to work together, it’s about looking for commonalities in our musical DNA. I love finding kindred spirits and people who share similar views from an artistic standpoint.”

As an artist, Alexis embodies passion, pride and purpose in everything he does. With each fresh undertaking he remembers the calling he first felt at his childhood kitchen table, and he has never lost that sense of wonder, or the unwavering belief that music has the power to move people. He carries with him a deep understanding of the gift he has been given, and his duty to share it with the world.