Alexis Ffrench

Alexis Ffrench 'Classical Soul Vol.1'

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.

“The music I make now has an even deeper meaning and resonance because it is tied to the wider mission of having a positive impact on the world.” For Alexis, music acts as a visual prism, bending light in every direction, both forward and back - and his latest project takes him back to the beginning of everything.

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.

“There is a panoramic feeling to this project,” says Alexis. “A 360 process of looking back, looking forward, and feeling deep gratitude. I want to be on this journey with the person who listens to this record too; I want to hear their stories – their inner symphonies – and the way it was for them.”

At points a soothing balm, at others intentionally provocative, Classical Soul Volume One is interspersed with varying points of resistance. At its core, this latest album is a rebuilding. The death of his father was fundamentally destabilising, a loss that reverberated, forcing Alexis to reevaluate his life, and triggering a deeper capacity for love. “These experiences prompt you to consider what you have, and what you have been left with,” he explains. These universal narratives of loss and love overlap seamlessly through music that thrums with the inevitability of change and the vitality of reinvention.

“This album is not only my story,” Alexis adds, “but the story of my father, of my children, and the stories that we carry across generations.

“Losing someone makes you love with more intensity. The new album is a way for me to start at the beginning of the story, put pencil to paper, and lay everything down for people to hear.”

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.”

After decades working in the music industry, Alexis has developed a deep understanding of the importance of wellbeing. These days he finds going off-grid, getting into nature, and escaping the hectic demands of the city can be the perfect tonic for a busy mind. Writing large chunks of his new album immersed in the beauty of the Scottish wilderness, Alexis finds that nature is his music for the soul. “I have struggled at times with feeling that the world is moving too fast, which is not conducive to the kind of music I write,” he explains. “Being alone – either in nature or at the piano – are my ways of trying to arrest time, trying to seize it and slow it down.”

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.

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