Business overview
Classical-soul pioneer, composer, producer and pianist Alexis Ffrench is the fastest-growing classical artist in the world. Not only is Alexis the UK’s biggest selling pianist of 2020, he has headlined London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall, collaborated with top fashion houses Miyake and Hugo Boss, played Latitude Festival, worked with pop superstar Paloma Faith, composed several major film scores and shares the same management team as Little Mix & Niall Horan.
You may already be familiar with Alexis’ remarkable music: his music has amassed over 200 million streams and both albums ‘Evolution’ and ‘Dreamland’ reached No. 1 in the classical music charts. It doesn’t matter if you prefer Bach, Beethoven, Kendrick Lamar or Chance the Rapper; there’s succour to be found in Alexis Ffrench’s universe, whether in the purity and innocence of ‘Story Of You’, the lush orchestration of ‘Dreamland’, the stunning melody of ‘Bluebird’ or ‘Walk With Us’ – a track for which 100% of label net proceeds and artist record royalities support the Black Lives Matter movement. “I aspire to be non-denominational in how my music is viewed,” says Alexis. “Even calling yourself ‘a classical artist’ is a barrier of entry to many people. My music has a classical signature in its DNA, but it’s borderless, a synthesis of many styles.”
Evangelical about the power to be gained from music, and saddened by the demise education in schools, Alexis has created a series of YouTube video tutorials for aspiring musicians of all abilities. Passionate about ensuring music education is accessible and that young people feel empowered to find their unique voices, Alexis delivers educational programmes on writing & producing music to young people, and has partnered with The Prince’s Trust, MJ Cole, Marvin Humes and other special guests.
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, he won a scholarship for gifted children to study there when he was 10. Alexis was also a student at the Purcell Shcool and Guidhall School of Music and Drama. “I was very fortunate,” Alexis acknowledges. “The Royal Academy was an incredible environment: warm, challenging, demanding, all the things education should be about. But it wasn’t terribly inclusive. It’s better now, but I was one of only two black children then. It’s really important to reach out to attaract children from all walks of life to receive specialist education, because it was so important for me.”
Even before his formal music education, at the age of seven Alexis was appointed head organist at his local church in Surrey, becoming the UK’s youngest church organist. Growing up in a household full of music of Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley & Ella Fitzgerald, Alexis first honed his craft by playing the kitchen table aged four and writing his first pieces at five, his prodigious gifts convincing his parents to buy a second-hand piano
A tragic turning point came at 23, when Alexis’ best firend, a fellow musician died in tragic fashion. It led Alexis to reasses his music and to become keenly aware of the imprtance of good mental health.
Alexis points to the hip-hop community’s success in getting across its own complex musical messages to the mainstream. He cites the challenging music of Kendrick Lamar and Anderson .Paak as examples of superstars doing it their own way. “Kendrick Lamar’s song ‘Humble’ is like Bartok’s’ Out Of Door’s suite, in the pugilistic bass notes in the extremities of the piano at the opening of both works. I think to attract a contemporary audience, classical can learn from how hip-hop has marketed its music and ideas.” The mix of Kendrick Lamar and Bartok, Shostakovich and Ariana Grande is present throughout Alexis’ weekly Sunday show on Scala Radio, a broad church where Alexis highlights the song craft in pop and revels in classical majesty. Praised by The Times as “If a single person epitomises the new push towards making classical music more diverse, eclectic and unstuffy, it’s Alexis Ffrench. As a pianist and composer he creates tonal music that beguiles newcomers with its gentleness and beauty, yet also has enough half-concealed nods to Chopin, Debussy, Satie and other historical figures to keep connoisseurs interested.”