Alexis Ffrench

Alexis Ffrench
Background information
Born	1970 (age 53–54) Surrey, England
Occupation(s)	Pianist, composer, producer
Labels	Sony Music
Website	www.alexisffrenchmusic.com

Alexis Ffrench (born 1970) is a British classical and soul musician, composer, producer, and pianist. Ffrench’s music has more than 500 million streams and both albums Evolution (2018) and Dreamland (2020) reached No. 1 in the Classical Music Charts.^[1]

Ffrench has headlined the Royal Albert Hall, collaborated with fashion houses Miyake and Hugo Boss, played Latitude Festival, worked with pop artist Paloma Faith, and composed several film scores.^[2][3] An advocate for music education, Ffrench is a Governing Body Member and Trustee of the Royal Academy of Music, London, and is the first Artistic Director of the Royal Schools of Music. As a broadcaster, Ffrench is the host of Classical Connections on Apple Music 1.^[4]

Career

Ffrench has been improvising on the piano since the age of four. He received scholarships to study at The Purcell School for Young Musicians and the Royal Academy of Music.^[5] He is known for his unusual style of combining his classical training with a love of roots music and R&B.^[6]

He is signed to Sony Music^[7] and Modest! Management. In 2017, he released his singles "Bluebird",^[8] "Radiate"^[9] and a cover of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas".^[10]

Ffrench delivers educational programmes on writing and producing music to young people, and has partnered with The Prince’s Trust, MJ Cole, Marvin Humes and other special guests.^[4]

In 2019, Ffrench joined Scala Radio as a presenter.^[11]

In March 2021, he became Scala Radio's composer in residence.^[12]

In 2022, Ffrench released his new album Truth,^[13] also releasing the single "One Look", featuring Leona Lewis.

Influences

Before his formal music education, at the age of seven, Ffrench was appointed head organist at his local church in Surrey. Growing up influenced by the music of Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley and Ella Fitzgerald, Ffrench first honed his craft by playing at the kitchen table aged four and writing his first pieces at the age of five. His parents bought a second-hand piano to support his interest.

When he was 23, Ffrench's best friend, a fellow musician, committed suicide. It led Ffrench both to reassess his music and to become keenly aware of the importance of mental health. Dreamland's vision of a safe haven is drawn from Ffrench's awareness of mental health concerns.

Ffrench points to the hip-hop community’s success in getting across its complex musical messages to the mainstream. He cites the challenging music of Kendrick Lamar and Anderson .Paak as examples of superstars doing it their way. "Kendrick Lamar's song 'Humble' is like Béla Bartók's Out Of Doors 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 Ffrench's weekly Sunday show on Scala Radio, a broad church where Ffrench highlights the song craft in pop and revels in classical majesty. He has been praised by The Times with the words: "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."^[4]

Ffrench's 2020 single "Walk With Us" pays homage to the Black Lives Matter movement, with 100 per cent of label net proceeds and artist record royalties donated to the cause.^[14]

Discography

Albums

Film scores

References

External links

• Official website
• Website at Sony Classical
• Alexis Ffrench Youtube
• Alexis Ffrench Instagram
• Alexis Ffrench TikTok
• Sony Classical Youtube
• Sony Classical Instagram
• Sony Classical TikTok
• Alexis Ffrench on Scala Radio

This page was last edited on 16 May 2024, at 00:06