Liverpudlian virtuoso pianist Brad Kella has announced details of his debut album, alongside sharing new single 'Journey's End'.
Phoebe’s Melody, titled in honour of his two daughters and released June 6 on Modern Sky UK, is a remarkable album from a unique artist with an equally remarkable story.
When Brad Kella won Channel 4’s The Piano, he knew his life would change forever. And so it has proved. From being homeless and playing street pianos to make ends meet, he’s now living out his childhood dream of performing his own music to audiences of thousands in the world’s greatest concert halls. “It’s been the best feeling in the entire world,’ he says from his Liverpool home, where he lives with his partner and two young children. ‘If I could put that feeling from those shows into a bottle and sell it, I’d be a billionaire.”
Listen to ‘Journey’s End’ on the Liverpool Official playlist.
One of music’s most extraordinary, inspiring and freethinking talents, Brad’s career has taken off since he was named the winner by superstar pianists Lang Lang and Mika. He has signed with the independent record label Modern Sky, appeared at Classic FM Live at the Royal Albert Hall and performed his own sell-out show at Liverpool’s famed Philharmonic Hall – a real pinch-me moment. “I let the audience know I’m just a normal lad from Liverpool whose dreams have come true. The audience got behind me so well – you can’t beat a Scouse home crowd. It was like my own classical version of Anfield.”
Brad could “create an album a day, just because I love creating music,” he says – and he’s poured his heart into his debut album. Playing his own pieces for eight hours from memory, he recorded it in London’s RAK studios, in collaboration with top string players and British orchestrator Rosie Danvers, who has worked with the likes of Coldplay, Jay-Z and Adele. “The album is something I’m so proud of. It’s sounding much bigger and better than I could have anticipated. Each piece is a reflection of a moment in my life, a step-by-step musical illustration.”
“My music is melodically beautiful, and with this album I’ve created a whole line of melodies which I truly believe are going to be used for great things, whether it’s in advertisements or even movies,” says Brad, who names the legendary film composers Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer as well as the neo-classical piano star Ludovico Einaudi among his major influences. “I think of a melody before I play it. Because I can’t read and write music, I have to structure my music inside my head, which just comes very easily for me. I can pull a tune out of my mind and play it on the piano. Melodies come from the voice inside me.”
This year also brings a tour with Gary Barlow and two solo shows at the Purcell Room in London. He dreams of hosting a piano concert in Anfield, and already works with Liverpool Football Club. He’s joining forces with the foundation run by Lang Lang, one of the judges on The Piano, for an upcoming project – and also hopes one day to set up his own foundation for children in care.
