To coincide with International Piano Day, acclaimed pianist, composer & producer Alexis Ffrench, has today dropped the mesmerising video for his new track ‘Songbird’, taken from his new album Truth – out May 6th on Sony Music.
Gorgeously put together by Japanese director Yosuke Kobayashi, the video, set in Tokyo, sees an after hours cleaner overcome with emotion and perform a beautiful dance throughout a dimly-lit office building. Like Alexis’ much-loved single ‘Bluebird’, the dance is fully choreographed by his talented ballerina daughter Savannah.
Of the song and video, Alexis comments; “I am touched by the response to Bluebird from supporters all over the world. In the sequel, Songbird, I wanted to reflect my emotional connection with listeners – their indelible truths, and the stories of their lives – in portraying the universal desire to hold on to the whisper that sings to our heart.”
‘Songbird’ arrives as the sequel to ‘Bluebird’, which has amassed a staggering 50 million streams to date, seen a duet with Charlotte Hawkins on Good Morning Britain, as well as a collaboration with opera star Pretty Yende at the Classic Brit Awards.
With over 450 million global streams, 1.5 million monthly Spotify listeners & over 11 million Youtube views, Alexis is a modern day Classical phenomenon. He also isn’t afraid of fusing his music with weighty issues. For years, the pioneering pianist has used his music to highlight mental health, discuss diversity and challenge the classical world to be more inclusive. Truth, his latest album, is his most powerful and political to date, and also his most optimistic.
“I’m usually wary of making any sort of political statement,” says Britain’s best-selling classical composer, “but sometimes you have to put your head above the parapet. Truth was borne out of an intensely personal moment. These songs are my reaction to that.”
Recorded at the world-famous Real World Studios near Bath, he worked remotely with a 70-piece orchestra in a custom-built studio in Vienna. The artist who normally writes, orchestrates, performs and produces all his own albums, has worked with co-writer John Maguire (Calum Scott, Tom Chaplin) on ‘One Look’ featuring Leona Lewis – a spine-tingling classical-soul anthem.
Alexis doesn’t just talk about change. He frequently posts tutorials on YouTube and social media to help young musicians develop their skills and last year announced the launch of two annual scholarships to study at the world leading Royal Academy of Music, his alma mater, supported by Sony Music’s Social Justice Fund. This January, Alexis was appointed as a governing body member and trustee of the Royal Academy.
Truth is a collection of concise, compelling, thought-provoking recordings which has seen him bring classical music to the masses since he first topped the classical album charts in 2018. An album borne out of feelings of grief, despair and injustice, it is proof of the power of community, positive thought and collective healing.
The maestro may be wary of politics, but as ever, the result is an intoxicating listen.
