Chart-topping pianist & composer Alexis Ffrench announces details of upcoming studio album ‘Classical Soul Volume One’, set for release this Autumn via Sony Classical. ‘Classical Soul Volume One’ by Alexis Ffrench is a collection of original compositions for piano & orchestra, interspersed with tiny snippets of beloved soul anthems dotted throughout the record as palette cleansers.
As one of the UK’s most distinctive and groundbreaking artists, who pioneered the genre ‘Classical Soul’ and has amassed over 1 billion streams on his catalogue, the news is accompanied with the release of his nostalgic new solo piano single ‘The Way It Was’, inspired by his late Father’s record collection and recorded at Brad Pitt and Damien Quintard’s renowned Miraval Studios.
Alexis brings piano to the mainstream. Whether it’s performing at the King’s Coronation Concert in 2023 to an audience of over 18 million viewers, hosting his Apple Music show after Elton John’s Rocket Hour, performing at major music festivals & sold out venues worldwide, hosting nationwide music education masterclasses, or posting covers of today’s hits by Central Cee, Billie Eilish and more to an enthusiastic social media audience, Alexis is passionate about music being accessible to all.
‘The Way It Was’ is inspired by Alexis’ late Father’s record collection. In the first single, out today, Alexis takes the depth and emotion from his childhood love of soul, and combines it with his classical capabilities to craft a song that feels nostalgic and moving, yet timeless and uplifting.
Speaking about The Way It Was, Alexis writes:
“The Way It Was draws inspiration from my dad’s vast record collection. Growing up, our home was filled with a rich soundtrack of Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack – some of whom I consider to be my earliest teachers.
As I played ‘imaginary’ piano on the kitchen table, to classics like Superstition and At Last, I was transported to a place of wonder and felt a calling. And as I listened, I absorbed the passion, pride & purpose of these soul icons and dreamt of a parallel pathway – informed by the storied lives of these soul greats and their wider mission.
As I look back and remember the way it was, and the limitless space I was given to grow creatively and spiritually, I have come to better understand all that I had been gifted, and the debt that I owe.
These artists, and the power of their collective voices, connected with me deep within and opened a gateway to a world of Classical Soul, and for that I am truly grateful.”
Speaking about the forthcoming album, Alexis adds:
“It is for this reason that I wanted to create a modern mixtape, classical-soul symphony for the 21st century. An album which seeks to reframe the classical story – building soaring symphonic pillars of ‘Black Ivy’ from the echoes of soul classics into a majestic expression of pride, love, nostalgia, and healing elixir.”
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.
‘The Way It Was’ is the first track in Alexis’ big year of music, and on ‘Classical Soul Volume One’ we can expect some of his most heartfelt and purposeful material to date.
ALEXIS FFRENCH
THE CLASSICAL SOUL TOUR
3 FEBRUARY 2025
ULSTER HALL, BELFAST
7PM
TICKETS AVAILABLE FRIDAY AT 10AM VIA ULSTERHALL.CO.UK | TICKETMASTER.IE
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