Tag: video

Watch 15-Year-Old Jazz Pianist Joey Alexander Share His Passion for Music

Each time jazz musician Joey Alexander opens Spotify, he sees something that most 15-year-olds don’t: his fourth studio album. What’s more, he sees the numbers: 400,000-plus listeners from around the world follow the Indonesian jazz pianist.

The care and delight Joey expresses with each stroke of the keyboard is apparent in his performance of his own free composition, “Eclipse,” seen in an exclusive interview and performance with Joey at Steinway Hall in New York City. Between his utter surrender to the melody and the excitement with which he shares his story, it is clear that when Joey plays, he pours his heart and soul into the music and instrument he loves.

Music has always been a part of Joey’s life. He taught himself piano when he was 6 years old by both listening to his father’s jazz albums and sitting down at the piano to practice playing the notes himself. At 9, he won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Master-Jam Fest, an international, all-ages jazz competition. And when he was 11, he became the youngest jazz artist ever to be nominated for a Grammy. But what’s most important in all of this, he says, is “to enjoy every moment.”

It’s more than talent and dedication that have pushed Joey decades ahead of his peers in his musical career. His passion for jazz, belief in music’s ability to bring people together, and love of storytelling through composition all fuel his playing—and keep him going. Joey’s musical influences and inspiration span decades of jazz expertise, as you can hear in his Inspiration Playlist:

Between his utter surrender to the melody and the excitement with which he shares his story, it is clear that when Joey plays, he pours his heart and soul into the music and instrument he loves.

‘See You Again’: Charlie Puth’s Musical Homecoming

Most people visit their alma maters excited to see their old dorms or to catch the homecoming tailgate and football game. But when Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter/producer Charlie Puth stopped by his old stomping grounds at Berklee College of Music in July, it was for slightly more academic reasons: to be a frank, off-the-cuff guest lecturer for students looking to perfect their music and pursue their passion, just as he did.

The Berklee grad (class of 2013) walked away from college with a degree in music production and engineering, as well as knowledge and experience that helped him land his first major label deal, with Atlantic, in 2015. From there, he collaborated with Meghan Trainor on their hit single “Marvin Gaye,” and Wiz Khalifa on the Grammy-nominated number “See You Again.” He released his debut album, Nine Track Mind, in January 2016.

Yet throughout his burgeoning fame he hasn’t forgotten his roots. On July 12, Puth joined up with Spotify and one of his former Berklee teachers, Grammy-nominated hit songwriter and former “American Idol” judge Kara DioGuardi, to host a special workshop and live performance for current top-performing upperclassmen at campus hot spot Cafe 939. He reflected on his time at the school and launching his career, workshopped with students, provided tips for improvement, and even performed some of his hits, including “Done for Me,” “How Long,” “Attention,” “The Way I Am,” and “See You Again.”

“I’m on cloud nine right now, you know why?” Charlie asked the class. “I played a show in front of 15,000 people last night. But my first show ever was in this room. It’s come full circle.”

Listen to Charlie Puth’s newest, self-produced album, Voicenotes.