Aleks Grey – ‘Feel Alive’

‘Feel Alive’ is the perfect summer song. Released May 15, it’s the perfect introduction to the work of Aleks Grey, a Norwegian singer/songwriter.

Aleks was introduced to music through classical piano lessons aged just three, but was quickly drawn to blues, soul and rock’n’roll. At 10 he was writing his own songs, and by 12 he had already become an accomplished guitarist.

Goaded into auditioning for a part in a musical, the incredibly shy Aleks found his calling, and went on to perform in not just one, but three musicals, having lead roles in each of Rent, West Side Story, and Les Miserables. He also toured with Fame – The Musical. Not bad for someone who had previously never dared to sing in public!

Aleks founded his band ‘The Last Providence’ at age 16, with a group of friends, and went on to play several festivals, including Malakoff in 2011. Their first single, ‘Lullaby’ was playlisted on Norwegian national radio station, NRK P1.

Fast forward to 2013, and Aleks started his solo project, Aleks Grey, which saw him record his first singles, ‘Starlight’, and ‘Born’, at Urban Sound Studios in Oslo. Both gained airplay on NRK P1, and also in the UK, on Amazing Radio and BBC Introducing. In July that year he played Malakoff Rock Festival, winning a grant for best young act.

This success saw him move to Liverpool that year, where he put together his current backing band. He in the meantime kept writing, recording, releasing and performing. In May last year Aleks and the band played The First Look Festival, at Paul McCartney’s performing arts school, LIPA. The single, ‘When You Are Home’ was released in November last year, again played by NRK P1 and BBC Introducing. The following month he set off on his first tour of Norway, where he played six gigs in the west of the country, culminating in a Christmas concert which also featured famous Norwegian artists, Eva & the Heartmaker and Tone Damli.

Feel Alive was released on May 15 and is available on iTunes. Aleks Grey’s band are:

Aleksander Raftevold (Aleks Grey) – vocal/piano/synth/guitar
Reece Cairns – Drums/pad
Eline Brun – bv/piano/synth
Andreas Oxholm – bv/bass
Andreas Skuggen – guitar

You can find Aleks online on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Soundcloud, YouTube and of course his website.