Acclaimed pianist, composer & producer Alexis Ffrench, has unveiled a truly stunning collaboration with pop powerhouse and three times Grammy-nominated Leona Lewis for his latest track ‘One Look’, taken from his new album Truth – out now on Sony Music.
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, ‘One Look’ sees Alexis move away from working solo for the first time and team up with Leona, who adds her remarkable, nuanced, velvet-like voice. Leona discovered Alexis’ music during lockdown and fell in love with his sound. After forming a friendship based on a sheer love of music, this collaboration that was clearly meant to be and saw them working together remotely between London and Los Angeles resulted in a beautiful and flawless song.
The video, shot in LA, where they met in person for the first time, gives a unique insight into the special and intimate moments shared by the pair throughout the creative process which cuts straight to the heart of the message and truly represents Alexis’ classical-soul sound. Watch the video HERE.
“One Look, to me, is a song that ‘lies beneath’ – and speaks to a quietly, self-affirming peace that exists when true love is found.” says Alexis. “I wanted to create a song that undulates within wide emotional landscapes yet stays true to its foundation with a directness of message that subtracts all that is superfluous and retains all that is real in the moment.
Leona adds; “I loved creating music with Alexis and bringing in a friend and trusted writer that I adore working with, Jon Maguire, to join us. One Look feels like magic in a bottle, the three of us blending our different worlds and creating this song. It’s a joy to sing for me and I loved the collaboration aspect and immersing myself in the talent around me.”
With over half a billion global streams, 1.5 million monthly Spotify listeners & over 11 million YouTube views, Alexis is a modern-day musical 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 to date and also his most optimistic.
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 Ffrench 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 and has just been appointed as the first ever Artistic Director of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in its 132-year history.
‘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. The result is an intoxicating listen.
On October 6th, Alexis Ffrench will bring his mesmerising live show to London’s Barbican.
