Despite being only 21 years old, he has already attracted the attention of no less stellar a talent than Will Ackerman, the Grammy-winning founder of Windham Hill Records and now the man behind Imaginary Road Studios, arguably the hottest place to record instrumental music in today's contemporary music scene. Alexi debuted his first album, Zia, featuring 4-time Grammy winner Eugene Friesen and now sits on the top of ZMR and One World music charts.
Born in New Mexico in 1995, Alexi, with his parents and sister, soon moved to Paris where they have resided for most of Alexi's 21 years. Alexi began piano with formal lessons at the age of 4. He took to the instrument as if fated to play it. Immersed in classical lessons (and that was the only music he played until recently), he was fortunate with his first teacher to get someone "...who was supportive for such a young player and particularly open to letting me feel my own way as opposed to following strict rules." Unlike some protégés, though, Alexi did not aspire for accolades. "Playing piano has been something I do for myself. I was never interested in competitions," although he did win first prize in the Flame International Piano Competition, the one and only time he entered. While he rejected competition, he loved performing in front of people. In recent years, he has enjoyed playing both for pleasure or, more importantly, at charity benefits and events.
When he turned 18, Alexi started composing his own music; it just came to him naturally. The music garnered a lot of hits and many favorable comments and eventually led to him being named as an upcoming artist by the French/Belgian Project Daybreak, which features interviews and articles on rising stars in the music business. Shortly after that was when Will Ackerman reached out to Alexi and asked him to come to Imaginary Road Studios to record his debut album, Zia. "
aleximusnitsky
