Interview: The Piano winner Brad Kella on touring with Gary Barlow, 'gorgeous soul' Claudia Winkleman and his Hollywood dream
The Piano series two winner Brad Kella gets candid about going from being homeless to becoming a piano superstar, the release of his debut album, and how he is still working hard to achieve his one remaining dream...
Channel 4's The Piano winner Brad Kella feels he has "achieved the impossible".
The 23-year-old superstar has gone from being homeless and playing street pianos in Liverpool, to achieving his childhood dream of releasing an album and performing his music in packed-out concert halls.
But despite winning series two of the television music contest and performing with music icon Gary Barlow - he still has one big thing to tick off his wish list.
Contact Music sat down with Brad over Zoom to talk about his debut album, how winning the reality show has transformed his life, and how his past struggles were just the beginning of his story...
CM: Congratulations on the release of your debut album, Phoebe's Melody. How are you feeling now the LP is out?
BK: Honestly, after everything I've been through as a child, and literally having everything against me, I feel I have achieved the impossible by being able to go and release my own album.
CM: Did you ever think you'd be in this position of being a successful musician and releasing an album?
BK: I never thought that I'd be in this situation at all. I was just a young lad from a council estate in Liverpool. I could never afford the piano or lessons, so I just worked towards it with the resources that I had, and touching a piano has just turned out to be the best decision I ever made.
CM: How long did it take you to make Phoebe's Melody?
BK: Some of the pieces I've been working on for years prior to signing to the label, but the album itself was tough. We recorded half of it one day in RAK Studios. So we had an eight-hour studio session, and I got the majority of the album done there, and then we recorded a few other pieces in different parts of the country.
CM: What was the experience of being in a recording studio like?
BK: I was so scared initially, because I'd never been in a studio before. I've always thought that me playing the piano was going to amount to something; I just didn't know what it was. And when I got in the studio, I had this sense of home.
CM: You recorded some of your songs in London's RAK Studios, and that's one of the most iconic music studios in the country, if not the world. That must have been quite a pinch-yourself moment?
BK: Yeah, honestly, it was amazing. And we got to work with Rosie Danvers, who is a string arranger, and she's worked with Coldplay, to Jay-Z, to Sam Fender, and for her to give me the time of day to come and work on my stuff was unbelievable.
CM: So what was the inspiration behind Phoebe's Melody?
BK: I have one daughter called Phoebe and one daughter called Melody. So the name is Phoebe's Melody for my daughters, but the inspiration about the album is it's a journey that started off when I was younger, and then the last piece on the album.
CM: How did Phoebe and Melody play a significant part in your music career?
BK: As a child, I never really had a role model to look up to, to have dream and ambition, but my daughters now have me to know that anything is possible in life, and I want to leave a legacy behind for my children. And naming this album after them is a perfect way to do that.
CM: Why didn't you have any role models that you could look up to?
BK: I come from a rough background, and then I got put in foster care when I was seven. So, from about the age of, I'd say a bit older than seven, when I had more trust in my foster parents, they were my role models, but I never really had a mum and dad to be my role model. So, it's so important to me that my daughters have that.
CM: What do you want people to take away or connect with?
BK: I feel like the album is a beacon of hope. It proves that anything is possible in life, and it doesn't matter if you've come from a hard background or a family that haven't got much money to be able to play in the type of genre I'm playing. You can still go out and achieve absolutely anything with hard work and dedication.
CM: What was it about music that you first fell in love with? Did it act as a form of escapism for you when you were growing up?
BK: Music took me away from all the stuff that was going on inside my head mentally. And I feel like music is a type of medicine for my soul.
CM: Does it still help you now?
BK: Definitely. I listen to music constantly and create music all the time because it's a big escape from the real world for me. As soon as I start listening to music, it opens up my mind into my own imagination, and it lets me try and explore so many different concepts of thought.
CM: How proud are you of Phoebe's Melody?
BK: I'm absolutely over the moon. It's been such a long, hard journey, and to finally say that the album's out and stuff, it's absolutely amazing.
CM: Did Channel 4's The Piano help you to achieve your dream. How did you find out about the show?
BK: I'd watched small bits of season one prior to [my season, two] And then I saw the application had come out, but I never thought about applying right away. And then a guy called Carl Norman recorded me busking in Liverpool, when I was homeless and stayed in hostels. That video got spotted by Channel 4, and then they messaged me and asked if I wanted to come and apply. So I'd did.
CM: Were you nervous about applying after they told you to?
BK: Definitely. I went to Manchester for a pre-audition and then a couple of weeks later, I was sat in front of Claudia Winkleman.
CM: That must be quite surreal?
BK: Definitely.
CM: The audition process sounds fast-paced. Were there multiple auditions or just the one?
Just the one audition.
CM: Were Lang Lang, Mika and Claudia involved in the audition process?
BK: No. The first time I met Mika and Lang Lang was when they walked out of the train station to me.
CM: What was it like working with Lang Lang, Mika and Claudia?
BK: They're the most amazing people to be around off-camera. They really helped me, and they gave me some words of wisdom. And I feel - even with Claudia Winkleman, she's the most gorgeous soul in the world. She really helped me cope with nerves and stuff off camera.
CM: How did she make you feel at ease as you performed in front of a camera and all of the commuters in the train station?
BK: She kept telling me, 'You've got this and don't be nervous.' And those small words really helped me because I knew that if it's coming from her telling me that I was going to be OK, then it obviously meant something.
CM: Did you ever imagine winning The Piano?
BK: Never. It was full of people that have been brought up around music their whole life, and some of them, they'd had tuition and been taught piano. And, obviously, I never had any of those things, so I was the last person to expect to win.
CM: What did it mean to you to win the show?
BK: It just means that I've set myself a career that could possibly last a lifetime. I've done some absolutely incredible things since the show. And it doesn't seem real, to be honest.
CM: What do you think Lang Lang and Mika saw in you and your music that the other contestants lacked?
BK: I feel like they knew my type of piano playing was raw. They knew that nothing but hard work had been put in to have been able to play like that. And I think, with my personality, they knew that I was quite genuine, and I wasn't going on there to be someone I wasn't; I was just Brad. It was a lot of emotion that went into my music. And when you think about my story, you understand the power-fullness behind the piece.
CM: How have you dealt with the fame the show has brought you?
BK: It's just a bit weird. When I go out into town, or wherever I go for a meal out and stuff like that, I get spotted by so many people. But, I'm just so grateful for the love. I always give people the time of day.
CM: What would you tell your younger self now that you're in a privileged position?
BK: I'd tell myself that I was stupid to ever doubt myself, and I would honestly just look at my older self with a massive smile on my face and be like, 'I managed to push through it.' I feel like the struggles were just the beginning of my story.
CM: You've gone on to work with Gary Barlow. What is he like?
BK: Gary's one of the most genuine people in the world. I'm currently in Newcastle now about to do The O2 [City Hall] tonight [03.06.25] with Gary, and he's the most amazing person in the world to be around. He's just really comforting and just a lovely soul to be around. He's a real showman, and he puts a lot of hard work into his craft, and he showed me that there's so many more levels to the game.
CM: What surprised you about working with Gary?
BK: I'm a classical artist, so when I got the call from Gary to come on his tour, I didn't know what to expect from a Gary Barlow fan base. What shocked me is how willing they were to include me into the whole Gary Barlow scene.
CM: Why do you think Gary choose you to support him on his tour?
BK: I'm not too sure. I think he just liked my story, and he wanted to give me a helping hand with coming into the industry.
CM: And you must really appreciate that?
BK: Definitely. It will stay with me until the day I die. It really will.
CM: What other projects have you got coming this year and beyond?
BK: I've got a few TV appearances, and we've been speaking to a very big actor - who I can't name. And hopefully, we're going to be doing some compositions for this actor. And then a bunch of other brilliant things, which is really exciting.
CM: Would you like to do something like classical festivals, or something like BBC Proms one day?
BK: Definitely. I've got Latitude Festival coming up around the corner. That's going to be a gorgeous time.
CM: What's at the top of your bucket list?
BK: I want to score a Hollywood blockbuster. I want to get my hands on a massive film and compose the music.
CM: What film genre would you like to be involved in?
BK: I'd love to do a fantasy film because it gives me more time to experiment.
CM: If a biopic of your life's journey was created, what actor would you like to play you?
BK: I'm not sure. I don't know anyone around my age with this accent that could pull it off.
CM: If there was a scene of you on The Piano, who would you like to play you?
Timothée Chalamet or someone like that. He'd smash it.
Stream Phoebe's Melody now on all major streaming services. Catch Brad Kella live this September.
Brad Kella Debut Headline Tour 2025:
16 September Glasgow Oran Mor
17 September Manchester Stoller Hall
18 September Birmingham Town Hall
23 September London Union Chapel
