Brad will be performing in Liverpool next month
Brad Kella has signed a recording contract with a Liverpool-based music label. The 23-year-old won the second series of Channel 4 show The Piano.
Brad, who grew up in Bootle, released his debut single, Eve And Frank, dedicated to his foster parents, today, which he performed in the final episode. At the age of seven, Brad was placed into foster care, where he was able to learn the piano through a government grant. This funded an electric piano for him.
As a teenager, he walked out of his GCSE exams but managed to earn a scholarship to the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) despite being unable to read sheet music.
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A video of him went viral after he was filmed playing on a public piano in Liverpool ONE. The producers of The Piano then got in contact with him and urged Kella to audition.
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Speaking about the show, Brad, who now lives in Fazakerley, told the PA news agency: “I just applied for the show, expecting nothing to come of it. I went into the Manchester audition wearing a tracksuit… not looking like a piano player at all. But they were blown away, they said.
“I played one of my own songs. Everyone was advising me not to, because other contestants were playing classical standards, and it was a risk. But Lang Lang and Mika, the judges, they loved it.”
On the Channel 4 show, host Claudia Winkleman meets talented pianists at train stations across the country, before they play to passers-by while the show’s judges, pop star Mika and Chinese pianist Lang Lang, secretly watch on. Series one was won by 13-year-old blind musician Lucy from West Yorkshire.
Brad has signed a recording deal with Modern Sky. The firm already has deals in place with a number of Scouse musicians and bands, including Jamie Webster, The Sway, Red Rum Club and Reignmaker.
Brad, who will also release a debut album, had his single co-written by British orchestrator Rosie Danvers, who has arranged for Noel Gallagher, Adele and Michael Kiwanuka.
Discussing what it was like to make the album, he said: “They sent me down to RAK Studios in London to record an album. Some of the best string players in the world were there, reading through pages of manuscript, but I managed to get through the whole session – eight hours – just remembering it off the top of my head, because I can’t read music. I was 13 when I first saw a piano, now I’m 23, so I feel like I was born to do it.”
Brad will also perform at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool this month as part of a programme demonstrating the value and impact of the creative sector in the UK. Brad’s album is set for release in 2025.
Announcing his single earlier this week, he asked fans to show their support. Brad said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that my debut single, ‘Eve and Frank’ will be available on all platforms on September 20.
“My journey so far has been unbelievable, I cannot thank you all enough for supporting me and can’t wait to share this special track with you all.
“It would mean the absolute world to me if you tuned in on Friday to listen and shared far and wide.” The post was accompanied with a snippet from the song, with a picture of Brad, his twin brother and their foster parents in Liverpool dated as 2008.
Brad has previously praised his foster parents for supporting him and his twin brother after a difficult upbringing. He said: “When I was growing up, we had no routine. Never went to school.
“I used to just roam around the streets all day until about 10.30/11pm at night, causing mayhem. I got put in foster care when I was seven years old with my twin brother.
“What they [my foster parents] did for me and my brother was absolutely everything. They’d make sure we were up to start in school, routine, getting up early, going to bed early. They gave me absolutely everything and more.”
