Alex Boye in Concert

Paul Simon did it with his multiple Grammy winning trip to Graceland in the 80s. Elton John drew us all into his “Circle of Life” with The Lion King in the 90s. Now, with over 145 million total YouTube views and counting, entertaining sensation Alex Boye is “Africanizing” the pop landscape yet again, infusing the explosive rhythms and various languages of his ancestral continent (he was raised by his Nigerian mother) into the perfect embodiment of the singer’s belief that “music has no passport.”

“Both of my parents were born in Nigeria, and I lived there for several years of my early childhood,” says Boye. “But even with that strong Nigerian background, I never focused on the African culture in any of my music before. As a singer and artist, I’ve always been this British guy who has lived in the U.S., recently became a citizen and so in essence I’m also African American. For years, my mother urged me to put some African influence into my music, but I kept insisting that it wasn’t a commercially viable genre.

“I’ve done everything else—jazz, pop, hip hop, gospel, heavy metal, even emo—and then I got a phone call from ThePianoGuys wanting me to be in their video singing Swahili,” he adds. “The resulting success of the ‘Peponi’ video had been the biggest response to any of the music I had ever done up to that point, and it was exciting to see so many people responding to pop with an African twist. 

Boye’s original musical journey began during his early years in the Tottenham neighborhood, where he was influenced in his teen years by Motown (particularly Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye) and other soul greats like James Brown, Jackie Wilson and Otis Redding. He launched his professional career in 1995 as the lead singer of the European boy band Awesome. The band performed at local dances and other small venues until 1996 when they won a vocal competition on Capitol Radio, London’s largest radio station. Awesome signed to Universal Records Europe and released three singles from their debut album Rumors which made the Top Ten on various pop charts throughout Europe. Selling over half a million CDs, they performed shows alongside numerous superstars, including Bryan Adams, The Backstreet Boys, George Michael, Simon and Garfunkel and MC Hammer.

Looking forward, Alex Boye is presently engaged in a number of exciting activities which include:

- An invitation to audition for a recurring role on the next season of #1 Hit show "Empire" (Audition presently scheduled for August 2015).

- Just made the 1st round of NBC’s America’s Got Talent, wowing the judges with his high powered and energetic "Africanized" stage sho
 
- UPCOMING ALBUM (produced by Jerry Wonda, et al) entitled “Afromerica" featuring duets with Jennifer Hudson, Peter Gabriel, Akon, Melissa Etheridge and Wyclef Jean. 

- 3 of Alex’s "Africanized" songs slated to be featured in highly anticipated Warner Bros feature film "PAN" featuring Hugh Jackman (scheduled for release this fall).

- Performing in Carnegie Hall 1st & 2nd July (Alex’s second and third performances at that venue this year alone).

- Scheduled Network TV appearances /performances on “Today Show" & "Good Morning America" to promote the Carnegie Hall events.

- Song collaboration with Prince’s new protege' and Grammy winner Judith Hill from Michael Jacksons hit movie “This is it”. 

- Song featured on upcoming biographical film depiction of Olympic champion "Jesse Owens".

“What I’m doing now is taking those big arena type songs I sang with Awesome and mixing them with the joyful vibe of African music. The ultimate goal is to make people feel good and give them a few moments of uplift, which as I’ve discovered over the years, can have transforming and even lifesaving potential. I’m glad I finally listened to my mom, and it feels good to be home.”