Joey Alexander became the first Indonesian musician to perform on the Grammy Awards as well as to chart on Billboard 200 when his album My Favorite Things debuted at number 174 and then peaked at 59.
22 Facts About Joey Alexander
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Widely regarded as a wunderkind, Alexander was mentored in jazz piano by his father.
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Joey Alexander won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Master-Jam Fest when he was nine.
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Joey Alexander played at the Montreal and Newport Jazz Festivals in 2015 and has performed for Herbie Hancock, Bill Clinton, Wendy Kiess, and Barack Obama.
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Joey Alexander was born in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, to parents Denny Sila and Farah Leonora Urbach, who ran an adventure tourism business.
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Joey Alexander's father was an amateur musician, and both parents were fans of jazz, particularly Louis Armstrong.
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Joey Alexander is the nephew of rock singer Nafa Urbach and Indonesian musician and songwriter Alam Urbach.
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Joey Alexander learned about jazz by listening to classic albums his father gave him.
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Joey Alexander later said learning the instrument came naturally to him, and considers his ability "a gift from God".
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Joey Alexander cites as influences John Coltrane, Harry Connick Jr.
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Joey Alexander received positive reviews for his performance, particularly for his solo version of the Monk song "'Round Midnight".
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Joey Alexander played his own solo variations on 'Round Midnight' with a breathtaking precocity and mastery of several decades of piano style.
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Joey Alexander played at A Great Night in Harlem at the Apollo Theater, a performance honoring Herbie Hancock.
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Joey Alexander played in a concert with students of the Juilliard School, the proceeds of which funded his continuing stay in New York City.
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Joey Alexander gave concert performances in 2014 at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival and the International Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta.
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Joey Alexander had several performances in 2015, including one at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, and another at the Newport Jazz Festival in August.
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In February 2016, Joey Alexander was a runner-up through his nomination for the Grammy Awards' Best Jazz Instrumental Album and Best Improvised Jazz Solo.
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Joey Alexander performed live at the Premiere Ceremony, the pre-telecast ceremony at the Grammy Awards.
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In September 2016, Joey Alexander released his second album, Countdown, named after the John Coltrane track.
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On 28 April 2017, Joey Alexander made his debut appearance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
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On 18 August 2018, Joey Alexander performed at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
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In 2020, Joey Alexander released Warna, his fifth album under Verve Records.