Joey Alexander
| Joey Alexander | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Josiah Alexander Sila |
| Born |
June 25, 2003 Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Labels | Motéma |
| Website | JoeyAlexanderMusic |
Josiah Alexander Sila (born June 25, 2003), better known as Joey Alexander, is an Indonesian jazz pianist and child prodigy. He released his first album, My Favorite Things, in 2015 at age 11. He taught himself to play jazz at age six and has performed for Herbie Hancock, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. In 2014, Wynton Marsalis invited him to play at Jazz at Lincoln Center, which made him an "overnight sensation", according to The New York Times. He won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Master-Jam Fest and performed at the Montreal and Newport Jazz Festivals in 2015.
Joey Alexander became the first Indonesian act to enter the Billboard 200 chart when My Favorite Things debuted at number 174.
Josiah Alexander Sila was born in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, to parents Denny Sila and Farah Leonora Urbach, who ran an adventure tourism business. His father was an amateur musician, and both parents were fans of jazz, particularly Louis Armstrong. He is the nephew of the rock singer Nafa Urbach, and the Indonesian musician and songwriter Alam Urbach. He learned about jazz by listening to classic albums his father gave him. By age six, he had taught himself to play piano using a miniature, electric keyboard his father brought home for him, learning by ear compositions such as Thelonious Monk's "Well, You Needn't" and other songs from his father's jazz collection. He later said learning the instrument came naturally to him, and considers his ability "a gift from God". He cites as influences John Coltrane, Harry Connick, Jr., Bill Evans, and Herbie Hancock, and he particularly admires Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, Wynton Marsalis, Brad Mehldau, Lee Morgan, Horace Silver, and McCoy Tyner.
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