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Remember the name Kane Alexander.
Every household will soon know it. The 27-year-old with the heaven-sent voice has just delivered Australia his calling card - first as special guest on the Il Divo tour and now with his self-titled debut album, a mesmerising collection of classical, pop, jazz and Latin music that is both unique and truly epic.
Having grown up in country Victoria and graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in voice and drama, he paid his dues working the jazz clubs of New York. Four years ago, he returned to Australia with a clear vision and burning ambition to record his first album.
The concept for Kane Alexander (the album) emerged from Kane's passion for pop, opera and the sweeping orchestration of the most memorable movie themes.
"I wanted to make an album that moved people, with songs that told a story. I wanted to take the listener on a journey. But I wanted a cinematic sound. I wanted the orchestra to be scored the way a film score would be scored. This had to be an album that I wanted to listen to myself."
Kane was elated that SONY BMG was quick to understand his vision and allowed him the luxury of spending the next three years capturing it. The time was used to get the right producer, the right songs and even the right orchestra "because it was always going to be a symphonic record."
Kane recorded his debut album in Stockholm and London, working with renowned producers and songwriters such as Andes Bagge, Quiz & Larossi, Tom Nichols and Tim Baxter as well as members of the Stockholm Symphony Orchestra (who appear on every track).
The results are as exciting as they are enchanting; a beautiful mix of musical colours that range from the powerfully melodic Come Vivrei - an Italian version of Trisha Yearwood's Grammy Award winning How Do I Live, to Seal's poetic Kiss From a Rose, the delicate pop of Everything I Am, Kane?s dramatic co-written opener Escape and the much loved classical favourite, Nella Fantasia.
"I'm a classically trained singer - I don't claim to be an opera singer!" he emphasises. "But this is a record which is grand and passionate, like opera. I hope people will be able to relate to the atmosphere, the melodies and the romance that it offers. It is about big emotions, of love, and guilt and pain and loss, which is exactly what I had hoped for."
"The philosopher Emerson said 'life is good only when it is magical and musical.' A part of me wants to believe that. But there is also pain to bear, as in the beautiful Roy Orbison classic Crying."
The concept also gave Kane the chance to display his multi-lingual skills - four of the tracks on the album, including lead track Come Vivrei (How Do I Live) (penned by Dianne Warren), are sung in Italian.
"You don't need to know a language to understand what a song is about," Kane explains. "Certain songs transcend language barriers and can ache and move a listener, no matter what their nationality. Come Vivrei (How Do I Live) is one of those songs."
Also of special mention is Timeless, a stunning duet with Australian diva Tina Arena, who now lives in France.
"I grew up listening to her music and to that incredible voice. She was an obvious choice to duet with on Timeless, and we had a great time recording the vocals together in Stockholm."
Keen to explore his artistry further, Kane co-wrote two of the songs on the album - Breathe & Escape which was penned with Andes Bagge and Tom Nichols. It is about the guilt associated with the end of a relationship.
The singer reveals that songwriting is a new pursuit. "I never saw myself a writer," he says. "But I was very surprised at how easily the writing came. It was an enjoyable and creative experience, and another way to express myself."
Kane had a relatively isolated childhood, growing up on a farm in the country Victorian wheat-belt. At the age of six, he discovered in a junk shed a box of old 78 records that belonged to his grandparents. The records were by singing legends like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and even Slim Dusty.
"These records were the beginnings of my musical education," he said
One of the records was by the legendary opera singer Mario Lanza. Kane fell in love with that voice and it triggered a life-long love affair with opera and classical singing.
"I'd never heard anything like that. It changed my life. I would listen to these records for hours and hours, and to the way they used their voices. I couldn't believe that a god-like voice such as Lanza's could come from a human being."
"I just loved to sing. Whether I was good at it was never the point. It was my passion. It was only much later that I sensed I might have talent."
Onstage today, Kane has transformed into a sensual and roguish performer. He explains, "I feel at home on the stage. I love performing live. That's what I grew up doing. Live is where I express myself. You get one shot to get that note or phrase just right. I learned from playing those intimate jazz clubs in New York, the incredible communion between you and the audience."
That connection, that special magic is something Australia can expect to become a lot more familiar with from now on. With his self-titled debut, Kane Alexander proves he's one of the brightest new stars in contemporary Australian music and leaves little doubt that his future will be nothing less than shining...
Kane is managed by Hatari Management
