I recently went around different stations in London, stopping at London’s public pianos and performing a few songs from my upcoming album. And I have to say, it was slightly nerve-racking! When you do a show, people have turned up because they know you’re performing. They’ve bought tickets, they’re there for the music and you know you have an audience waiting for you. This was completely different. These were just people going about their everyday lives, rushing through the station, catching trains, heading to work or wherever they needed to be.
There was no big announcement. No stage. No Mics, No lights. Just a piano in the middle of a few busy London stations and my big fog horn voice 😂
What happened next was honestly so lovely.
People started stopping in their tracks. You could see them going from being completely focused on where they were heading to suddenly thinking, hang on… what’s going on here? People were filming on their phones, taking photos and, most importantly, genuinely stopping to listen. And that’s such a brilliant feeling because London is busy. Everyone is constantly on the move, and people don’t always have time to stop and take notice of what’s happening around them. So to see people actually pause their day for a few minutes and enjoy the music was really special.
I was also lucky enough to have the amazing Roy Hay from Culture Club join me on the piano, along with two incredible backing vocalists, Mary and Chloe. Having them there made the whole experience even more special. One of the craziest moments was seeing rapper Tinchy Stryder stop in his tracks to watch us. 😂 It was such a lovely coincidence because Tinchy and I actually did a gig together at the Camden Roundhouse for SoundCloud a number of years ago. So to randomly reconnect like that, right in the middle of one of London’s busiest stations, was wild.
More than anything, I loved being able to give people a little taste of what’s coming with my new album. These weren’t fans or followers who had bought a ticket or people who knew the songs already. They were members of the public who happened to be passing by.
And maybe that’s what made it so exciting.
There was no expectation. No idea of who would stop, who would listen or what people would think. Just music, London’s Public Pianos and the city carrying on around us.
To see people stop, smile, film, take photos and genuinely enjoy themselves was such a wonderful reminder of why I love performing.
Sometimes the most unexpected audiences can be the most rewarding and it was lovely to share a little taste of the new album with London. ❤️🎹
