For many people, music is a source of hope amidst uncertain moments of their lives. They can either express their dreams and aspirations through music or listen to others sharing their stories of the positive, negative, and in-between moments of life. This art form is one of the greatest gifts endowed to humanity, with some people being blessed with superior talent and skills.
An up-and-coming musician who has been hard to miss these days, especially on the internet, is Alex Chen, a 27-year-old singer and songwriter. Alex rose to prominence after his series of covers of modern pop songs went viral on Facebook and TikTok. The Tulsa, Oklahoma-native has thousands of monthly listeners on Spotify and almost the same number of subscribers on his YouTube channel.
Before his online fame, Alex worked in the corporate world as a financial expert for a marketing firm in his hometown. Throughout his career, he became financially stable by working hard to climb up the ranks in the company he works for. Music was more of a hobby for Alex than another endeavor he wants to succeed in. He bonds with his family during his free time by singing karaoke at home and watching concerts in Tulsa.
When he was a child, Alex’s favorite artists included Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash, U2, and Nirvana. His taste for music saw a significant shift when he started listening to RnB and hip-hop music in his teenage years. Alex began appreciating the music of Mariah Carey, Chris Brown, Usher, Rihanna, and Justin Timberlake. By the early 2010s, he started listening to electronic dance music, expanding his music taste.
In 2015, Alex created a YouTube account for the simple purpose of subscribing to his favorite artists’ channel on the platform. When he saw countless amateur singers uploading their videos on the video-sharing site, he thought of doing the same just for fun. The first video he uploaded was his cover of Justin Bieber’s Love Yourself, one of the biggest hits of that year.
Alex’s rendition of the Grammy-nominated song by Bieber gained over 100,000 views in less than a week. He was surprised by the video’s success and even got a shoutout from Biber during one of the Canadian pop star’s live events online. This exposure became the foundation of Alex’s online career, which he quickly embraced it by uploading more videos.
A couple of years later, Alex explored songwriting despite not having any experience writing lyrics or poems. He had a brief knowledge of playing the guitar, which he learned during a few summer classes at grade school. In 2018, Alex started sharing his original work, which fortunately replicated the success of his old covers. One of his songs, called “In Darkest Moments,” became a source of inspiration for people of color.
Songs are meant to send a message, and Alex was able to do this successfully when he started writing songs. Today, he’s one of the hottest newcomers on Spotify, with his original tracks gaining millions of streams. For Alex, his talent goes beyond his vocal abilities, and it focuses a lot on bringing hope to people struggling with anything. His fans are excited about the fantastic things he has in store for them in the coming years.
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