Alex, a singer songwriter, keen environmentalist and member of the band, The Tenmours, beat off thousands of others to win his place in the finals of Tour Music Fest, due to take place at San Marino’s Teatro Nuovo from Monday (November 27) to Friday next week.
And, instead of flying to the European republic, he will be travelling by train all the way across Europe to San Marino in protest of what he says is the ‘aviation industry’s destructive contributions to the climate crisis’.
In front of a world-wide audience and a panel of judges made up of internationally renowned artists, producers and composers, including Kara Dioguardi, from American Idol, he will perform ‘Ukraine Song’ – a song inspired by all the Ukrainian people who have left their country and are now living in communities across the UK.
Alex said finding out he had beaten thousands of other artists and that he had been chosen to represent his country had been hugely exciting and left him feeling a great sense of responsibility.
“Honestly it’s surreal, everything about it feels bigger than me. Watching the announcement of the finalists was like watching Britain’s Got Talent; my band on video call also watching nervously.
“I never imagined I’d be picked among the thousands, and then my face showed up. We all screamed and jumped around the room like – I’d got to the final.
“Then I called my parents and they imploded with shock and tears. ‘Ukraine Song’ speaks what I’m sure many of us are feeling about the world at the moment and is a personal song that details my feelings when watching the news, thinking about my home, and imagining theirs under attack.
“The judges, including Grammy judges, seemed to like my voice and the songwriting enough to pick me, and for that I feel a sense of responsibility as the only UK artist in the competition, to represent the vast amount of musical heritage and tradition that has made me the artist I am. Wish me luck”.
The three-piece Tenmours features Alex on guitar, piano and vocals; Adam Hopkins on drums, piano and vocals; and David Bullock on bass guitar, clarinet, and vocals. The band’s most recent single, ‘Eco-Freak’ was performed in front of the Houses of Parliament in April at the largest climate protest in UK history -Extinction Rebellion’s The Big One.
The Tour Music Fest, which has being going since 2007, supports emerging singers, songwriters, and rappers by encouraging them to showcase their artistic qualities. It says it is not just a music contest, but ‘a platform that offers artistic guidance step by step, on-stage experiences, educational activities, and opportunities to connect with industry professionals’.
