When Brad Kella takes the stage at the Labour Party Conference on Monday to perform his debut single, the setting will be a far cry from his earlier performances. Just a short time ago, the 23-year-old, often in tracksuits, played public pianos to make enough money to support his young family living in a hostel.
However, everything changed when Brad’s self-taught piano skills went viral. His talent caught the attention of Channel 4’s The Piano, which led to his winning the series with a deeply emotional tribute to his foster parents, Eve and Frank, leaving audiences in tears.
The melody he will perform at the conference, arranged by Rosie Danvers, who has worked with Adele, is the same heartfelt composition that won him the show.
Reflecting on his journey, Brad says, “I can’t believe I’m in this situation. I feel so blessed, I’m high on life.”
Born in Bootle, Merseyside, Brad, along with his twin brother Aron, was placed into foster care at age seven. He credits his foster parents with transforming his life.
“I went on The Piano to show my appreciation for everything they did for me,” Brad shares. “I was just a boy with no future, and they helped me grow and become the person I am today.”
While his foster parents were a central part of his success, missing from his life was his late mother Yvonne, who passed away suddenly when Brad was 14. Although he didn’t discuss this tragedy much on television, Brad acknowledges that it deeply affected him.
“I used to see my mum once a month, and her death was such a dark moment for me,” he says. However, a piano gifted to him through a foster care program helped him channel his grief into music.
“The piano saved my life,” Brad reveals. “It became my way of expressing what I couldn’t say. It’s like a medicine for me, and it gave me a purpose after losing my mum. Even though she never got to see me perform, I know she’s proud of me.”
Just a few years ago, Brad, his girlfriend Abbie, and their daughter Phoebe, now three, were living in a hostel. Brad’s talent was discovered when he played a public piano at the Liverpool One shopping center.
Soon after, he joined The Piano, a show hosted by Claudia Winkleman, who became a source of support. Brad fondly describes her as “like a mum figure or big sister.” The two are set to work together again on an upcoming project.
Since his big break, Brad’s career has taken off, including the “dream come true” opportunity to perform at a Liverpool Football Club event. Just months earlier, Brad had been approached by a police officer who mistook his pre-performance nerves for suspicious behavior at Liverpool’s Lime Street station. He laughs about it now, imagining how that officer might feel seeing him perform for Keir Starmer to promote the creative industry.
Joking about the upcoming event, Brad muses, “I thought about wearing a tracksuit, but it’s a fancy event. I’ll wear a nice suit.”
Brad now aims to use his platform to advocate for children in foster care, believing they are often treated as numbers in the system.
“I want to create a safe space for kids and young people in care or experiencing homelessness,” he says. “A place where they can connect with people who understand their struggles and find self-belief through music.”
Brad’s message is clear: “I hope every time I perform, foster kids know they can go out and achieve whatever they want.”
Now a father of two, Brad recently welcomed his second child, Melody, after winning The Piano in July. In their new home, he plays a Steinway gifted to him, marking the start of an exciting new chapter. With discussions underway for a biopic, Brad’s journey is just beginning.
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