Alex Boyé facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alex Boye
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Boyé in a speech performance in Oregon, US
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| Born | 16 August 1970 |
| Nationality |
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| Occupation | Singer, actor, dancer, musician |
| Spouse(s) |
Julie Boyé
(m. 2007) |
| YouTube information | |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Genre | Music |
| Subscribers | 783 thousand |
| Total views | 199.96 million |
| Associated acts |
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| Subscriber and view counts updated as of 14 June 2020. | |
Alex Boyé (born August 16, 1970) is a talented singer, dancer, and actor. He was born in London, England, and later became an American citizen. In 2017, he was named the "Rising Artist of the Year" in a contest by Pepsi and Hard Rock Cafe. Alex is known for his unique "Africanized" pop style, which blends African sounds with popular songs. He has a popular YouTube channel where he shares his music videos.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Alex Boyé was born in London, England. His parents were from Nigeria. He grew up in a busy neighborhood called Tottenham. For some of his childhood, he lived in foster homes.
As a teenager, Alex loved listening to music. He was inspired by famous artists like Stevie Wonder and James Brown. When he was 16, he learned about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) while working at a McDonald's. He soon joined the church. Alex first sang in public when he was a Mormon missionary in Bristol, England.
Music Career
Starting in the 1990s
After his mission, Alex became a backup dancer for artists like George Michael. In 1995, he started a boy band called Awesome. Alex was the lead singer.
Awesome became very popular in Europe. They won a singing contest on a big radio station in London. Soon, Universal Records signed them to a five-album deal. Their first album, Rumors, had three songs that made it into the top 10 charts across Europe. The band sold 500,000 albums! They even performed with famous artists like Bryan Adams and George Michael.
However, Alex didn't like the busy life of a touring musician. He decided to leave the band in 1999 to start his own solo career. He lost many of the things he had gained, but he was ready for a new path.
Later in 1999, Alex joined two other artists. They wanted to record LDS Church hymns with a pop and R&B twist. They created a group called 'Soul Saints'. They performed in Hyde Park, London and later toured in Utah.
Moving to Utah and Solo Albums
In 2000, Alex moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. He wanted to focus on making religious music. His first religious album, The Love Goes On, came out in 2001.
Alex also tried acting. He played a main role in a play called Civil War even though he had no acting experience. He also appeared in the film David and Goliath. In 2005, his album Testimony won an award.
In 2006, Alex joined the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It has 360 singers! He was one of the few Black members. He also kept working on his solo music. He sang two solo parts on the choir's album, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.
YouTube Success in the 2010s
Alex became very popular on YouTube. In 2012, he was featured in a video by The Piano Guys. They covered Coldplay's song "Paradise" and called it "Peponi." The video became a huge hit!
In 2014, Alex worked with the One Voice Children's Choir. They made an "Africanized" version of "Let It Go" from the movie Frozen. This video went viral, meaning it was watched by millions of people very quickly. It helped Alex's YouTube videos get over 100 million views! YouTube even chose it as the best pop cover of 2014.
He also made a fun video for his song "Lemonade," which got over 1.7 million views. Alex also covered Taylor Swift's song "Shake It Off" and gained many fans.
In 2015, Alex and his band, Changing Lanes Experience, performed on America's Got Talent. They sang their version of "Shake It Off" and got great comments from the judges. They made it to the next round but were later eliminated.
Alex continued to release new music. In 2016, he sang a duet with Marie Osmond on her album Music Is Medicine. He also appeared in a film called Saturday's Warrior. In 2018, he released a song called "Bend Not Break" to help with suicide prevention. The music video for this song was filmed with over 1,000 students and community members.
Personal Life
Alex Boyé met his wife, Julie, at church. They got married on January 6, 2007. They have eight children.
In 2012, Alex became a citizen of the United States. He was surprised when he was asked to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at his citizenship ceremony!
Discography
- Testimony (2004)
- Africanized (2014)
- African Gospel Inspirations (2016)
- Coming to Amerika (2019)
Filmography
- David and Goliath (2005) as Abinidab
- Saints and Soldiers: The Void (2014) as Private Perry
- Saturday's Warrior (2016) as The Heavenly Guide
- Drop Off (2016) as Pastor Aiken
