Formerly a worker on a building site, Martin Aelred's continued rise to an International British contemporary tenor has been a brilliant and fascinating journey to-date, with the artist performing on the global stage with the Dalai Lama and at the United Nations in New York.
Going back, Aelred was successful in his trade as a builder, but gave it all up after hearing Puccini's 'La Boheme', chasing his dreams of becoming an opera singer.
He approached the English National Opera's resident tenor Rupert Forbes as well as The Academia Nazionalle di Santa Cecilia Conservatorie in Rome, hoping to be taken on as a student. An interview saw Forbes attempt to discourage Aelred from taking this path as he had no formal music training, but decling the advice, Aelred was taken on a trial basis for six months, which was eventually extended to three years.
A trip to London then saw him introduced to record producer Colin Thurston, and he went on to make his production debut in 1992 with Juni Morrison of P Funk, gaining minor success with British artists including Sinitta, Jocelyn Brown and Soul II Soul. He then changed direction in 1996, studying flamenco and classical guitar in Scotland under the teachings of iconic French virtuoso, Manitas de Plata.
2012 saw him chosen to perform on HH The Dalai Lama's UK tour, s well as being a key player in the development of a choir made up of dementia sufferers. The choir and Aelred performed in Scottish Parliament and for HRH Prince Charles who was visiting the country.
Now, Aelred has carved himself a career where he's taken seriously as a classical singer. Performing in Italian, Spanish and French, he combines his talents and abilities to perform some of the toughest songs the world has to offer, gaining critical acclaim from the masses and increasing his fanbase by appearing in huge performances across the globe.
With his debut album 'Uomo', Aelred has not only produced, but arranged and performed on all of the tracks included, recording at Sensible Recording Studios in London.
That album is released September 25.