From Carole King and Lady Gaga, to today’s pop superstar millennial Lady Gaga – many of the world’s most celebrated singer-songwriters are also accomplished piano players. Piano is an ideal instrument for these performers since its percussive yet forgiving nature makes it the perfect medium.
Thick-fingered players tend to excel at performing works by contemporary composers, while sinewy ones can easily create a gorgeously subtle pianissimo sound.
Glenn Gould
Glenn Gould’s name may be familiar to classical music enthusiasts or not; he stands out among classical musicians as one who transcends conventional audiences, appealing to everyone from maverick filmmaker John Waters (“Pink Flamingos”), jazz pianists and Gen-Xers to actors like Agent 99 on TV’s “Get Smart” and Polly Holliday (Flo in Alice).
Born to middle class furrier parents in Toronto, Gould began his musical education early. By age three he could read staff notation and recognize any isolated tone; at five he began composing and gave his first public performance when twelve. Signing with CBS records at fourteen – making his New York debut shortly thereafter and his recordings quickly becoming bestsellers – Gould eventually recorded Bach’s Goldberg Variations twice more between 1956 and 1982 as an encore to his career as an accomplished pianist.
His peculiar style and mannerisms drew both derision and admiration from critics and admirers. He often swayed or rotated his body while playing, using one hand to conduct himself while the other played; occasionally groaned or moaning audibly; these qualities caused some listeners to cringe; however he rarely shared this piano, preferring instead spending his time at his cottage near Lake Simcoe in northern Ontario as his preferred retreat and childhood home.
He was an unwavering perfectionist who sought to expand and reinvent standard repertoire in radical ways. He forgoed pedals that may lead to an emotional-less sound; he often played at very fast tempos; his approach differed dramatically from pre-war one take recording methods as he often replayed passages several times without correcting mistakes, instead exploring different touches, tone colors and tempos that ranged from stately to jaunty tempos.
As soon as he retired in 1964, he continued making recordings up until the very end. Never married and living alone throughout his lifetime, his eccentric life inspired plays, films and art works; his records still sell quickly today.
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was an iconic performer who rose to fame as part of Queen. A charismatic performer known for his extraordinary vocal range and talent for songwriting, Mercury composed or wrote ten of 17 tracks on their best-selling album Greatest Hits; even while managing to find time to compose new music and play piano.
At an early age, he began taking piano lessons and soon developed an immense love of music. Additionally, he studied art and graphic design at Isleworth Polytechnic College in London before eventually graduating from Ealing Art College with his skills being put to use designing heraldic arms for his band Queen.
He would spend much of his free time at the piano, composing songs. Then he would show them to his band members to see if their liked them – this gave him an opportunity to assess if his ideas needed any refinements and also see where improvements could be made. Furthermore, his intelligence contributed greatly to his success as both singer and songwriter.
He collaborated with various artists during his lifetime, most notably opera diva Montserrat Caballe and Dave Clark (known for the soundtracks to their movies). Additionally, in 1987 he released his second solo album Barcelona as well as beginning to develop an acting career.
In 1992, Prince died due to complications from AIDS, prompting a worldwide outpouring of sadness among fans who revered him as one of the greatest singers ever and also saw him as an accomplished actor, painter, and humanitarian.
His legacy lives on today, featured in many biographies and tribute songs to him, with multiple polls voting him as the greatest rock legend ever.
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga may be best-known for her flashy fashion and extravagant stage shows, but she’s also an accomplished pianist. Often performing live and on albums alike, she showcases both her piano skills and range as an artist. On The Fame she featured a ballad called Speechless which demonstrated both these talents; similarly on Born This Way her song “You and I” proved this ability perfectly as well as rock-infused tones to truly enthrall audiences with both pianistic skills and rock style combined together.
Lady Gaga caught audiences’ eyes during Super Bowl 50 with her breathtaking rendition of the national anthem and again the next year at Super Bowl LI when she descended from a platform suspended by wires to deliver an electrifying, energetic show. Aside from music, Lady Gaga is also an actress and philanthropist; winning numerous awards and being recognized multiple times as one of the world’s most powerful women.
Gaga remains an exceptionally humble pop superstar and often expresses her appreciation to fans and collaborators alike for the support she receives from them. One particularly touching moment occurred when she thanked late collaborator Tony Bennett, whom she remembered teaching piano by ear and encouraging her to be fearless onstage.
Gaga made her film debut alongside Bradley Cooper in A Star is Born, where she showed her musical versatility by giving an outstanding vocal and piano performance of “Shallow”. This performance marked a key juncture in her career; it demonstrated both singing and piano playing skills at once. Two years later she released Chromatica, followed by Jazz & Piano Las Vegas residency performances of stripped down versions of classic hits from Chromatica.
Lady Gaga is not only known for her impressive musical talents but is also an outstanding philanthropist and advocate. She has worked to raise awareness for various causes including mental health, LGBTQ rights and women’s empowerment. Lady Gaga strives to always speak from her heart when making public appearances as an inspirational role model for young people.
Jamie Cullum
Jamie Cullum is an English jazz singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for his unique piano playing style that spans various genres and sounds. His musical influences range from Radiohead, The White Stripes and Massive Attack to Kylie Minogue, Will.i.am and Burt Bacharach.
He began playing piano at age eight and later perfected his skills by performing in pizza restaurants throughout London several nights a week. He attended Grittleton House School in Romford and Sheldon School before earning a BA degree in English literature at Reading University.
Once graduated, he released the best-selling album Pointless Nostalgic which garnered significant interest from Michael Parkinson and Melvyn Bragg. Since then he has released nine studio albums, three compilation albums, one live album as well as appearing on many television shows and hosting his weekly jazz show on BBC Radio 2.
Cullum’s style can best be described as ‘jazz fusion,’ drawing influence from both jazz and contemporary popular music. His concerts typically last two hours without set lists or setlists being presented; audiences praise his charismatic energy while musical arrangements often include looping machines or “stomp boxes,” devices used to amplifies tapping sounds from musicians’ feet.
Beginning his career with Geoff Gascoyne on bass and Sebastiaan de Krom on drums, later performing with Sam Wedgwood on guitar, John Hoare on saxophone, and Barnaby Dickinson on trumpet.
Interlude was released in 2014 as a collection of jazz covers featuring some popular acts such as Laura Mvula and Gregory Porter. He has also published Piano With Jamie Cullum; this book provides lesson plans for six of his most popular songs and comes complete with online audio to play along to.