Alfie Boe
To the world, Alfie Boe is the definitive Jean Valjean (Les Misérables) of his generation – an operatic powerhouse who has sold out arenas and topped charts with orchestral grandeur. He has just brought that role to New York, starring as Jean Valjean to sold-out audiences at Radio City Music Hall, and he already holds a Tony Award for his performance in Baz Luhrmann’s La Bohème.
Born in the Lancashire fishing town of Fleetwood, the youngest of nine children, Boe never fitted the classical music stereotype – a one-time car mechanic with a taste for motorbikes who nearly toured as a teenage drummer before landing at The Royal College of Music. That unlikely path has always defined him: an opera singer who has also toured as a rock frontman with Pete Townshend, topped the charts alongside Michael Ball, and built an eclectic solo touring career mixing Elvis, Roy Orbison, country and blues.
To the world, Alfie Boe is the definitive Jean Valjean (Les Misérables) of his generation – an operatic powerhouse who has sold out arenas and topped charts with orchestral grandeur. He has just brought that role to New York, starring as Jean Valjean to sold-out audiences at Radio City Music Hall, and he already holds a Tony Award for his performance in Baz Luhrmann’s La Bohème.
Born in the Lancashire fishing town of Fleetwood, the youngest of nine children, Boe never fitted the classical music stereotype – a one-time car mechanic with a taste for motorbikes who nearly toured as a teenage drummer before landing at The Royal College of Music. That unlikely path has always defined him: an opera singer who has also toured as a rock frontman with Pete Townshend, topped the charts alongside Michael Ball, and built an eclectic solo touring career mixing Elvis, Roy Orbison, country and blues.
That same restless creativity led to Face Myself, a record of mainly original music and Boe’s most personal project to date. “It was hard for people to see me in another category,” he admits, “but it’s something I’ve been passionate about for 20-odd years.” Written and produced with MyRiot (London Grammar, Primal Scream), the album returns to his Lancashire roots and confronts the realities of his life today, including the pain of living apart from his children. “Writing songs has been the best medicine for me,” he says. “This is me, finally facing myself.”
That same spirit of stripping away artifice defined his Facing Myself tour, which saw Boe abandon the sparkle and spectacle of his arena shows for a raw, unpolished set – walking out with just a guitar to trace his musical journey in chronological order, backed by a crack five-piece band. The tour was a sold-out, phenomenal success.
Having moved back to the north of England after years living in the USA and London, and fresh from Broadway acclaim, a Tony Award and a triumphant run at Radio City Music Hall, Alfie Boe continues to prove there is no category that can contain him – on stage, on record, and in person he remains unafraid to be honest and just be himself.