Jean-Michel Blais

Jean-Michel Blais is a pianist and composer who grew up in rural Quebec, Canada. He began writing original compositions by age 11, and by 17 he was invited to the Trois-Rivières Music Conservatory. However, the constraints of formal training changed his musical course. He stopped playing piano until years later, when he rediscovered his love for music while settling in Montreal. Decidedly not limited to the keys as his compositional palette, Blais’s music is imbued with an emotional depth that belies its wordlessness. His playing and composition are poetic, with an inspired understanding of the inherent lyricism in instrumental music.

Il, his critically acclaimed 2016 debut album, was written and recorded over two years, culled from rolls of accumulated experimentation into an enchanting, compelling arrival. The debut album went on to amass 50 million streams worldwide, reaching no. 1 on Billboard’s classical chart in Canada 14 times. Dans ma main, his sophomore release, is an expansive album of post-classical piano with strands of electronic detail. Blending his conservatory skill and precise pop sensibility with synthetic accompaniment, Blais creates unique environments in which the piano’s intimacy can be subtly disrupted at any time.