Alan Coe’s music takes you places you’d never expect. When he steps onstage, you’re struck by his intense, dark eyes, his tousled black hair, his deep complexion—but when he opens his mouth you hear a voice so high and clear, it’s like nothing but light.
The singer–songwriter names a long list of influences, from Elton John to The Beatles, Sting, Phil Collins and Brian Adams, to name just a few. No matter where he sits down to write—whether it’s at a piano with a sweeping view of the sea, or staring at the blank wall of a tiny basement room—he’s able to travel freely inside his own head, and shape a sound that’s truly his own. Today, his debut album is finally ready, and the brand of instrumental pop he’s created is just what the public is craving.
Alan Coe hails from the Canadian Maritimes. As a child, he displayed undeniable singing and multi-instrumental abilities, but he first glimpsed his true potential just a few days shy of his 20th birthday. He and his older brother had co-written a ballad and sent it in to a local radio station. At 2:15 p.m. on August 18, 1993, they heard their work on the air for the first very time. The audience’s response was immediate: the song climbed to the number one spot and stayed there for two and a half weeks.
After a few years developing his craft, he took a gamble on StarTrack, the Maritime Broadcasting System’s contest for new talent. He won the multi-province competition and also walked away as Songwriter of the Year for his original song, “One More Try.” Convinced to take the plunge and commit full-time to his music, Alain began a series of collaborations with seasoned writing professionals such as Kevin Savigar (Rod Stewart’s “Forever Young”) and Jeff Trott (co-writer of seven #1 hits with Sheryl Crow). He also found a producer in Céline Dion’s drummer, Dominique Messier. He was instantly impressed by the demos that Messier built around his vocal tracks, which form the basis for his debut, an impressive album released in 2009 by Audiogram.
