The Scouse pianist will be returning to TV on Christmas Day
The Scouse pianist will be returning to TV on Christmas Day
Brad Kella has revealed two days which changed his life ahead of his return to The Piano. The 23-year-old from Bootle, who now lives in Fazakerley, won season two of the Channel 4 show this summer and captured the hearts of the nation with both his music and his inspiring back story.
Brad was raised in the care system with his twin brother Aron. He praised foster parents Eve and Frank Kilmartin for turning their lives around after a difficult upbringing.
In an interview with BBC Radio Merseyside this week, Brad revealed he became interested in playing the piano after something he overheard in school one day. He said: “I remember walking down the corridor in high school and hearing the music teacher play the piano.
“I went back to my foster parents and just nagged them for a piano every single day until they got me one. I reached a grade 8 standard in a couple of months – normally it takes people 10, 12 years to get to that.”
Brad, along with his partner and daughter, were effectively made homeless when he was 18 and was living out of hostels. His fortunes changed when a video of him playing on the public pianos was shared on social media.
Brad said: “I just sat down one day and played one of the public pianos. There was a man, Carl Norman, he came across me, recorded me. I woke up two days later to a direct message on Instagram off Channel 4, asking if I wanted to come and apply for the show. Ever since then, it’s been chaotic.”
Things have now come full circle, with Brad playing in Liverpool ONE to huge crowds earlier this month to mark the shopping centre’s Christmas celebrations. On how that felt, he said: “It was a good feeling. As a musician, there’s nothing better than getting attention for your craft.”
Brad will return to The Piano for its Christmas special. Judges Mika and Lang Lang visit Battersea Power Station in London where some of the talented pianists from series two will return to the train station once again to perform their favourite festive songs to commuters.
Brad will be one of these, while Mika and Lang Lang will duet on a hit from The Beatles. It’s not known which song this will be yet. The Piano At Christmas airs Christmas Day at 5.10pm on Channel 4.
