GENIUS BRETT AXELL
Brett Axell is an American stage, television, film artist, record producer, resturant entrepreneur and voice-over actor/singer who first came to the world's attention on ESPN Films GOOSE and the Netflix series Sing On! Axell strength lies in acknowledging no boundaries between styles or eras, creating a sound that is idiosyncratic and personal to distinguish himself from many performers of this generation.
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Born in Guyana, South America and raised in Brooklyn, New York and Port Saint Lucie, Florida. He decided to pursue his interest in music at Northport Middle School before graduating from Fort Pierce Central High School. A graduate from the Haynes School of Music at Appalachian State University with a Bachelor of Music and he earned a Master degree from the College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.
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He has appeared in numerous musicals and is known for his soaring vocal portrayal role of Audrey II in the Howard Ashman/Alan Menken hit musical Little Shop of Horrors, and a soul stirring performance as Jim in the Tony award winning musical Big River with songs written by Roger Miller.
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Axell first studio album Doors was an independent artist success released in 2016. Shortly after he became the frontman for the group Acres to Miles releasing the bands sensational debut album No Rewind in 2019. Acres to Miles linked up with hit songwriter/producer LaTour for the summer single Burn Like the Sun in 2021. Continuous creative endeavors formed the soul and hip hop duo BLAQ GENIUS in 2020 alongside Pierre Montray, they have released Volume 1: Kings Quest (2021), Volume 2 Matters of the Heart (2021), Volume 3: From the Belly of My Soul (2022), Volume 4: We OWTSIDE (2022). Axell revelatory musical exploration leads to a wide-open sound straddling across genres, and a song-writing style that embraces a lyrical humanness that displayed in his current masterpiece solo album Nectar (2022) on Vision Records.
Axell advocates for a better way to live and from 2018-2022 owned a health and lifestyle company called Balú Smoothies and More which was located in the heart of downtown Chicago. Axell’s future plan includes a launch to a permanent healthy lifestyle.
GENIUS PIERRE MONTRAY
A native of Durham, NC, Pierre grew up in the Turnkey 3 neighborhood the 16th of 17 children. Music has always been a major part of Pierre’s world. Inspired by some of the best to ever do it, Biggie, Nas, 2Pac, and Jay-Z, at age 6 he wrote his first rhyme. He recorded his first mixtape while enrolled at Appalachian State University where he earned his bachelor's degree in Electronic Media/Broadcasting and Master's of Arts in Educational Media. He hosted the Afternoon Rush on Classic Hits 100.7 & 99.1 FM WZJS in Boone, NC for several years. He is also the official DJ for University of Florida Gymnastics. In 2020, he and longtime friend Brett Axell formed BLAQ GENIUS, a group unlike any other with a ground sounded in hip hop and soul. The pair has released several volumes of work which were all met with critical acclaim. His first solo EP, Stoopid, is scheduled for a Summer 2023 release.