00:00For professional musicians, every career starts with a first performance.
00:05For Liverpool pianist Brad Keller, that moment happened whilst busking at Liverpool One more than a decade ago.
00:12Now the retail and leisure destinations unveiled a blue plaque marking the exact spot where Brad first performed at the
00:18centre more than ten years ago.
00:20It's a proper privilege, it really is.
00:22As I say, a few years ago I was in a really rough situation in my life and I was
00:26using public pianos on this very street to make a living.
00:29And the fact that now, a few years down the line, I've got a number one album and my name
00:34on a plaque on the wall and I've appalled that's going to be there for the foreseeable future with my
00:39daughter's names on it as well.
00:41It means the absolute world to me and again it's just another massive moment and another bucket list thing ticked
00:47off my list.
00:48Brad has returned to the location to reveal the plaque describing it as a special moment in a place that
00:53still gives him the same excitement every time he performs.
00:56Since his early performances, his career has gone from strength to strength.
01:01He won Channel 4's The Piano, bringing his music to a national audience before achieving a number one classical album
01:07with Phoebe's Melody.
01:09I want to be a role model for people and I also want to engage people into a genre of
01:13music which he once thought would he'd never be interested in.
01:16I think I want to make music accessible as well for everyone.
01:20Classical music's niche and people think it's for upper class to have a piano.
01:24It's expensive in the first place and I want to be the person that makes classical music more accessible.
01:29Speaking at the unveiling, Brad said he's proud to be from Liverpool and thanked the city for the support it's
01:34shown throughout his career.
01:36One thing I can say is that the city have got behind me, like today's proven how much the city's
01:40got behind me and I'm just so grateful to be a Scouser and I'm so grateful that I've got to
01:46be able to bring my success back to this city in particular because the way they've got behind me and
01:51supported my journey from the very beginning means more to me than they'll ever know.
01:55The plaque's been unveiled in time for the launch of Tickle the Ivories.
01:59The annual event's been running since 2011 and sees pianos placed throughout the shopping district for anyone to play free
02:05of charge alongside live performances from musicians of all abilities.
02:10I think what we did recognise is that there's so much talent, there's so much musical talent and art and
02:15culture within our city.
02:16So to have a success story like Brad, we shouldn't be surprised but we are incredibly proud.
02:22And I think just the immense success and what a humble person he is and bringing it back here into
02:31Liverpool, his roots and where his talent was first showcased.
02:34The pianos remain in place until mid-September, giving visitors the chance to perform on the very streets where one
02:40of Liverpool's most successful young musicians first shared his talent.
02:45He is an incredible talent, he's incredibly humble.
02:47So for me, I'm sure that he has a part to play in inspiring some young people to say,
02:52do you know what, I'd like to have a go at that and I've got somewhere where I can come
02:55along and play for free and start to learn.
02:58Kevin Mohartis
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