Alfie Templeman is using his polymathic approach – including prog, jazz, pop, R&B and rock – to create sounds that are not just highly listenable but diverse. The 21-year-old from Bedfordshire, England, has achieved 300 million streams for his 2022 debut album, the pop-banger-meets-indie-rock . Templeman says he has one single goal: “To be an unpredictable artist.
” He explains: “The only way to do that Is to go outside of my comfort zone. I just love creating and trying new things.” His passion for music blossomed as he listened to his dad’s Yes, Rush, Genesis and King Crimson records – not the usual fare for Gen Z guitarist; but neither is his output, including his funky, poppy, boundary-pushing sophomore album .
“I’ve always loved pretty much every genre of music there is,” Templeman says. “I’ve messed around recently with more sounds and styles that I’d wanted to explore in the past, rather than doing a 180.” He adds: “I’m a lot jazzier now.
When I solo, I take bigger risks rather than sticking around pentatonic a lot.” While songwriting and production are leading interests, it’s fundamentally about playing. “Guitar came in thanks to my dad,” he says.
“I was about seven or eight; I didn’t care for it all at first – I just wanted to play drums! But guitar quickly became the most important thing in my life.” He kept at it with a budget-friendly yet handsome turquoise Squier , getting his first professional booking in 2018. �.