In the modern world of music, big musicians have teams of writers, huge ensemble bands, and backing tracks, meaning it's hard to know what (if at all) your favorite artist can play. While many make it a staple of their persona, like Ed Sheeran and his acoustic guitar, or Phil Collins and the drums, many don't highlight their ability as much as they should. In this piece, we are going to look at 5 artists that actually play the upright piano.
1. Lady Gaga
Known for her outlandish costumes, her amazing voice, and her quirky persona, Lady Gaga has become an iconic star of the modern era. While she has diversified out into movies lately, she was once most known for her piano playing abilities. Yes, Lady Gaga is an amazing piano player. Her abilities are so good that she was once offered a place at Julliard for her playing, a leading performance art school that only the best can go to. She does, sometimes, play the piano in live performances, but it is not the centrepiece of her performance. However, don't let that fool you! Lada Gaga is one hell of a piano player.
2. Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber took the world by storm with his early hits as a young star, but before that, he was playing various instruments and songs on YouTube. Now he is selling out stadiums and making pop hits left, right, and centre, but this young sensation was actually a pretty good piano player. His first album, My World, was all written by the artist himself. Having the ability to play multiple instruments defiantly helped him to write all those hit songs.
3. Axl Rose
When you think of Axl Rose, you think of trouble! The lead singer of the Guns & Roses has been a controversial frontman for a long time now. Yet, this diva is actually a very good piano player, and while his hard rock persona overshadows it, you can find him playing the piano live for a variety of hits. Many of the key ballads performed by Guns & Roses would be played by Axl on the Piano for live performances. Which is pretty cool!
4. Britney Spears
Yes, another teen sensation that has a surprising talent for the piano. Now, Brittney has often been overshadowed lately by the constant scandals, problems, and issues that have surrounded her life. A few documentaries brought to light the problematic life of this star, and as a result, her abilities and accomplishments have been pushed aside. However, don't let that fool you, as Brittney is one talented artist.
5. Johnny Depp
Now Depp is most known as an actor; however, lately, the star has been branching out into music. Having had a little delve into bands and music in his youth, Johnny Depp is actually a very competent guitar player, and he now plays in the band The Hollywood Vampires, fronted by rock legend Alice Cooper! On top of this, however, Depp is also a talented piano player! Maybe if captain Jack Sparrow put the rum down for a second or two, we might have had him playing some sea shanties!
Special Mentions!
So, not all musicians are what they seem, and you would be surprised to find out that a lot of them can play more instruments than they often show. So, when you see an artist performing a hit song, just singing, they might be hiding a plethora of hidden talents behind that amazing voice.