Steve Appleton

Steve Appleton

Steve Appleton is a British singer, songwriter and producer from Surrey. He begins learning piano at the age of six and, by eleven, is writing classical pieces in the style of Beethoven and Rachmaninoff. After studying classical piano grades, he moves towards a more contemporary approach, teaching himself to play by ear and drawing on artists such as Billy Joel, Elton John and Bruce Hornsby.

He writes and produces all of his own music from a studio at home. As a teenager, he plays piano in one of London’s West End restaurants from the age of fifteen, performing twice a week and building a large repertoire by improvising around covers during four-hour sets. He spends three years playing in restaurants before signing to Sony Music.

Appleton’s single Dirty Funk features in a 2009 Smart Car television campaign, and he also appears as the face of the brand in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan and China. Sony Music Japan begins promoting him after that collaboration, and Dirty Funk goes to number one on the airplay chart in Japan, remaining there for six weeks. He ends 2009 with a sold-out tour of Japan and starts 2010 as number one international artist on Tokyo FM.

He performs on the same bill as artists including Jay-Z and John Legend, and appears at Glastonbury, Wireless, Hard Rock Calling and Summer Sonic. His second album, Colours, includes the lead single Sparks, which also gains airplay attention. He also has a brand partnership with AirAsia, linked to visits to several countries in Asia.