About

Elijah Bossenbroek never played by the rules. Raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he started piano at six but preferred writing his own music to practicing other composers' works. At 18 he joined the U.S. Marine Corps, and he even brought a small keyboard to Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Back home, he recorded his debut album, Harmony In Disarray, in just two months. His second album, Carpe Lumen, came out on A Matter of Substance Records. He later bought out his contract to go fully independent, and he's stayed that way ever since.

Today his melodic, film-inspired piano music, shaped by Michael Nyman's score for The Piano, draws over a million streams a month, and he performs live for audiences every night on TikTok. Now based in Gig Harbor, Washington, Elijah brings his music to stages across the country and is at work on his next album.

Music

I play my own compositions: melodic solo piano that sits somewhere between modern classical and film music. I've never been drawn to playing other people's pieces. Even as a teenager I skipped the Moonlight Sonata at my recital and played something I'd written instead.

My biggest influence is Michael Nyman, especially his score for The Piano. What moves me is its melodic directness: music that says what it means without hiding behind complexity. That's what I'm after, melodies you feel on the first listen and carry with you afterward.

A lot of it comes straight from my own life, from my years in the Marine Corps to today. Much of it begins as improvisation. I play live on TikTok every night, and new ideas often take shape right there in front of listeners. On my albums I sometimes blend in synths and electronic textures, but live it's just me, the piano, and the room.

Videos