At the age when his peers were learning to read and write, Mathis Akengin discovered a passion for a different form of expression: the piano. Like many early talents—often referred to as ‘prodigies’ due to their rarity—the young musician entered the Conservatory at the age of six, where he would study for fifteen years, later adding a stint at the Haute Ecole de Musique in Lausanne. His exemplary path confirmed his natural talent.
However, the youngling from Franche-Comté (France) didn’t want to limit himself to classical music. Contemporary music quickly caught his attention. At the age of twelve, he formed his first band and started his first tours. Little did he know that, a few years later, he would join the blues-rock duo Catfish, a band he had once opened for. Projects multiplied. By the age of twenty-five, his list of collaborations was already impressive. Mathis’ keyboards, both in the studio and live, resonate in a variety of formations with sounds ranging from Dead Chic (rock), Eméa (world-soul), Alexandrie (pop), to Neptune Quartet (oriental jazz). Eclectic, Mathis is also a versatile artist. He’s often sought after to arrange albums, always finding new ways to develop his creativity and skills.
With all these experiences under his belt, Mathis began to envision a solo project where he could create freely, experiment, and tell the stories running through his mind. The idea became a reality: it all starts with the piano, moving towards rhythmic taps on the wooden frame in sync the melodies. The piano became both the instrument and the muse. It was no longer about telling stories through it but writing for it. Mathis transcribes oriental music for this European instrument, blending his French and Turkish roots. The inspiration flowed, and an album gradually took form, which Mathis can perform live as a solo artist, accompanied by his keyboard(s), pedals, revox, drum pad and computer.
As Mathis prepares to release the album, recent single from the record ‘First Floor’ has been steadily building as a strong fan favourite, currently charting at over 560,000 organic streams, finding new listeners around the world every month since its release, proving the ability of Mathis’ moreish music to spread through avid listeners on its own volition and proving that Mathis is an artist to take note of in 2026. With its stylish rhythmic pulse, laced with airy atmospheres, ‘First Floor’ should be on everyone’s radar this year, as we wait with baited breath for more music from Mathis. Never before released in the UK, ‘First Floor’, with its intriguing piano grooves and Lumineers-esque percussive catchiness, proves Mathis’ ability to transcend genre categorization and create exciting and vibrant, broad-reaching songs from unpredictable sources- with cleverly layered and paced production that keeps the listener on the hook from the outset.
‘First Floor’ is out now via Upton Park.
Photo credit: Hugo Horsin.
