Fort Worth has another reason to tune into the 97th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, March 2nd, held at LA’s Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. One of the industry’s rising stars Abraham Alexander has earned his first Oscar nomination. His hometown can’t wait to see if he’ll bring home a coveted golden statue of his own.
We’ll be tuning in to see the Music category which has Abraham Alexander listed as a nominee for Best Song for “Like a Bird” from the movie Sing Sing ― Music and Lyric by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada. The movie is based upon a true story of the musical theatre program that gives hope and rehabilitation to inmates at Sing Sing prison, starring Coleman Domingo.
The song “Like a Bird” transcends even the powerful movie it was written for. It begins and ends with Alexander’s acoustic guitar and hauntingly mellow vocals, with Quesada’s electric guitar riffs, and the sounds of clapping adding to its beat.
Abraham Alexander’s Own Inspiring Story
The singer whose voice channels a modern-day Sam Cooke (with those long, soulful notes) is hard to categorize, bouncing somewhere between R&B, soul, and even gospel. When asked, Alexander describes his music style as folk. He’s a storyteller at heart, and “Like a Bird” tells just such a poignant story, where creativity and humanity soar, even in the most dire circumstances.
Alexander grew up in Greece until age 11, the child of Nigerian parents. His family arrived in Arlington, Texas, where he says he did not speak the language, describing himself as a loner.
His childhood was anything but smooth sailing ― as he lost his mother in a drunk driving accident, as well as his brother Xavier. Abraham Alexander was adopted during his teenage years, and went on to attend both Arlington Lamar High School and Texas Wesleyan.
All along the way, music was his constant comfort.
Working With Heroes ― Becoming One Himself
He made friends with another “up-and-coming musician” ― Leon Bridges ― while working as a bank teller. That’s how Alexander became a background singer on Bridges Grammy Award-nominated debut album ― on songs like its title track Coming Home and River among others.
That was his first experience in a studio, or recording a song, but his undeniable talent attracted legends like Mavis Staples and Gary Clark Jr. to support his first album SEA/SONS. And now, the Academy Awards have taken notice of the shy, story-teller from Arlington.
Abraham Alexander’s debut album SEA/SONS dropped on April 14, 2023. That busy season took him from SXSW in Austin to Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival and the Newport Folk Festival.
“We’re in LA, and things are off to an incredible start,” Alexander said in a recent post. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all the love you’ve shown me these past few weeks it’s been overwhelming in the best way. Especially to my city, you’ve made me feel that love tenfold. I’m forever grateful.”
It’s been a jam-packed couple of years for Abraham Alexander, reaching pinnacle after pinnacle in his short career. Next up, Hollywood and the Academy Awards.