We are excited to welcome Alain Apaloo to our Heartcore family.
Alain Apaloo is a guitarist, singer, bandleader and composer from Togo, Africa who is currently based out of Copenhagen, Denmark. His unique fusion of West African music with blues and jazz traditions, and his soulful voice and guitar playing has won him a diverse international audience. His early affiliation with Togolese blues singer Jimi Hope and subsequent tenures in Kwame Yeboa’s Sakra band and with famed Ghanaian Afro-Pop artist Kojo Antwi allowed Apaloo to tour extensively throughout Europe and North America.
In 1999, Apaloo moved to Copenhagen to study at The Rhythmic Music Conservatory. He graduated in 2005 and quickly became a mainstay performer and jam host at Mojo Blues Bar, Copenhagen’s legendary blues venue. He leads a variety of projects, including the Alain Apaloo Trio, Mezzy Slide & The Crew, and APT3. Apaloo’s world music and jazz project ApiPipo, won the Danish World Music Award for their album Floodgate (2009), and their album Nunya (2015) – released in collaboration with Kurt Rosenwinkel – was received with widespread critical acclaim.
Alongside his own projects, Alain Apaloo is also a prolific touring and session musician, collaborating with musicians throughout Europe including Rasmus Lyberth, Gitte Hænning, MonkeyRat, Marianne Bitran, Simon Spang-Hanssen, the Kenn Lending Blues Band. In 2023, he performed on stage at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival as the second guitarist and vocalist in Kurt Rosenwinkel’s band.
Alain’s upcoming album “Naked” captures the artist in his most intimate setting: solo guitar and voice, his foot lightly stomping, creating a captivating atmosphere much like his performances in the famed Copenhagen club “Mojo”. It is a stark and striking transference of magic and connection through the timeless medium of the blues, performed by a musician of great magnetism and irresistible joy. The album includes guest appearances by Marcus King on two tracks. “Naked” will be released on September 13th, 2024, on Heartcore Records.
