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Jean-Michel Blais is a 31 year-old pianist from Montreal who pairs the melodic pop sensibilities of Yann Tiersen and Chilly Gonzales with the breathtaking technical skill of minimalist composers like Philip Glass and Erik Satie. Blais grew up in a rural French Catholic town in Quebec with little to no Culture. He began tinkering and composing with his family s organ at age 9 and by 16 he was invited by a conservatory to train as a classical pianist. However, deep in the throes of teenage rebellion he found the constraints of formal training cumbersome and left after two years. Blais then spent his 20s living around the world including stints in Berlin and South America before finally settling in Montreal where, by improvising every day, he began writing his debut album Il, set to be released by Arts & Crafts on April 8th 2016.