Biography

Gergely Kalapis is a singer-songwriter and music producer based out of Buckinghamshire, UK. Although he has been writing and recording songs since his teenage years in the early 2000’s, he only started publishing music in 2020. Since then however, he already released three LPs, six EPs and singles. As a Music Production graduate from Canterbury Christ Church University, he is behind every instrument, every lyric and the production and mixing of his music.

In his teenage years he played in several formations as a lead singer and rhythm guitarist, from a high school rock band to a country band, and performed in a variety of venues, from underground clubs to festival stages. He also took part in numerous contests, where the groups he participated in won several awards and gained critical acclaim.

His music is commonly described as "cruising-in-the-sunshine rock", largely influenced by the 90's and 00's scene; the likes of grunge, punk rock and rock & roll, but his catalogue covers a wide spectrum of rock ranging from blues and rockabilly to folk-rock, with influences from artists such as Nirvana, Oasis and Bryan Adams. His music is like your favourite car; it takes you back to places of good memories and to new sights that you can immerse yourself in while the miles keep rolling beneath your feet. 

He is that guy you meet in an underground rock club and you don't get why he's wearing a suit and a tie, but as you engage in conversation, you eventually find a true friend in him. He isn't a know-it-all, but nor he is pretending to be. Granted, his hair is a bit messy sometimes and he will likely not replace your girlfriend/boyfriend, but you'll definitely stay in touch for the rest of your lives.

More, in first person:

My mum wanted me to learn how to play an instrument, and as the local music school didn't have drum classes which would have been my first choice, I started learning the flute, and it wasn't until she once played "House of the Rising Sun" on her 60's jazz guitar when I thought to myself "I really want to be able to do this". Thankfully, the music school did have guitar classes, so I went on to study classical guitar for two years, before starting to write songs and learning how to do basic recordings and multitracks with my neighbour and childhood friend. I have been writing and recording ever since, but it was only when Covid hit that I started putting more effort into distribution and promotion. Better late than never, right?

In my first year in high school I was fortunate enough to be put into a newly formed school band as a singer and rhythm guitarist, playing Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Blink 182 covers. Following some reformations, we have been shortlisted for a national contest among school bands, which we eventually won despite me being down with a virus affecting my voice.

Simultaneously, my neighbour Peter Erdei and I were doing gigs at various local venues as an acoustic duo, which later became a full band with singer Reka Nagy and drummer Zsolt Pocskai, playing mostly new wave country covers and performing at song contests and themed festivals.

After graduating from high school, I was invited to join a rock band as a singer and rhythm guitarist with whom we have also gigged extensively, despite our rehearsal room being a dentistry's side room in a residential area, which needless to say caused some problems! It was during these years and before me moving to London to attend a Music Production course in 2009, that I started recording and producing my first 15-20 songs in my bedroom, using not more than some second hand drum samples, a Squier Stratocaster and a bass guitar borrowed from a friend.

After moving to London, I carried on writing and producing songs using more sophisticated tools and instruments, and as distribution gradually became more easily accessible to unsigned artists, I started to think more albums rather than songs. When the pandemic hit in 2020 and I ended up with ample free time on my hands given I was not allowed to leave my flat, I felt the time has come to create and release my first EP, which was soon followed by my first album, "Reach into Your Soul" in 2021. My releases since feature a mix of brand new songs as well as reworked versions of my old ones. I have also been extensively promoting my songs and albums via various channels to try and reach a wider audience.

In 2022, I have organised a "reunion" unplugged gig with two of my closest friends, which thankfully had a fantastic reception, despite the fact that we had very limited time to rehearse given the 2,000-mile distance. We are nonetheless not only planning to repeat the gig in 2024, but also release it as an unplugged LP, which in this way will be my first album to feature other musicians behind their own instruments.

I also have a ton of other projects in the pipeline, which can't wait to share with you all!