From Academy of Pop Music to Pinkpop

As a student he had one big dream: to play his own rock music at the best festivals. Alex Freise studied at the Academy of Pop Music at the ArtEZ Academy of Music in Enschede. In June 2022, he played at Pinkpop with his band Ten Times A Million. The members of the band met each other during their studies at ArtEZ.

It all started at the academy

When returning after a short tour, we each felt we needed to get serious about the band.” They did, and their musical careers quickly took off, with the icing on the cake being the show at Pinkpop in 2022.

Inner compass

As for music students with similar dreams as himself, his advice is simple: “Do whatever you like with a clear vision and with the right people. For those at the Academy of Pop Music, try to soak up as much as possible in the first two years, in order to get you inner compass set. You then will find a lot of flexibility in the third and fourth year; make the most of that to suit your interests."

I liked the fact that I could choose which teachers I wanted to work with. If you follow your own compass, you will find the right teachers – and they will find you.

Ten Times A Million