Chilly Gonzales

Gonzales was born and raised in Montreal. He is the younger of two sons born to Jewish immigrants from Hungary who fled during WWII. His brother, Christopher Beck, is a prolific film composer who has scored major films like The Hangover.

Gonzales taught himself how to play piano at the age of three. He was educated at Crescent School in Toronto and then trained as a classical pianist at McGill University. In 1999, on a whim, he moved to Germany, where he began performing under his stage name, hoping to boost his career. In Berlin, he played piano in bars to make ends meet. He later moved to Paris, and now makes his home in Cologne.

Gonzales is celebrated for his pop-inspired classical music. Among the many artists he has collaborated with are Drake, Jarvis Cocker, Feist, Daft Punk, Peaches, Boys Noize and Domo Genesis. He is also a member of Puppetmastaz, a Berlin-based hip hop group.

Gonzales received a Grammy as one of 21 musicians, producers and contributors featured on Daft Punk’s album Random Access Memories. He made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for playing the longest concert by a solo artist: 27 hours, 3 minutes, 44 seconds. His best known song is “Never Stop,” from his 2010 album Ivory Tower, which was used in a commercial for Apple’s original iPad.