Contributor

Tyler Rix

Singer, Songwriter, Final London Olympic Relay Torchbearer & Model

As a youngster I was scouted by West Ham Academy aged 7 playing for them three times a week and for my school, also chosen as winner of a Manchester United Soccer Skills Roadshow. At both my primary and secondary school we happened to have the best teams going, winning the largest cups possible, like in 2007 winning the Schoolboys‘ FA Cup which has more rounds than the FA Cup with over 900 teams entering! I was invited to captain the Borough of Barnet team and on the very same day I heard that I had won a place to study saxophone at the Saturday Junior Department of Guildhall School, a world renowned music school at the Barbican. I studied there from 8.30am to 4pm every Saturday from the age of 10-18, reached the semi-finals of the BBC TV's Classical Star and became signed by Universal Classics and Jazz to record a classical saxophone album that reached No.1 in the Classical Charts by the time I was 16. I was invited to play for the BBC Concert Orchestra live for BBC Radio 2 at 16, with the full orchestra behind me. By 17 I was playing around 30 concerts a year and formed a quartet after I was invited to play for the Mayor’s St George’s Day Celebrations in Trafalgar Square in front of 10,000 people.

Then one day, aged 16, when on a bus to Muswell Hill I was chased down the road, scouted and signed by Premier Model Agency. A couple of weeks later I was in a restaurant and approached by a lady who asked if I could act, so I auditioned for our school play, landed the lead part, she came to watch and signed me to her acting agency, Marcus & McCrimmon.

Even though I had never learnt to play the piano, I taught myself to write songs on it. After sending the first ones off to a major record label I was given studio time with top producers to record my tracks. I am currently writing and recording my music with the help of Decca and Sony BMG, gigging my tracks all across the UK. Here’s my first music video: http://www.tylerrix.info/index.html

Then last summer I received some wonderful news from Coca Cola. I had been chosen as their final Future Flame, the last of the 8000 Relay Torchbearers as an inspirational teenager to “Inspire a Generation” for living the teenage dream. I got to light the cauldron in Hyde Park in front of 60,000 people chanting my name. It was by far the best day of my life.
Following that I found myself busy again in the world of modelling after being spotted this time at the Olympics. Now signed by Elite London Model Management and Fusion Models in New York, where I have just booked 6 shows at New York Fashion Week!!

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