After a listen to what the young Russian fingerstyle guitarist Alexandr Misko delivers, it’s tempting to fall into glowing eulogies of praise for his talent. But according to Alex, his art is less about talent and more about years of focused, dedicated hard work.

When he uploaded his arrangement of “Billie Jean” to the Web, the video went viral and notched up an amazing 10 million (!) views on social media within only a week.

Alex’s parents gave their eight-year-old son a concert guitar, hoping he would spend his time doing something more useful than playing video games. He started with classical tuition, later picking up his first Red Hot Chili Peppers riffs by ear. The net of his musical tastes is cast wide, spanning minimalist music by Steve Reich and Philip Glass as well as death metal, rap and new age.

Shortly after the famous “Billie Jean” video, he released his first album, “The Songs of Adolescence”, containing only his own compositions without a single cover version. Its follow-up, “Beyond the Box” (2017), includes his own material, but also an exceptionally complex and filigree version of Wham’s “Careless Whisper” – which also attracted millions of hits.

Although Alex is currently occupied with a linguistics degree, his outstanding talent has opened the door wide for a career as a pro musician – and he’s already taken a giant step inside.

The name of Alexandr Misko is already a significant presence on the acoustic scene.