Many people do not want to pay the price of chasing their dreams. They’d rather choose a conventional life than the uncertainty that follows when one chooses to run after their goals. Stephen Ridley is one of the few people who chose the latter.
Although he was an employee at one of the wealthiest banks in the United Kingdom, his passion for music did not allow him to sit comfortably at the accountant’s desk. A year later he left his job and began pursuing his dream.
After a decade, Stephen has become a unique, raw and talented pianist and musician. He has played in more than 60 countries and started an academy. He earns in a day what he used to earn in a month as a banker. We wrote a minibiography of the artist in response to the demands of thousands of netizens flocking to the internet asking for his personal and professional information.
Stephen Ridley Biography
Stephen Ridley is an artist from British and the founder of Ridleyacademy.com, an online education platform that teaches people how to master the art of playing the piano. Ridley gained the attention of the public after he demonstrated a unique way of playing the old-fashioned piano and singing in a unique way. He has been invited in more than 60 countries to perform.
Stephen Ridley Age and Family
Based on when he graduated from school and when he left his job as a banker, we can state that Stephen is 34 years old. He was born in South Yorkshire, United Kingdom.
Ridley was brought up in South Yorkshire in a poor family. His father died when he was age 15 and the family became poorer. The pain of seeing his father dying without fulfilling his dreams stirred a desire in Ridley to pursue his dream. Now, Stephen demonstrates his father’s strong character and more he is living his own dream.
His mother raised all she can by working at odd jobs to provide for Ridley’s education. Stephen also has a brother, who unlike him is a family. He is married and is the father of two children.
Stephen Ridley Education and Career
Like most people, Ridley’s hopes for a better life were linked to education. He joined Durham University where he secured honors in philosophy, political science, and economics. After graduating, he was given an opportunity to work as a banker at the United Bank of Switzerland.
As a banker, he earned 20,000 to 30,000 euros, a salary that was a dream to many Britons. His new life did not satisfy him as he anticipated. He spent a chunk of his money on luxury, women, expensive clothes, and partying on weekends.
Although Ridley had the luxurious life he wanted, it did not give him the happiness he desperately wanted. After 16 months as a banker, he realized he could not continue with his job. He resigned from the bank at the end of 2011 and went to Brick Lane where he located a music store to buy an oversized piano that would later change his life. Ridley pulled it on the street and began to play.
Stephen Ridley’s Success Story
Ridley had a passion for music as early as the age of six. His parents did not limit his exposure to music, although they never placed a bet on his future on piano. After he quit his job, he began chasing his childhood dream. A month after buying the piano he released his debut Album called Butterfly in A Hurricane, which received a positive reception not only in England but far beyond its borders.
He spent more time practicing piano and writing music. He would take a flight and fly to another country buy a piano and play music on the streets. His desire was to reach out to people, entertaining and inspiring them, which he successfully did.
One of his best performances was in 2012 when he played on the streets for 24 hours to raise money for his best friend who had cancer. The video is on YouTube. You can find it here.
Ridley gradually began gaining the attention of his fans. He started receiving invitations for performance, which later translated to revenue. Ridley bought his brother a house and bought himself property. Currently, he has more than 8 properties in real estate.
Ridley has become a successful artist as he has performed in more than 60 countries and has a worldwide fan base. Unlike other artists, Ridley is described as raw, edgy, and outlandishly cool. His performances are filled with energy and youthfulness.
His success led him to start Ridleyacademy.com, which is an online school for people desiring to learn piano. Ridley has the goal to make one million more artists through his academy.
Stephen Ridley Controversies
With an objective to promote his school, Stephen has attracted criticism from netizens. He is accused of being a scam. People who have encountered his promotional content claim that Stephen is not as professional as he appears and that the material offered in his course cannot compare to the money students are asked to pay. A thread ran on Reddit, with many criticizing Stephen’s pretense. He has also been accused of having an agenda of taking people’s money through his course.
DanHon Music did a review of Stephen Ridley’s Academy. The website highlighted the benefits of the course like Stephen’s unique approach to learning piano which involved 3 minutes of practice per day over 3 to 12 months.
The website also added that the class teaches students to unlock their creative potential, which is the ultimate goal of the course. DanHon Music finished by claiming that although the course is great the pricing ($2997 upfront) is expensive since other platforms can offer the same tutorials at a cheaper price
Stephen Ridley Instagram
Stephen is active on social media where he has a massive influence. On Instagram, 561k people follow him and his reels have approximately 500,000 views. On YouTube, his channel has 50.7k subscribers.
His greatest inspiration and source of strength for doing his music is learning to give more than taking. Ridley is an inspiration to young people in the music industry. You can also read the story of Mikhala Jene and GoGo Morrow for inspiration.
