The wildly talented Alex Newell is one of those brilliant artists with powerhouse vocals that comes around once in a lifetime. While best-known for his powerful performance as ‘Unique Adams’ on Fox’s “Glee,” Newell is now making headlines as he makes his Broadway debut in the revival of “Once On This Island,” which opened December 2017. Alex breaks barriers as ‘Asaka’ Mother of the Earth, which has traditionally been a female role. He steals the show with “Mama Will Provide” which New York Times says is “sung to rattle the roof by the ferocious Alex Newell”, and Entertainment Weekly raved “is a highlight and one of the show’s most memorable and most cheered moments.”
Newell was launched in to the national limelight in 2011 when he booked a guest role on Fox’s hit series, “Glee,” due to his success on the Oxygen competition series, “The Glee Project.” He won audiences over with his portrayal of transgender student, ‘Wade “Unique” Adams’ which ultimately secured him a series regular spot on the show.
Born in Salem, Massachusetts, Newell grew up in the small town of Lynn, just north of Boston. He notes that although his neighborhood was rough growing up, it was a melting pot of culture. He was exposed to dozens of different races, religions, and fine arts from a very young age, something that would help fine tune who he is today and what his career goals would be in the future. He found his love for music in church; his father was a deacon and his mother ran the choir. Every Sunday he would attend church and sing gospel songs with the choir. The styles of gospel music, dominant vocals blended with soul and the expression of personal beliefs were ingrained into Newell and he was able to start exploring and honing his talent. When Alex was six years old, his father passed away from cancer and he took refuge in song. By high school Newell had landed at a private Catholic academy with an impeccable arts program. It was here that he decided he knew what he wanted in life: to be a Broadway star, and to be on stage. He surrounded himself with music, and dedicated much of his life to concert choir – which was a crash course on every type of music he could think of. He dabbled in Opera, Jazz, A Capella, Chamber, Modern, and many other styles of music.
Newell learned from his work on “Glee” that perhaps his dreams of being on Broadway were not his only dreams, as his eyes were opened to the possibilities in television and in film. He has booked several projects over the years including two pilots, the independent feature, “Geography Club” (Huffington Pictures), and has performed in several theater productions. Alex is also signed to Atlantic Records. He released his EP, “POWER” and toured with Adam Lambert in February 2016, and his music was featured as a primary story point on HBO’s Martin Scorsese series “Vinyl”.
When not working, Alex loves to cook, shop, and has a passion for interior design. He also is a self-proclaimed YouTube addict. On the charity front, he supports the American Cancer Society, and is a role model and inspiration for LGBTQ teens worldwide. His personal goals include giving people motivation to be whoever they are, no matter how different, and to never change for anyone. He currently resides in New York City with his beloved dog, Nugget.