Alexander Pappas

Alexander Pappas, the singer and songwriter now based in Australia, initially rose to prominence through his role in Hillsong Young & Free. There he helped craft several of the worship collective’s major successes, among them “Alive” and “End of Days,” before stepping out on his own. His first extended play, IDAHO, arrived in 2021 and was followed late the next year by the seven-track album AMERICAN DREAM.

Born in Southern California and raised in the small Idaho community of Coeur d’Alene, Pappas began playing guitar at fifteen during services at his local church and was leading worship two years afterward. Attracted by Hillsong’s modern worship style, he moved to Sydney at nineteen to attend the church’s International Leadership College. After finishing three years of study he became a youth pastor and started directing and co-writing songs for the Young & Free ensemble. The group toured extensively and released projects such as the 2013 album We Are Young & Free and 2018’s III, both featuring Pappas contributions including the anthemic “Alive.”

Building on that work, he signed with Capitol and released his first solo single, “K.O.,” in 2021. IDAHO followed later the same year, and his debut album, the seven-track AMERICAN DREAM, appeared in late 2022.