Ottawa

Chilly Gonzales chats with All in a Day's Alan Neal about pianos and pop

All in a Day's Alan Neal sits down with Montreal pianist Chilly Gonzales to talk about both his music and his analysis of some of the biggest Top 40 hits.

Gonzales plays Dominion-Chalmers United Church Sunday for Music and Beyond Festival

Chilly Gonzales appears this Sunday at Dominion-Chalmers United Church in Ottawa. (Alexandre Isard)

Montreal pianist and composer Chilly Gonzales has taken on a new challenge these days: he's been analyzing Top 40 hits to find out just what makes them so catchy.

The well-studied Gonzales has been teaching a so-called pop "masterclass" on YouTube that analyzes popular songs like Iggy Azalea's Fancy and Daft Punk's Get Lucky for their influences and — sometimes — their surprising complexities.

This Sunday, Gonzales will be bringing that breadth of musical knowledge to Dominion-Chalmers United Church, where he's performing as part of Ottawa's Music and Beyond festival.

Before that performance, however, he sat down for a chat with All in a Day host Alan Neal. Take a listen here.

On mobile? Tap here for the interview.