Adriana Balic on Touring the World in P!NK’s Band

From Australia to Dubai to Wales and everywhere in between, Adriana Balic has toured the world as a member of pop star P!NK’s band since 2003, on keys, backing vocals, and guitar. For the past decade, she has also instructed Berklee Online’s Pop and Rock Vocals course, and in 2024, launched Keyboards for Live Performance: Techniques and Technology. In this Q&A, Balic talks about what it was like to write a course about live keyboard performance while simultaneously performing for thousands of P!NK fans across the globe each night.

Where’s the most unique place you’ve taught a Live Class from?

Adriana Balic: Touring and doing live classes can be difficult because the internet is not always excellent in every part of the world. The most unique place that I did a class from was in Sydney, Australia. There was a business room that I went to and it was all glass. And you overlooked the Sydney Harbor, so that was pretty cool. 

ENROLL NOW: Adriana’s masterclass Playing with P!NK: Making it as a Touring Musician takes place on June 5.

You wrote your course while on the road. How did your experiences factor into your teaching? 

Adriana Balic: I was writing the keyboard course while I was touring with P!NK, and I found every nook and cranny to do the writing. Whether it was in between soundcheck, at dinner, or after a show. If I was pumped up, I’d just write for a couple hours in the middle of the night. The cool thing was that everybody on the tour knew I was writing this course so they’d see me writing, and then they’d ask me questions. The funny thing is, so many cool things came up. 

For example, the monitor engineer who’s from Germany—who does monitors, in-ear monitors, and mic mixes for the band—told me that he worked with Kraftwerk. I’m like, “What? I’m talking about Kraftwerk this week in my class.” So that was my opportunity to say, “Hey, would you like to do a video and talk about it?” So we did. A lot of things came up from the crew, the colleagues, and the musicians, that gave me input into my course. I was able to draw upon their experiences and my relationships with them. I think it added a lot to the course because it wasn’t just my experience, but the cumulative experience of all of the people who I work with. I got to know more about them, and it inspired me to come up with new ideas and go in different directions.

READ: Keyboard Rigs for Live Performance: Choosing the Right Setup

Have any of your students seen you perform at a P!NK concert?

Adriana Balic: Yes, I always tell my Berklee students, “If I’m coming to your town, please reach out. I’d love to have coffee and pinch you to know that you’re real because I’ve only seen you on a screen.” So quite often, I meet up with my Berklee students on the road. One of the challenges of meeting up with Berklee students if I have to meet them at the gig, is how big the arena or stadium is. Last year we did stadiums so if I only had a half an hour and it was a mad dash to find my way to where they were and find my way back. And a lot of steps, because these stadiums are huge.

When did you realize that you’d gathered enough knowledge and experience to share with the next generation?

Adriana Balic: I think teaching is something you do when you have something to share, and you might not have all the answers, but you have enough experience and insight that you want to share with people. So I don’t really feel like I’ve arrived at any particular point that I should be the expert of everything on the keyboard, which is why I’ve included so many different people in my class, because I am constantly learning. I’m learning from other musicians, other keyboard players, and other humans. As far as being prepared to teach a keyboard class, I sometimes wonder if I have everything it takes. Everybody has imposter syndrome. I think what separates those who actually do and those who don’t is the ones that do, do it anyway.

You’ve succeeded in a tough industry, and an unforgiving industry in some aspects. Why do you now encourage others to pursue it?

Adriana Balic: Pursuing music is probably not the thing that someone’s parents would say, “You should be a musician,” because it is traditionally thought of as a difficult path. However, I think that all paths are challenging in some way. So if you can pick a path that brings you joy, that feels like you have to do it, and if you don’t you’ll be miserable, then pick that path. For me, it was music. 

I tried to pick other paths. I think in ninth grade I said, “I’m going to go into science. You don’t make any money doing music.” So that was my thought for a few years, but I changed my mind because music was what called me, and I couldn’t shake it. It was undeniable and it still is. I find myself really fortunate to be able to perform and earn a living. I don’t just play, I teach, I do other things. So it’s never a dull moment in my world. But if you choose music, it’s because music has chosen you and it won’t let you do anything else.

Is there a single day in your career you’d ever want to go back and do again because it was so great? 

Adriana Balic: There are two moments that I look back upon with genuine fondness. One was when I first got the P!NK gig. It was so cool. I was basically asked, “Would you like to join the P!NK band and do a promo tour of Europe and rehearse starting next week?” And I was like, “Yes!” My body felt like it was catapulted into outer space. It was life changing overnight and it was just such a fabulous moment. 

The other moment that I would love to relive was the first gig that I did with P!NK. Playing for P!NK in Cardiff, Wales at a Radio 1 festival with tons of superfans, that was exhilarating. I can remember going up the stage and just hearing the cheering, the loud audience, and playing, and it was just a blur. I wish I could do it again and enjoy it even more because it was so overwhelming, exciting, thrilling, and just a moment in time that really I can’t forget.

The P!NK live experience is legendary for her arena-spanning acrobatics. Does having a visual centerpiece ever affect the way you play? Is there a lot of improvisation that happens with the band during these segments?

Adriana Balic: The music for the P!NK show is pretty much set, and it doesn’t change very much. There are moments where sections can get extended, but the parts pretty much stay the same when she’s flying around the stadium. We’re playing “So What” and that’s a really fun song for us on the stage because as a band, we just have a really good time and people might be watching us, but they’re probably watching her fly around. But the superfans know that there’s a whole other show on the stage going on with the band.

What kind of fans are you most excited to play for?

Adriana Balic: I have really enjoyed playing for P!NK’s fans because they literally have grown up with her. I started with her when she was 23. She is now 44 and at the age of 23, the fans were different than they are now. Now they’re grown up just like she is and they’re bringing their children. So there are multiple generations discovering the artist P!NK and watching the different generations enjoy P!NK’s music is really exciting for me because I’ve seen her grow and I’ve seen the audiences grow. So I really enjoy the superfans and all the fans that are out there supporting P!NK and her band, because they just love her music and we love them back.

Your job enables you to travel to many amazing places on Earth. Of the places you’ve traveled to, where would you like to build a portal? 

Adriana Balic: If I could create a portal to anywhere from where I’m at, that I visited on tour, it would be to Dubai. Why? One of my most memorable days in Dubai was going skiing in the mall—yes, there’s a ski hill in the mall—and then going swimming in the sea and it was so hot. So I had ski gear on in the morning, and then in the afternoon evening I was in a bathing suit. That’s pretty cool.

So you get some time off then?

Adriana Balic: Well, that was one day. We get some days off, but not like a vacation. Although, when I was on tour in Australia a few years back, we were there for three months. So they installed a one-week break for us to do whatever we wanted. So people chose different excursions, and I had my family come visit me and we went to the Great Barrier Reef. So if I could create a portal from wherever I’m at to some place in the world, it would be the Great Barrier Reef, floating, swimming with all the beautiful fish in the warm waters and just surrounded by absolutely beautiful nature.

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What is your performing philosophy?

Adriana Balic: My philosophy for music performance is to bring the best version of yourself. The best that you have that given day. Every day is going to be different. We’re humans. We’re not robots. So allow yourself to bring the experiences that you have or the feelings that you have on that given day. And don’t be apologetic. The humanity of your life and what you experience can change the way you perform a song, and it can bring some very unplanned and amazing musical moments. So be open to it.