One of Malta’s most loved, respected and influential local artists, Ivan Grech has built an extraordinary musical career spanning more than four decades. Best known as the frontman, songwriter and creative force behind Winter Moods, Ivan has become one of Malta’s most recognisable and enduring musical voices.

Born into a family of music and theatre lovers, Ivan was exposed to a wide variety of music from a very young age. The youngest of six siblings, his passion for music developed early, and at just 16 years old he joined Winter Moods as the band’s youngest member — marking the beginning of a remarkable musical journey.

As lead singer and principal songwriter of Winter Moods, Ivan has helped shape Maltese popular music, with the band releasing six studio albums: Winter Moods (1995), Morning Ale (2000), Butterfly House (2003), Ordinary Men (2006), Argento (2010), and The Journey (2013), widely hailed as one of the band’s strongest releases to date.

Throughout his career, Ivan has composed some of Malta’s most iconic songs, including Marigold, My Neverland, Everyday Song, Come To You, Miss You, Days of My Life, and Everlasting, among many others. These songs have topped local charts and earned numerous accolades, including Best Song awards for Marigold (2007) and My Neverland (2010), as well as Best Songwriter awards for Ivan in 2007 and 2010. Winter Moods were also awarded Best Band at six editions of the Malta Music Awards.

Winter Moods have also etched their name in Maltese music history through record-breaking live performances. Over 8,000 fans attended their major concert at Valletta Waterfront in 2008, followed by more than 10,000 people at The Granaries, Floriana in 2010 — to date, still the largest paying audiences ever for a local artist. Their 30th anniversary concert at Fort St Elmo in 2015, held in aid of Puttinu Cares, raised over €40,000 for charity.

In 2016, Ivan launched his solo career, marking a new and exciting chapter. His first solo concert at Pjazza Teatru Rjal in August 2016 was sold out and acclaimed by critics as a performance full of energy and emotion. His second solo concert in 2017 at Ta’ Liesse raised over €20,000 for ALS Malta, while his 2019 concert at the same venue raised a further €34,000 for Puttinu Cares — highlighting Ivan’s strong commitment to charitable causes.

Ivan also served as a judge on Season 3 of X Factor Malta, further cementing his status as one of Malta’s most respected figures in the local music industry.

Following his first solo release Somebody Like You in 2019 and a string of sold-out live performances across Malta and Gozo, Ivan returned to Temple Studios to continue working on new material. Reuniting with long-time collaborator and producer David Vella — who produced most of Winter Moods’ releases — Ivan released (Let’s Get) High on Love in 2023, an instant hit that added to his impressive catalogue of popular songs.

This marked the beginning of a larger creative project. Over recent years, Ivan has been recording new material with David Vella at Temple Studios and Peter Borg at Railway Studios, culminating in the release of Victory Street — his first full solo album.