![]() ![]() Other times, like with ‘Be Alright’, I’m crafting the story with memories and stuff like that. On ‘Half A Man’, the line: “But how am I supposed to love you / When I don’t love who I am?” came to me and my first thought was, “That can’t be from me. I’ll pick up a guitar and a line will just fly out unexpectedly. How do you channel that vulnerability into your writing?ĭL: I’m pretty happy going, but sometimes you just surprise yourself. MF: Your lyrics come a personal and real place. ![]() I’ve got enough singles that I can put in more songs that are more authentic, genuine and raw. They might’ve been big songs, but maybe they didn’t sound like me. I’ve kept a couple songs off the album as well. I knew a little bit, but I’ve definitely honed in on what I like and what a Dean Lewis song sounds like now. With the EP, I was throwing things at the wall and trying to figure out who I was. Before I’d just think, “Ah, that sucks, this sucks.” But now I’ve heard what something that I thought sucked can turn into. MF: How do you think you’ve grown as a musician between Same Kind of Different and A Place We Knew?ĭL: I’ve always been writing down ideas, but now I feel more confident in those ideas. I’m really proud of them and most people haven’t heard them, so I chucked them back on. Why did you choose to re-include those?ĭL: I always felt that no one had really heard ‘Waves’ or ‘Chemicals.’ They have good numbers on streaming services, but in the scheme of the world no one has really heard those songs. MF: A couple of the album’s track originally appeared on your EP, Same Kind of Different. That didn’t come from the pressure of ‘Be Alright’, it was just me listening to it and thinking it could be a little better. I’m really big into songs starting at a place, slowly introducing more things and finishing quite epic. ![]() I was still doing work on ‘7 Minutes’ and ‘Stay Awake’ three-months ago, adding little things like re-doing vocal lines or adding different percussion. I wasn’t all, “Oh my god, I need to write a hit song!” I feel like I already had some really good songs. I was confident and they were all recorded when “Be Alright” was released. Those were the songs I considered to be the singles. When I released ‘Be Alright’, I had ‘7 Minutes’, ‘Stay Awake’ and ‘Hold of Me’. With ‘Be Alright’, before I released that I recorded it four times, and we were up to mix 27 of changes! That’s my personality I go over stuff until I get that feeling. Was there any pressure to go back and adjust things before release?ĭL: I did on a few songs, but that’s just me. MF: Your debut album A Place We Knew is highly anticipated. I’m confident in the music that’s coming too. I get excited because I haven’t put out that much music yet. I look at other artists who have done some amazing things, and they might be on their second album. It is amazing how it’s happened quite quickly. ![]() For me, I’m constantly thinking about what I’m doing. The next thing you’re doing is everything. With music, you can’t just take a week off. Could we be playing bigger shows? Can I write better songs? Can we play the shows better? I’m always looking ahead, and I guess I don’t appreciate things. How does that meteoric rise feel?ĭL: I feel like there’s so much more to go! I look at everything and I think, “Why are we not doing this or that?” My mindset is always focused on the next thing and what we could be doing better. MF: For an Australian artist to break big overseas is no easy feat, especially for someone who doesn’t have a full album out yet. It’s like, how?! I don’t know anyone in Nashville! They’re excited and they know all of the songs. The crowds feel like crowds back home in Australia. Now with ‘Be Alright’, it’s amazing that we’re selling out these venues. ‘Waves’ was quite a big song in Australia, so I thought, “Surely people in America will know about it?” But there was nothing in America. I was always thinking, “How do you sell out a venue in America?” I thought it was impossible after that experience. I feel lucky that people have connected with it.Ī year-and-a-half ago I did a show in Portland that literally only 10 people came to. I have to remind myself how lucky I am because this doesn’t happen for everyone. I feel like I’m trying to spin so many plates at the same time, and more stuff keeps coming in. MF: What’s it like playing to those sold out crowds?ĭL: It’s surreal. The shows have all sold out and we’ve been doing some pretty decent venues. Falling asleep on a bus and waking up in a new city. We caught up with the Sydney-based songwriter in the midst of a sold out tour of the United States - don’t worry, he’ll be back in May for an Australian tour - to talk A Place We Knew and how this success has affected his creative process.ĭean Lewis: It’s been great. ![]()
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