INTERVIEW:
about his new track, Mathilda, and how it came together. He tells me what he has coming up and whether he has any ambitions to fulfil before the end of this year - I was keen to know when music came into his life and which albums hit him hardest.
LeWis talks about the scene in his native Belgium and reveals whether he has tour dates coming; which rising artists we need to get behind and whether he gets time to unwind away from music – he ends the interview by selecting a classic song.
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Hi, LeWis. How are you? How has your week been?
Hello....
My week has been good. Every week is the same though: uni during the day and writing songs at night. I’m very lucky to be living outside the city centre of Liverpool because I love a good night walk around Sefton Park.
For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?
I’m LeWis; a twenty-two-year-old Belgian songwriter. I write Indie-Folk/melancholic songs about life experiences and dreams. Like most songwriters, I started writing songs at a very young age. I hope to move people with my music and lyrics.
Mathilda is your new single. Is there a story behind it? How did it start life?
Mathilda is written about a person I met when I went traveling through Canada. It's very strange how the song came to life. It all started with a bridge part; it had a very nice melancholic feel to it. The first lyrics I wrote were: "The love, the love/The love Mathilda". I think this sums up the song, so I kept repeating the pattern - and then, in one hour, I wrote the whole song.
Do you think there will be more material coming next year?
Yeah. I try to write every day. I’ve done this for some time, so I'm dead-excited to get into the studio and record all my crazy idea’s and sounds. Can't wait to introduce people to my music. I’m hoping to bring out an E.P. around April.
Which artists did you discover young and become involved with?
It’s probably not a big influence on my music but Metallica was my first ever gig. I was ten-years-old. After that, I started exploring more artist like: Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen; Paul Simon (Simon & Garfunkel), Eddie Vedder and Sigur Rós. God Is an Astronaut were a massive influence for my writing cause they made me wanna experiment with instruments and sounds.
Being based in Belgium; what is the scene like there?
I think Belgium has a lot of different genres which makes it very hard to pin down what the scene is like. I think Belgium is a country with a lot of talented musicians. If you really had to describe a scene, I would say Alternative/Synth-Pop.
What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?
I hope to be appreciated in the music industry. I hope to be ready to start playing live in 2019. I’d like to go on tour and start performing my songs all around the U.K. and Europe.
Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?
My favourite memory was having an independent tour in Saskatchewan. I just packed my guitar and gigged for six weeks in all different places around Canada. It was a time when I didn’t have a lot of money, so improvising was the nicest part of travelling around.
Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)?
Graceland - Paul Simon
Grace - Jeff Buckley
Takk... - Sigur Rós
If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?
Oh; that’s a very interesting question...
I think I would have loved to go on tour with Nick Drake if he was still walking about. My dream is to play in the amphitheatre in Red Rocks (Colorado). A natural-sounding reverb in the middle of nowhere.
PHOTO CREDIT: Geert Pollier
What advice would you give to new artists coming through?
I think everyone have their own way to become an artist. Just be yourself is the cliché́ one, but I think stick with that.
Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?
At the moment, we are just recording and practicing our live set so we can fire it up in 2019.
IN THIS PHOTO: Everything Is Imagined
Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?
IN THIS PHOTO: Geppetto & the Whales
Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?
Not really. I do try to take my mind off of music but I always end up listening or playing (to) tunes.
Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).
Paul Simon - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
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