Lewis Kelly
English singer/songwriter Lewis Kelly recently released his latest single “employed” and it’s one of the coolest things I’ve heard lately. I’ve said this before but English artists are some of the best artists in the game because they have a very unique style and they’re not trying to sound like anyone else. Lewis Kelly is one of these artists. He has a very authentic songwriting and a great musicality. I’ve been studying his music for a bit and I really like the honesty he delivers in his songs.
“employed” has such a great topic. It’s something a lot of people can relate. At the end of the day, doing what we love is what should really matter :) I don’t think a lot of people have written about this topic so it’s cool to see Kelly singing about it. “employed” is cool, different and empowering.
Lewis Kelly is definitely an artist to watch, and I can’t wait to hear more.
“employed” is available now !!
ps: the chorus is my favorite part :)
Photo credit: Jon- Luke Atherton
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
I’m Lewis Kelly. I’m a 19 year old singer / songwriter born in Manchester.. my music is usually categorised as “lo-fi pop” or someone said “bedroom pop” which I thought sounded a bit cooler so one of those I would say.
How would you define Lewis Kelly, the artist?
I would probably define myself as having somewhat “vibey” songs but looking into the lyrics 9/10 they’re not happy & pretty fucking dark or sad? I tend to write what’s on my mind and if all else fails write the absolute closest thing to it, that tends to define me as an artist just writing what I want & releasing it into the wider world hoping people can vibe listening to it, one of my songs got added to a playlist called “spliff session” & to think somebody would spark a joint to one of my songs is a fucking honour!!
employed" is your new single - what's the inspiration behind this song?
I released a song last year called “unemployed” it was my first single that I put out after I signed my first deal and had a fresh start by deleting all my older music. so before “unemployed” I started to write “employed” which is basically just about being miserable working and kind of giving up on your dream because everyone told you to get a real “9-5” and get into the “real world” but at the time of starting to write it I didn’t have a job so I didn’t want to release something because in the best way possible, I had no fucking idea what it’s like to even have a job nevermind hate it, so I released “unemployed” first which is obviously about.. not having a job & I could fully relate, so eventually when I actually got somewhat of a job I finished writing it & it all just clicked you know?
Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this single? Who helped you create it?
As literally every song of mine really, I write it alone at some early hour in the morning with me & my guitar, I go to a session with it and my two good friends Isaac Kennedy & Ben Lane work absolute magic. I say this in every interview but I am very very appreciative of those lads, they deserve the full credit to making my songs sound the way they do, I might write it but without them actually making it what it is & incorporating their own ideas, it wouldn’t be half as good.
What did you feel when writing this song?
I kind of touched on it earlier I guess but, it was just about the pressure of people consistently telling creative people like myself to “get a real job” and it’ absolute bullshit, it is a real job and people should do what they love so it’s so sad to see the system catch up with people and watch them get dragged by other people’s opinions, so I kind of wrote it as a collective of not liking a job but wishing you never gave up on your dream because that’s what gets you by? It’s essentially written as an open letter I guess?
What's your favourite thing about this single?
Honestly, the chorus. as a whole I love the song it all clicked when I wrote it & the boys did absolute wonders with the production it very much just blew my mind when I got the master back, but I don’t know what it is about the chorus but it just makes me be like “shit I actually wrote that like??” I’m very proud of this one to say the least!
What made you want to release "employed" as a single?
Well… I was actually advised by my good friend & label manager Samuel to release another song as the first single… I don’t want to drop any names of the song because it’ll be out eventually but it just didn’t feel right? I started this whole journey with “unemployed” so it only felt right stepping out of the last EP into another project with “employed”, it kind of connected itself a little you know?
What can you tell us about the artwork?
Honestly there isn’t too much to say. My good friend Jon Luke shoots pretty much every photo I post / use as artwork and we just go around Manchester and make a day of it, we have a load of photos by the end of it. I didn’t even know I was allowed to put my finger up as a single cover, I had to ask for permission from my label who were very much up for it, I could’ve played it safe because there is a photo literally the exact same in the same location without the finger but I thought that was boring, let’s fucking spice it up and flip the camera off eh?
As an artist, what is the hardest part? And what is the best part?
For me, the hardest part is constant self doubt & criticism. Like say if I’ve not written a song for a few weeks I’ll constantly feel almost like guilty about it because in my head I feel I should be writing frequently, which is absolute bullshit. I should write when I want to & if the inspiration is there, so that’s shit. And the best is 100% seeing reactions to your songs like seeing how people take it differently & just having that sense of accomplishment that it’s out and in the world for everybody to hear. Live shows & the reaction to sets are unbeatable too, such a buzz.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
I think the industry is in a great place at the minute especially for upcoming artists, with so many more opportunities to be heard from the likes of editorial playlists on Spotify & social media I think it’s great for musicians opportunity wise, but it’s still fucked up in my opinion, just things like equal opportunities and the constant abusers behind closed doors that nobody hears about until it’s too late, I think it needs a big change and I hope it’s soon.
What biggest life lessons have you learnt so far?
I’m only 19 so I guess the biggest life lesson is do what you love & don’t let anyone tell you differently or tell you that you’re wrong for doing, do what you love & fuck anybody who says differently.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
Probably if Domino’s did two for one Tuesday everyday.. those pizzas aren’t cheap so at this point I’m making music to fund my pizza’s. Also if Domino’s see this please sponsor me.
What message do you want to give to the world?
Hello world, I know everything is a bit shit right now, we got this. stream my new single “employed” for clear skin I’ve been told it works wonders.
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