A Moment with Dean Lewis

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A Moment with Dean Lewis

We spent A Moment with Dean Lewis, Australian singer-songwriter who has amassed billions of streams with his hits such as “Waves”, “Half a Man”, and “How Do I Say Goodbye”, recently sat down with Hidden Beats to spend a moment with him and discuss his song writing process, performing his own songs, and more!

Behind The Process

Dean takes us behind his own song writing process, and how his various influences affect his style. When it comes to his soaring, emotionally charged epics such as “How Do I Say Goodbye”, Dean speaks of how he builds the scene for the listener with his descriptive lyrics: “There was a song that I heard by Bruce Springsteen –“Dancing in the Dark”- and he used very specific things. So I really like drawing scenes, and I do that in “Be Alright”, right from the start it’s “I look up from the ground to see your sad and teary eyes” and then I’m describing the scene, and I’m using dialogue back and forth… I just really enjoy it! Then in “How Do I Say Goodbye” I guess I do the same.

“Early morning there’s a message on my phone, it’s my mother saying ‘Darling please come home’… Yeah, I don’t know why I do that! I think it’s just… I’m really trying to find my own style. I don’t think I’ve done it one hundred percent yet… I’m trying to go even further into that style of really specific things… I just think it helps create scenes better and puts you, the listener, into the scene better.”

Playing The Hits

Asked about what songs he is enjoying playing live, Dean shared the two he loves the most: “How Do I Say Goodbye”, his newest crowd pleaser which he describes as “so high, and so emotional, like so high on the register that it’s tougher to sing”; and “Scares Me”, which Dean breaks down how it feels to play. “A song I really love to play live is “Scares Me”. It’s just so fun to play! It’s one of those songs where you’re on the piano, and it’s really connective. The chorus, when it hits, and I’m playing the piano and hear the reverb in my ears… it sounds so nice… it feels like everything soars! It’s in the perfect key where it almost feels like you’re flying when you sing that chorus. That’s one of the funner songs to play live.”

What’s On the Playlist

Aside from the aforementioned Bruce Springsteen, Dean Lewis shares some of his favorite artists growing up and how they’ve impacted his style: “The bands that I love the most are The Fray, and I love the Goo Goo Dolls, and I love Eminem! When I was young -I never tell anyone this- when I was twelve, with my brothers, we’d be listening to Eminem. All the time. D12. I used to freestyle with my brother -it’s so embarrassing, I’m so bad at it- but I really think if you listen to Eminem’s stuff, and you listen to “Be Alright” or “Hurtless”… and for instance “Stan”… they’re not rap songs, but there are some of those elements in there. And I think that really helped my songwriting. With some songs, the verses really come together almost like a rap style in a melodic sense.

Many of these songs that I do aren’t the typical ‘pick up a guitar and you write a verse, and it’s this beautiful sweet melody that’s really locked in, that’s really generic.’ It’s all these puzzle pieces that don’t really make sense, and I don’t even know how to get there, but from just freestyling into it, you can find a path through.” When it comes to his more melodic influences, it’s back to his classics: “I just love The Fray, I’m obsessed with them. I’ve just been listening to them so much lately because they have excellent fundamentals of songwriting. They really influenced me, and I really love Goo Goo Dolls at the moment, just simple, good, songwriting is my go-to.”

Unexpected Workout Music

Asked to name a ‘guilty pleasure’, Dean couldn’t come up with one, but he DOES have an unexpected new favorite artist to listen to! “It’s not really a guilty pleasure, but it’s one that people wouldn’t expect. I’m not into country music because I just don’t get it. I’m from Australia, it just… never really got played a lot. But then I was in Nashville, and I heard this artist called Lainey Wilson and she has this song called “Things A Man Oughta Know”… it’s so cool, I listen to it when I go to the gym every morning. I literally just put Lainey Wilson on, it’s all this country music that I don’t relate to, and I love it! There’s something so nice about it. She’s incredible. It’s only a guilty pleasure because you wouldn’t think I’d listen to it, but… Lainey Wilson! She’s incredible, check her out!”

Homage To His Favourites

Dean Lewis peels the curtain back a bit on doing covers! “You want to do one cover every tour”, Dean explains, “The last tour we did, we were doing “Iris”, and everyone went crazy. I think the next one we’re learning is “Yellow” by Coldplay… We did Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” back in the day, then The Killer’s “When We Were Young”… Then “Iris” and the next one will be “Yellow” by Coldplay, because “Yellow” is just one of those classic songs.”

Out Now, And on The Road!

Since it’s release in November 2022, “The Hardest Love” has charted across the world, and his singles, including “Looks Like Me”, “Hurtless”, and “How Do I Say Goodbye” have racked up hundreds of millions of streams! Hidden Beats appreciates that Dean Lewis was able to give us a moment of his time as he is currently on the road in the midst of his international tour, so if you are in Europe or North America, check and keep an eye out for the nearest show! “The Hardest Love” is available now on all your favorite streaming platforms.

A Moment with Dean Lewis means a moment with someone who truly loves his craft. Big thanks to Dean and 1824 for taking the time to come together

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