Since day dot, we’ve confidently hedged our bets on up-and-coming London songwriter and producer SG Lewis. Labelled as a “white boy with soul” by none other than Pharrell Williams, Lewis draws from a range of influences to create beautifully textured pieces of music, placing him amongst the best in the game.
Having recently released ‘Dusk’, the first installation of his three-part album, ‘Dusk, Dark, Dawn’, Lewis is just weeks away from heading Down Under for his very first Australian tour. In anticipation for his arrival, we caught up to have a chat about his career to date, the making of his debut record, metre-long spiders, and a slew of other Aussie stereotypes.
Best Before: It’s been a wild three years for you. I very clearly recall stumbling upon “No Less” on Soundcloud in 2015 and it actually rocked me, and obviously many others. Do you remember the moment when you felt like this whole music thing could actually work out for you?
SG Lewis: Thank you! That means a lot, man. Yeah, I guess that moment was really when “Warm” got synced on this HBO show called Ballers. So basically, I’d put out music and I’d signed a deal with PMR, but I think signing a deal nowadays doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Initially, nothing really happened but when “Warm” synced on Ballers; all of a sudden, the music was exposed to a lot more people. To see it react like that, that was the first time I was like oh wow. People who weren’t friends of mine, or friends of friends, or my mum — people who had no bias towards my music. That was the first time I was like, this could be a thing.
Yeah, like you do this really cool thing but you don’t necessarily feel it at all until someone who doesn’t know you gives you a compliment.
Yeah, and I guess that’s a bit of an insecurity as well. I remember when I played my first LA show, it was a similar thing. I think when you play a London show, there’s always an underlying thought that’s like, that person knows me through that person etc. So I think that validation from people you don’t have a personal relationship with is really flattering.
In 2016, you had plans to release a debut album, and just this year you announced that you were going to drop it in three parts. What went down that made you pivot your plans?
I’d reached that point where I was like, okay, I guess I should be making an album now. And I just got halfway through the process and I just didn’t feel excited or passionate about what I was making. I felt like I was making an extended EP or like a collection of songs. So I went away for a bit and I really took my time with it, thought about it, and I came up with this [three-part album] concept. I felt like, as a producer, there’s a lot of producer-focused albums that lack a story or purpose and, for me, an album needs to have a purpose. It can’t just be a bunch of beats or collaborations. I really need a story to tie it together.
So I was on the tube one day, and I really had this idea to have an album that moved through the three different stages of the night. As soon as I had that idea, I thought, I have to do this. It’s really that idea that excited me and the best way to execute that, for me, was to do the album in three parts to really showcase it. There was going to be a lot of music, and I didn’t want to release an 18-track album for my first album. You’ve pretty much got to be Drake to do that. I wanted to release it part by part, to give people the opportunity to digest it, and really have the attention span for it. The other excuse is that it gave me some time to finish it — ha!
What was the response from the people that you work with — manager, label, etc. — when you told them that you had the idea to release a three-part album?
I think initially, they were a bit like, “What the fuck”, but I really just had to sit them down and talk to them about it. I’m really fortunate that I have a team that was willing to execute that vision. For me, music is changing so rapidly — the way that people digest and listen to music. From starting this process, I felt like this concept hadn’t really been done before and I’m learning as I go. I’m proud of the fact that I’m doing something different, and something that I feel excited about. Initially, they were a bit scared of it but, as we’ve been going forward, we’re seeing people experimenting with how they release their music, and there’s no kind of set way for how an album, or music, should be released.
Well, yeah, I mean, Kanye’s dropping four back to back seven-track albums…
Yeah, and it’s almost to cater to people’s attention spans. I think it’s a time for experimentation. It’d be interesting to see how my albums fair in the long run. There’s so much left to be seen, but as soon as I had the idea, I knew this is what I had to do and, creatively, it’s been really rewarding.
“For me, an album really needs to have a purpose. It can’t just be a bunch of beats or collaborations. I really need a story to tie it together.”
You mentioned that you’ve learnt a few things, particularly from dropping the albums in different parts. From your EPs, to making an album, how have the things you’ve learnt influenced your creative process?
I’d say that when I started this project, I really wanted people to consider it as a three-part album but, because of the traditional format of releasing stuff, it’s hard for people not to see it as three EPs and I think that that’ll be the case until the whole thing is released. I’m hoping that, once it’s all out, the concept will tie it back together as one project and, when people go back, they’ll consider it as one project.
Streaming has changed the way we consume music so much; the sort of slow death of SoundCloud, and so much has changed in terms of the world that I operate in, and artists like myself. I think the biggest thing that I’ve learnt is that you have to be consistent with your output. This is something that this album gives me the opportunity to do. Nowadays you don’t really have the opportunity to go away for 18 months unless you’re on the top level.
In a sense, it’s sort of similar to how The Weekend approached the release of his first three mixtapes back in the day. Though they were all connected, it sort of wasn’t until he released ‘Trilogy’ that a lot of people realised that it was one body of work but, as a fan, you still weren’t really sure whether or not you felt like it was a cop-out.
Yeah, definitely! I mean, The Weeknd is definitely an inspiration for the album concept. I think at the end, I’ll release a three-part vinyl and package it so people will consider it as one body of work. And you’re right, at first, it was like, we want a new album, not just your mixtapes stitched together but, in retrospect, people will now look at it all as one album. Things have changed so much. There are so many ways you can package and release music, but I still want to be releasing something every couple of months, at the absolute minimum. It’s important to stay present and just keep releasing music. I’ve really just learnt that releasing some music is better than no music.
And, I suppose, in a sense, it’s about having a constant conversation with your fans as well…
Yeah, there was a year where I didn’t release anything and I was lucky to have fans that connected with my initial songs enough that they were still there for me when I started releasing music again. But, at the same time, they were like, “Don’t ever do that again!” Ha!
Let’s talk about ‘Dusk’. Being the first of three parts, what was the tone you were trying to set with this part of the album?
‘Dusk’ for me, really tried to encapsulate the introduction, anticipation and excitement for the night to come. I used to do these warm-up DJ sets in Liverpool when I was a student and, for me, so much of a warm-up DJ set has elements of disco and genres of music that draw the crowd in initially.
So, for me, that’s why so much of ‘Dusk’ was that kind of vibe. Tracks like “Aura” were slightly disco-influenced and slightly house, but then there’s more of a West Coast hip hop influence on some of the stuff. The picture of a California sunset was quite clear in my head, and that’s what I associate with dusk and that part of the night. It was really just about setting the tone for the start of the night.
You mentioned that it was heavily influenced by the stuff you were playing during warm-up sets a few years back, but were there any particular artists that you were listening to at the time to really get in that mindset, or even just take influence from?
Yeah, I mean, I’ve always collected disco vinyl, and I think I just started collecting more disco records as I got into the record. I was watching a lot of DJ sets by Motor City Drum Ensemble, which is my favourite disco DJ and there were releases by Midland and a track called “Final Credits” that was everywhere that I was very much obsessed with it. Apart from that, I was just listening to a lot of classic disco stuff like Earth, Wind and Fire, and just really digesting it all.
I didn’t really do anything pastiche, and I didn’t want to just try and create a disco record. I felt like “Aura” incorporated a disco bassline and elements, but it still felt modern and it felt like me. I’m really proud of that record.
Is the record completely finished?
Part two is finished. I’m going to release a new track in three weeks, and the track is just something that I made that I didn’t finish in time for ‘Dusk’ with a collaborator that I really love.
Can you share who that artist is?
I can not. I’m sorry! But it’ll be out real soon. I’ll be handing in the masters for ‘Dark’ in a minute and there are some artists I’m really excited about that are on the record. There are two who are featured on it that I’ve been following for a long time, and they’ve been an influence on my career. And then I’m halfway through ‘Dawn’. I feel like I have all the songs but I just need to finish it.
“I love working with new talent and exposing new talent to an audience that might’ve not heard of them.”
For me, you’ve always kept this great balance between instrumental tracks and having feature vocalists to aid the music. How do you choose who you collaborate with? Does it tend to be friends you’re making along the way, or do you actively choose artists?
As your profile rises or, hopefully in the future, if my profile does rise more, then there’s an opportunity to do the latter and reach out to specific people. There have definitely been scenarios when I’ve created something and have been like, “oh, that would be perfect for so and so” but then you realise, there’s probably a hundred other artists who are thinking the same thing.
So a lot of my collaborators so far have been people that I know and I’ve worked with — “Aura”, for instance, with J Warner. He’s kind of known around London as this amazing singer, but he just hasn’t spent heaps of time working on his own stuff. I made the instrumental for “Aura”, and I had part of the chorus written down in my notes. The song had been formed in my head and I knew what kind of voice I was after and, as soon as the idea of getting J on it came into my head, I knew he’d be perfect. So there’s a slight A&R process involved.
I’m constantly writing songs and vocals are never going to be my absolute go-to thing, but with “Coming Up”, for instance, I’d written the song with a friend and I’d vocalled it. Then I was trying to find someone to sing it but everyone was just like, “You should keep your vocals on it.” So yeah, there’s always a variation, but there is definitely an A&R process when choosing those collaborators.
Right, but A&R within the bounds of access.
Yeah, exactly! If I reach a stage where I can be like, “Pharrell, you should jump on this“, that’d be pretty sick. I always think that it must be pretty awesome being someone like Calvin Harris and just being like, “Who do I want on this?” Also, I love working with new talent and exposing new talent to an audience that might’ve not heard of them anyways.
Yeah and like, different cities have different scenes so an artist like J Warner might have a presence in London but we hear someone like him here in Australia and we’re like, who is this!?
Yeah! I’m really looking forward to coming down to Australia for that reason, because I know Australia has its own scene and that scene is so strong, There’s so much music that you guys play out there that we haven’t necessarily heard before. And there’s so much to tap into down there, so I’m definitely looking forward to meeting some of those artists, getting my feet on the ground, and starting to hear about a whole new world of opportunities that collaborations may bring.
“I’m excited to just go out and feel what people are feeling there.”
On the topic of Australia, when you thought of Australia, what did you imagine it being like? Have you been here before?
No, I’ve never been there before. My brother’s been there, I’ve had friends who have been there, but I think I have all of the stupid stereotypical thoughts in my head. When I think of Australia, I think of beaches, surfers, and BBQ, but it’s going to be the middle of winter when I get there, so immediately that idea is going to be shattered.
The other thing is, I’m terrified of spiders. I fucking hate spiders and I just imagine these metre-big spiders crawling around everywhere — which is also probably not true, so all of my thoughts are these very stereotypical, stupid, tourist thoughts, and I’m looking forward to being there and experiencing it. Even if it is just winter.
The funny thing is, you’re not wrong, ha! But, I guess, the way the experiences actualise when you’re here might not necessarily be as you’d imagine.
Well, then that’s me in a nutshell! I’m happy having a BBQ on the beach for like the rest of my life. I’m cool with that, but the spiders can fuck off.
Aside from playing to new audiences, what are you most excited to see or do here?
Although obvious, I know that Triple J have backed some records, but I’m really excited to see which songs people are going to be really excited about. Apart from that, the sad thing is, we don’t actually have a lot of off time on this trip, but I really wanted to go to Sydney Harbour and do all the typical tourist stuff. I also wanted to just go to some parties out there, and see what the vibe is like, see what music people are listening to and just experience it.
Yeah, I mean, personally I think that’s the best way to explore the culture of a city. To just feel what the locals are feeling.
Exactly, man! I went to Brazil at the end of last year and it was exactly that. When I felt like I really got the scene, it was when we went out and we were in their clubs, dancing to their music. I’ve been so influenced by club culture and club music, I’m excited to just go out and feel what people are feeling there, you know.
Being your first time out here, a lot of people are eagerly awaiting your arrival. What can fans expect from an SG Lewis live show?
So the live show is five of us on stage. It’s a full-on live setup; there’s drums, a keys player and two vocalists who will cover vocals wherever appropriate. We really recreate the songs live and put different spins on them. It’s a lot closer to a Caribou or a Bonobo show than it is to a DJ show. When we created it, I wanted it to be a real live experience, and it’s something that I’m super proud of. Sometimes, fans get what they’re not expecting from the show.
Stream the first part of SG Lewis’ three-part debut record below: