For SIMON LEWIS, music is where he finds peace because he can do and express himself however he wants. In March, the Viennese’s second album “Rebel” (töchtersöhne records) was released, which once once more paints a very personal picture of the musician. At the same time, it shows SIMON LEWIS as someone with a will of his own, who confidently strays from the musical paths that were intended for him. In an interview with Michael Ternai, the songwriter talked regarding his desire to regain control of his music, the therapeutic effect it has for him, and how his time as a busker shaped him.
So far I’ve known you as someone whose music is more mainstream pop. At least your songs get played on mainstream radio. But if you read your biography and listen to the songs really carefully, this picture doesn’t really reflect with the appearance on the radio. The sound of your songs is anything but smooth and polished. It is more of a melancholic and authentic note that reveals a lot of personal things regarding you. The press release for the album says that the last four years have not been easy for you. To what extent is music the catalyst for your feelings?
Simon Lewis: You’re right. My songs reflect a lot of my emotional world. I don’t really see myself as part of this pop world either, although I grew up with pop music and I love it. For me, music has always been a kind of escape from reality, a world of my own to which I can withdraw and in which I can really do what I want without anyone telling me what to do. That was always very liberating for me. With my first album, on the other hand, it was a little different. It was the first time that I worked with professional producers. And even though I really enjoyed it immensely and had a lot of fun working with such professional people, in the end I let myself be told a lot. You might say the time in the studio was more learning than doing. But that’s normal, I think, because such an album production was something completely new for me at the time. However, I quickly felt trapped in this pop cliché world and at some point I wasn’t really happy with the album anymore. I wasn’t entirely unhappy with this one either. I see the album today as part of a process. It was the beginning of a development for me. And that is very important to me, because standing still is what I want to avoid at all costs. It’s not enough for me to just be the next hyped radio star. There are enough of them.
That means you took the scepter into your own hands once more on the new album.
Simon Lewis: Yes, although this decision was not met with understanding everywhere. My first label in particular was very skeptical. The people there are of course also interested in the fact that such an album makes financial sense. And there is nothing wrong with that. The good thing regarding music that gets played on the radio is that it makes money. And to be honest, it opened quite a few doors for me too. But I didn’t want to go in that direction anymore. I didn’t want to sound smooth anymore. My music should have rough edges. That was ultimately one of the reasons why I parted ways with the first label. My new label daughterssons stood behind my musical ideas from the beginning.
“The music really had to be what I wanted it to be.”
So you knew what should be different on album number two?
Simon Lewis: Yes, definitely. It was kind of like a departure. I left my first label and really wanted to have more control over my stuff. The music really had to be what I wanted it to be. Even if that might be associated with a slightly higher risk. It was also very important for me that even more of my personal things flowed into the music. The songs deal with my feelings and my visions and the challenge was to bring these two levels together.
Your songs definitely have rough edges. They also have authenticity. How much have the last four years, which were associated with some personal crises for you, played into the music?
Simon Lewis: Of course very much. I’m a very emotional person and I’ve found out a lot regarding myself over the past few years. And in the difficult moments and phases, music was my best therapist. The songs were all created over a very long period of time and deal with the different stations I was in at the moment.
So your lyrics are very personal. Aren’t you afraid that sometimes you might reveal too much regarding yourself?
Simon Lewis: I haven’t really thought regarding that. Maybe not because I haven’t yet had the experience that it might one day too much was. Maybe that will happen to me someday. For me, music is just the place where I can be open and honest. I find it difficult to slip into another role. I’m not a good actor. It’s also always been difficult for me to write songs with other people because I always wanted the words to be my words and the lyrics to come from me and I’m afraid that when I’m collaborating with other people, I might lose some of them. I write the songs primarily for myself. And if I feel they’re good enough to share with others, then I share them.
“Playing on the street has also helped me a lot in songwriting […]“
You used to play a lot of street music. How much did that influence your musical ideas?
Simon Lewis: I still play street music from time to time. And it’s still fun. But it’s exciting for me to see that I never did it with the intention of becoming a great songwriter. For me it was just logical to do that. I was only 15, I had no network at all or no contact to people who might have helped me, I didn’t know how to organize concerts etc. At that time I just wanted to know how my music was received by people. And the only way I might find out was the street. And the first time was really terrible at first. I had the idea in my head and was fully motivated, but I was so nervous that at first I was overwhelmed by the sudden attention. But then it got better and better. In hindsight, I have to say that I’m a little proud of myself that I did it and continued to do it. The positive feedback from people definitely encouraged me to keep going. Playing on the street also helped me a lot in songwriting, because I might see directly whether a song worked or not, whether the audience accepted it or not. That was exciting.
You started making music and playing live early. When did you realize that you wanted to make this your profession?
Simon Lewis: That was when I was regarding 18. I went to a graphics school and graduated from there. And that with the original goal of becoming a director. But then I had a relationship with a classmate who once asked me why I didn’t want to be a musician because I make music all the time anyway. Up until that moment, I had never thought regarding making this my profession. Only then did the idea of trying it come up.
Where do your musical inspirations come from? Who influenced you musically?
Simon Lewis: It started when I was 13. The first bands that really excited me and influenced me were Green Day, Sum 41 and System of a Down, i.e. rather bands from the areas of punk rock and rock. Above all, it was this rebelliousness and cheekiness that these groups stood for that appealed to me. I also have to say that I haven’t seen myself as a singer for a long time. I started out on guitar first and was really obsessed with songwriting at first. At that time I was listening to an incredible amount of music and was fascinated by what you can actually do with just a few chords and that you can find a place in the music world even with a scratchy and imperfect voice. That really encouraged me to try my hand at the microphone. By the time I was 20, I felt like my voice had developed enough to write the songs I wanted.
The album was released in early March. What are the reactions so far?
Simon Lewis: Overall very positive, although things seem a bit difficult with the radio at the moment. But somehow I saw it coming, that it might be like this. On the other hand, the feedback from my fans and the people around me was very nice. Basically, it’s not that important to me that it’s as successful as the debut. I’m more concerned with the new songs giving the people who listen to them a little more than the ones I’ve done before.
Thank you for the interview!
Michael Ternai
++++
Links:
Simon Lewis
Simon Lewis (Facebook)
daughtersandsons
