British singer, songwriter and superstar producer SG Lewis has woken up in his family home in London for the first time in nearly four months. Currently residing in Los Angeles, where he’s working with some of the biggest artists in world.
He’s managed to sketch out a few days rest midway through his EU tour in celebration of the release of his second solo album AudioLust & HigherLove. He has spent, he guesses, less than 30 days there in past 2 years, and based off the success of the album as well as his credits on work by the likes of Dua Lipa, Elton John, Tove Lo and Lil Tecca.
From first encountering the producers after watching a Neptune's documentary on MTV, to producing on one of the biggest albums of recent memory; it’s been quite the journey; and as he sits down with Goldenplec ahead of his show this Sunday in the 3Olympia Theatre, he begins to reflect on the importance of calmness among the chaos of work on the road.
SG Lewis at Forbidden Fruit 2018. Photo by Owen Humphreys www.owen.ie
What’s it like being home?
“It’s really nice because I now live in Los Angeles but when I say home I mean home with the family so it’s really nice to have that family time between touring and hectic schedules. It’s really nice to have these still moments with my brother and my Dad while I’m here away from all the travelling and touring most of the year. I’m very close to my family so it’s definitely testing but I guess faith has just taken me to Los Angeles for the moment”.
In a previous interview you spoke about how when you got close to the album release’s you were told by those closest to you that you’d be giving up a lot of yourself to the album cycle, be it touring, travelling or press runs; what’s it been like juggling that expectation?
“You know it’s funny. When you’re starting out you want to do everything and go everywhere because travelling is the best part of the job, getting to see the world and stuff but I think having done this for some time now you learn to value those moments of stillness. I wouldn’t give up the travel for the world because the experience you get from visiting these places it’s beyond words but valuing that time with friends and at home does become really important as you go on”
You’ve just released your second album, AudioLust and HigherLove; how long has the album been finished?
“It’s been done for a while, since last September maybe earlier. It was a slow process in a way because I started it before the first one was even out because it was the pandemic and everyone was stuck at home so I didn’t have much else to do and I had the luxury of time which is something I wouldn’t necessarily have in a regular touring schedule. It really gave me a chance to deep dive into who I am as a creator, a writer and a producer and it allowed a lot of time to experiment.”
When you realise that you are creating an album and that process has begun, do you commit fully to it or will you be spending your days working with other artists on their material and then spend any spare time on your own?
“I’m always juggling things but at that time collaboration was thin on the ground as people weren’t allowed in the same room as on another. There was this forced isolation and forced introspection to such an extent that the album at times feels less collaborative and more introspective than any of my previous work but in any given normal world I’m juggling other people’s work and my own which I manage in a sort of haphazard way which I’m not sure benefits me sanity wise but from a creative standpoint I tend to work on things when it speaks to me.
How have you found the reception to the album now it’s out in the world?
“I was really nervous about the album because there was a lot of things that I felt were different from what people know me for and expect from me but I’ve really overwhelmed and happy with the response to that approach and I think my audience has been very accommodating in allowing me to explore areas that are different to what’s expected; and in the modern music climate I’m delighted to be able to take those risks and know that my fans are going to support me in any way they can.
A lot of artist/producers are known for one particular project or body of work that isn’t their own, and for you it’s your work on Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia. What’s it like being connected to such a meaningful body of work that arrived at such a poignant moment in 2020?
“The thing about the Dua album is that the record became bigger than the sum of its parts, and while ‘Hallucinates’ is something I’ll always be proud of it became this pop culture moment and for many of us it defined the lockdown and the pandemic and yearning for dancefloors and worlds that had disappeared; and that means more to me than the accolades and awards it went on to achieve. In 20 years they’ll look back on that album and remember what it felt like to listen to in a moment in time that we’ll never forget and that to me is really special and the highest award a writer can ever achieve”.
You’re playing the 3Olympia this Sunday, what are you expecting from Irish audiences?
“I always have really high expectations of Irish audiences because I know how much energy they can bring and how welcoming they are in general. I think Irish crowds have always been loud and energetic so I’m hoping that’s the energy they bring on Sunday”