18 September 2022
Newsdesk
Last night on Smallzy's Surgery, we chat with singer Lewis Capaldi. Lewis talks about his time off from music and says he was shopping at Urban Outfitters when someone asked him if he works there – which made him want to release more music! He also tells us his new single ‘Forget Me’ is really hard to sing live, saying “I would not have anybody hold out hope for it sounding good live because right now it sounds like a car crash.”
He also reveals his plans to spend New Years in Australia with his mates.
Smallzy’s Surgery can be heard weeknights from 7pm to 10pm on Nova Network and the full interview can be heard on the Smallzy's Surgery podcast.
LEWIS CAPALDI SAYS HE WAS ASKED AT URBAN OUTFITTERS IF HE WORKS THERE AND IT MADE HIM WANT TO RETURN TO MUSIC [9:32]
SMALLZY In all honesty, though, like over the last two years, people still recognize you when you go on about doing your daily life right? They’re saying hello, they’re asking you questions?
LEWIS yes, yes, thankfully. Otherwise I would be… Although I went shopping there was a place in London called Westfield. And I went, there's this big shopping center. But I think it was Doc Martens I was in and this girl, I was buying some shoes. And she asked me if I had a student discount. And there was a woman who was like, a girl about my age, my sort of demographic and I was like, oh this is bad. And I was with my pal as well who is the worst kind of guy because he was like, like the smile on his face like the sheer joy it brought him. And then literally a week later I was in Westfield again in Urban Outfitters, which is one place that I'm like, right
SMALLZY you should walk in there and they should know who you are like your songs would have been on the instore radio for months.
LEWIS Exactly. They've got the records out on the shelves, right? And I'm like, usually when we go there, I'm like to my friend listen that we've got to get out here because and I never go in first because it's usually just, it's just too crazy.
SMALLZY Just autographs and photos for days.
LEWIS Exactly. So I go in there and I'm browsing and I'm walking around and someone comes up and asks me, excuse me, Do you work here and I'm like, This is not my job. This is not great. So I text my manager and I said we need to release some music this is bad.
SMALLZY it was at this point, the self imposed exile was wrong and we need to get back in the public eye asap.
LEWIS I was like we made a mistake.
LEWIS CAPALDI SAYS HIS NEW SINGLE IS HARD TO SING LIVE – “I WOULD NOT HAVE ANYBODY HOLD OUT HOPE FOR IT SOUNDING GOOD LIVE BECAUSE RIGHT NOW IT SOUNDS LIKE A CAR CRASH” [4:50]
SMALLZY but it's so good to have you back and the song new one, it's out it is called Forget Me. It is it is a home run Lewis Capaldi style.
LEWIS Oh, thank you very much. That's very nice of you to say. I was a bit nervous in releasing this song. It’s a bit of a, I wouldn’t say it’s a crazy departure, but it's definitely like, upbeat, for sure. Which is one thing as an unchartered territory for the seaman like I call myself.
SMALLZY tempo with Capaldi in the name. I don't know how this is gonna go.
LEWIS Yeah, exactly. So hopefully people like it. And it's very hard to sing. We've kind of been doing a first couple of sessions with it recently. And as an extremely hard song to sing so the live version, I would not have anybody hold out hope for it sounding good live because right now it sounds like a car crash. But, but we'll get there.
SMALLZY Okay. And that's right. And life is about a journey. And it's about getting to a point where the song sounds great live. Can I say? And I mean, as an as an artist, I guess you're already constantly full of self doubt. And I don't want to put any self doubt into your future. But the debut album, divinely uninspired to a hellish extent, what an incredible record It would have surpassed any of your wildest expectations. Are you nervous for the second one?
LEWIS Why are you doing this to me? Why have you asked me these questions? Um yes, I'm nervous for the second one, of course I am. I think I wish that the first one just had gone a little bit worse. You know, I mean, I wish it had been just a while but more of a car crash, I wish like that, but a few blips in the road. I was kinda like, the expectation. Then again, at this thing, though, the expectations are high. In terms of like, I want to have it go well, and label obviously want me to make them lots of money and have it go well, so I'm trying that I'm trying my best. But in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter if the album is successful, in the grand scheme of things. I mean, I've got a mortgage to pay. So that is a bit of a nightmare. But other than that.. But ya know, I'm extremely nervous, I would be lying. I've had sleepless nights. I've been sweating. My life is just this constant fear. And it’s a living hell, but it's good to be back.
LEWIS CAPALDI SAYS HIS TIME OFF FROM MUSIC LASTED LONGER THAN HE EXPECTED – “I WAS SHACKLED UP BY MY OWN DOING” [2:31]
SMALLZY How was the two years off? You disappeared, you told everybody that you're going away to find yourself or write music. Was it meant to be two years did accidentally end up being longer?
LEWIS It has been longer. It's been longer than I expected it to be. But it wasn't there she was when I was like, Oh guys, I'm gonna take two years off. I was kinda like thinking like Ed Sheeran and he just went cold. And like people had had enough I was like, Yeah, my face. People had seen too much of me. And then there was this pandemic. And I was like look, the world is suffered enough. I need to give them a break here. So I've slept away. I've slept away like, like a sneaky fish. And then I was expecting, you know what, I'll be able to travel and do things because the pandemic won't last that long. And then the pandemic lasted ages. So I can I spent most of my two years off at my parents house because I still lived with my parents during lockdown etc. So that was about the pain. And then I didn't really do anything like that. So I think when Ed did the whole, guys, I'm gonna take a break and everything's gonna be you'll see me soon, blah, blah, blah. And I like he did he did the breaking up. I was still on my phone and looking at, like still on TikTok and Twitter. And I just didn't tweet anything. So it was like that's like, it's not really it wasn't exactly, no, it wasn't a cleanse.
SMALLZY it wasn't really a break then. Right? You just stop posting. Right? It must have been Yeah, it must have been fun, at least to go I don't have to worry about a post today. I can casually observe the TikToks without having to think about now what tic tock will I make?
LEWIS Yeah, that's true. That's true. But then also, the fact that as all of your all of people’s favorite singers and singers ever, us musicians tend to be attention seekers, for the most part, so you’re on TikTok and you're like, Whoa, that looks really fun. I wish I could do that as kind of a as almost like a present that I've put myself and I was shackled up by my own doing.
SMALLZY and it was self imposed prison too right, like, you didn't have to do that. But you know, I enjoy the commitment to I'm going away and you won't see me.
LEWIS I've learned that I can endure a great deal of psychological self inflicted pain.
LEWIS CAPALDI TALKS ABOUT THE MEANING BEHIND HIS SONG FORGET ME [7:46]
SMALLZY Now tell me, the new song which we are loving, forget me, give me the 411 this day. Who is she? Or don't tell me who she is. Just tell me about it if you could.
LEWIS her name is Stephanie and she, no I’m joking. Yeah, the song as a song about a breakup, of course, because that's what I do. And it's about, it's kind of a bit different in the sense that it's, it's a bit of like, a bit of toxicity, in the sense that I'm like, the songs kind of me talking about the fact that I don't want this person to move on and be happy without me. Do you know what I mean, which is healthy. And so that thing of like, I'd rather that person was still like, filled with hate for me and all the rest of it. Because it would be, it'd be nice to know that and that we were still connected in some, some disgusting twisted way. I think that's a thing, my friends have gone through as well. But like, I think it was just, it was an interesting thing to write about. I cannot, I've kind of exacerbated, but for the purpose of..
LEWIS CAPALDI SAYS HE’LL BE SPENDING THREE WEEKS IN AUSTRALIA FOR NEW YEARS [12:04]
SMALLZY Are you coming to Australia? Can you answer any questions like that?
LEWIS So my plans as of professionally I don't know when I'm coming to Australia I hope it's very soon because I love it there and one of my favorite places to play shows. I am supposed to be coming down for like three weeks at New Year with my friends just to get on it and just enjoy what Australia has to offer so I'll pop in.
