On February 14th, Musaholic Magazine was welcomed to ask a question in °1824's Press Conference with Dean Lewis, where other outlets and fans alike got to ask their burning questions. Popular topics included his writing process for songs like "How Do I Say Goodbye," which harbored great success for Dean on the widely popularized app TikTok while others asked questions about tour life and how he handles this success.
In the press conference, Dean recalled what it was like writing his album "The Hardest Love," which includes his songs "How Do I Say Goodbye" and "Be Alright," which gained the spotlight on TikTok. He stated that he had written it during the COVID lockdown, following what he thought to be a budding relationship, his father's shocking diagnosis, and the death of one of his close friends. He touched on how he drew inspiration from these events and put it into these songs as a sort of commentary on all the different kinds of love that exist, hence the album title: "The Hardest Love." Dean reflected on how he became a singer/songwriter, starting when he was very young, watching videos of Oasis and The Kooks, and immediately being in awe. He faced almost immediate success when he got on TikTok. He says that he views the app as a tool for success, but also touched on the disproportionate amount of songwriters on the app who merely write songs for the app directly, which limits their creativity. Above all, he believes the app is good for breaking out into the music industry, but it can be hard to gain traction due to the sheer volume of people trying to do the same. Earlier on in the press conference, he had mentioned that one of his biggest roadblocks was gatekeepers and trying to expand his horizons, but he is still very appreciative of the fanbase he does have and stated that to overcome these challenges, he just has to be relentless and not give up.
In between all of the amazing questions, the chat was filled with many heartfelt messages of appreciation and personal stories relating to Dean and his experience with his father’s cancer diagnosis. Dean was incredibly personable and down to earth the entire time, which is incredibly telling of his personality despite the traction he’s gained over the years.
I had the privilege of sitting in on the conference and being allowed to ask the following question: "What five things do you have to have with you on tour?" Dean’s answer gave us lots of insights into his priorities, as he listed “a steamer, my brother, clean clothes, the tour bus, and good people.” He went further on to elaborate that he prioritizes looking sharp, and how the steamer comes in incredibly handy. He prioritizes having his brother and good people around him at all times, as he often needs people he can rely on. Last but not least, the essentials of clean clothes and the tour bus used to travel from show to show.
We wish Dean well on his European tour, which you can get tickets to, and follow him on his social media outlets here.
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