Scotland has given us many great things over the years: Sir Chris Hoy, deep fried Mars bars and, of course, Lewis Capaldi. The Scottish 22 year old has had a whirlwind couple of years. Since dropping his debut single ‘Bruises’ in early 2017, he has amassed over 300,000 followers on Twitter, and has become a household name. But how did he get to the notoriety that follows him today?
Since releasing ‘Bruises’ in March 2017, he was put on the list of BBC music’s Sound of 2018, alongside Khalid and Billie Eilish. He was being noticed by other celebs, and was asked by Rag’n’Bone Man to support him on his 2017 European tour. Following on from this, Capaldi went on to support more big name British artists, including Sam Smith, Niall Horan and Bastille. In between all the gigs and festivals, he also released his second EP Breach in November 2018. ‘Breach’ contained his biggest hit to date in ‘Someone You Loved’. Capaldi was also nominated for the Brits Critics’ Choice Award, eventually losing out to Sam Fender. But what makes his music so enchanting?
His outstanding vocal tones, paired with the pithy emotions, ripple through each track. Take ‘Someone You Loved’ from his EP Bruises. Although loss and heartbreak run through the lyrics (“And I tend to close my eyes when it hurts sometimes / I fall into your arms / I’ll be safe in your sound ’til I come back around”), his voice amplifys all emotion in the words, hitting you harder than a bus going at 90 mph. This is why ‘Someone You Loved’ spent seven weeks at the top of the charts.
So when is he releasing his debut album? Luckily, we don’t have long to wait: the album drops tomorrow. It will contain all of his current content, such as ‘Someone You Loved’, ‘Grace’ and ‘Bruises’, and will be titled Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent. Capaldi stated when the album was announced that making the album was “an extremely time that somehow managed to be extremely boring”. This was due to Capaldi re-recording multiple tracks from the EPs for the album, but it looks to be potentially one of the biggest albums of the year, especially with such a unorthodox title.
His charm is not just restricted to his artistry, but also his social media presence. Capaldi doesn’t glamourise anything; it’s like looking at your mate’s twitter or instagram accounts, with no filter selfies and brutally honest self-depreciating “Ask Me Anything”‘s. Even to this day, when he’s so well known my mum knows about the infamous Lewis Capaldi, he keeps it real. And that’s pretty damn commendable.
At age 22, Capaldi has sold out a UK tour (which is coming to Southampton in the autumn), had a #1 single, and is on the verge of releasing one of the most anticipated debut albums of 2019. Not bad huh?
Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent will be released 17th May 2019 via Virgin EMI. Capaldi will be touring the UK later this year on his debut headline tour.
