“It’s about owning your world and knowing what you want and need from it”: British singer-songwriter Rhys Lewis on new album Corner of the Sky

British singer-songwriter Rhys Lewis, who shot to prominence through streaming platforms and with breakout songs featured on TV show Love Island, releases his sophomore album Corner of the Sky this January. Showcasing a project born out of lockdown, the No Right to Love You singer has unveiled new tracks like The Middle, having also toured recently with American singer Eric Nam. Speaking to The Upcoming over Zoom, he reflects on how the pandemic changed us all permanently. 

Hi Rhys, thank you for taking the time to speak to us! Before we talk about the new record, let’s talk about the first one. You released Things I Chose to Remember in 2020, aka the pandemic year…how was that whole experience for you?

I won’t lie, it felt like a bit of an anti-climax with it being the debut record and it was a shame not to be able to tour it, do any promo or share it with the fans in that way but, ultimately, it was a champagne problem considering everything else that was going on in the world. I still really value that album and to have seen people enjoying the music in their own bubbles at that time. Even beyond Covid, we see how people’s relationship to music is becoming more shaped by what’s going on in the world at the time and it creates a different kind of connection to it.

Did the lockdown change the way you approach music and your songwriting now?

It did! It was interesting being locked down and not being able to collaborate as much, as I did on the first album, so I wrote a lot of it on my own and with my close collaborator Aidan. We were stuck in a studio in the middle of nowhere, writing what became the start of album two. I got more into the production idea side too, sometimes writing and producing at the same time. In terms of subject matter, I historically wrote more about love and things like that, but on this record, it feels like there’s more variety, as I was going through a lot more different emotions and rethinking a lot about life. I was lucky to have music to escape to through this strange time.

How long did that whole process take?

That first period of intense songwriting lasted about four months in the studio. I was doing a lot of exploring, creating and doing things in a different way. Some days, I would run out of creative energy and feel obliged to keep trying to create something – but I guess I just needed to step away for a bit. It was a very creatively stimulating time but also a learning curve in a lot of ways. 

Did you try any other new things over lockdown?

I mean, I got into a new habit of having a whisky every night! 

Going back to the songwriting process, do you usually start with the music or lyrics first? 

For me, it generally begins with a concept or a line or an idea that I write down: it could come from a conversation, or books and films. I might start with a title as an overarching message or mood first, then I can be inspired by chords and textures and vocabulary that might suit that song. Generally, I tend to start with the chorus. Someone once described it to me as building your house first, rather than the road leading up to it. I see the house as the chorus, where most of the emotion lives within the song, and then the verse is like the path leading up to it!

That’s a great way of describing it. So, for this house that you’ve built, did you build it in the Corner of the Sky? How did this album name come about?!

The title came to me from the idea that everything was making me more anxious and stressed at the time: the news, speaking to friends, being online so much… Then the fact that I had this musical place in my head I could go to really helped me feel calmer and take a step back. I had so many questions about what I wanted to do after this was all over and so music became my destination to figure it out. The “corner of the sky” is the symbolic name for it, and it’s about owning your own world and knowing what you want and need from it.

Does it ever feel weird that you have to revisit this strange period every time you hear your new music?

Not really, actually. Only a few tracks really remind me of that time like Alone. I had been on tour for months and sharing hotel rooms, flights etc so I was never alone. And then suddenly lockdown hit and felt so claustrophobic and I remember wanting to escape. The song came from feeling like I just wanted to run away. But the other songs have now changed for me and feel more rooted to me as a person rather than to that time.

Do you feel like a different person versus who you were when you wrote your first album?

I do, definitely. I think everyone is, even if we don’t admit it, as we all went through such a huge shift. The thing I love about music is that it allows us to “self-therapise” a bit. Looking back, each album is like a diary entry and seeing the different things you cared enough to write a song about at the time. 

In terms of the album’s sound, how does that differ?

A lot of this album is about escapism. There was a Springsteen-y feel to some of the songs, like 80s nostalgia, and I found that a nostalgic tone really suited some of the songs on the album. For example, Love in the Modern Age is about how nowadays it’s just swiping through photos but it used to be so much simpler… I hope the sound feels fresh but it’s also supposed to feel sentimental, like a homage to music of the past. 

Did you also record it on analogue tape this time?

We did – even more so! For Midnight we actually ran out of tape! I like that it forces and limits you in a more productive, creative way – it’s harder to tweak so it needs to be ready before it hits the tape. 

Ok, let’s finish with some quickfire questions! You recently toured with artist Eric Nam…how would you describe the experience in three words?

Overwhelming. Exhausting… Unforgettable.

Who would your dream touring partner be?

I would say Zak Abel because we both play ping pong and we both get along well! If there’s ever a dull moment, we’d just get the table tennis out. 

You have a song called Happy F***ing Birthday. What does your dream birthday look like?

It’d be with all my mates at a place called Rowans in Finsbury Park. Bowling, dancing, cake, slush puppies with vodka in, where we can just enjoy Rihanna songs and the other classics they play there! 

Finally, what are you most looking forward to about your new album being out there? 

Touring it, especially because I didn’t get to do it on the previous album! There are some songs that really need to be played loud to a room full of people. I imagined the song Midnight as one of these songs to sing on stage again. If people even sing it back, it’ll definitely be a special moment.

Bev Lung
Image: Lauren Luxenberg

Corner of the Sky is released on 20^th January 2023. For further information or to order the album visit Rhys Lewis’s website here.

Watch the video for the single The Middle here: