Q: I hear a lot of 50s/60s influences in your album, “The Castle.” What made you decide to have the songs on your album explore a different decade?
LEWIS PE: Because, although I love a lot of modern music, my main musical influences are from the 60s/70s. Anyways, I always try to incorporate some fresh elements to the songs, not trying to sound like the mainstream artists of today, but trying to write music without limitations, not just focusing on one decade.
Q: Why did you name the album, “The Castle”?
LEWIS PE: “The Castle” is a metaphor of a kind of place you stay with your loved one to evade from the real world, and as the major part of the album’s songs talk about love, in particular my 9 year relationship, I thought it was a great idea to name the album “The Castle.” Also, it is the title from one of the most important tracks.
Q: How did this album impact your life?
LEWIS PE: It has impacted me so much for two main reasons: in the making of it, as it helped me to overcome some of my life’s worries, and in my present, because apart from receiving a lot of positive feedback from random people, family and friends. I’m working on something very special related with this album, which will see the light very soon, and I’m excited about it.
Q: I see that you were in bands before you went solo. Why did you go solo?
LEWIS PE: I’ve been releasing music since 2014 with different projects, and I realized I had a lot of unreleased music, which was too much Pop sounding or romantic for these bands. So, I decided to put them together and to write new ones to make a solo album, because all these songs were so personal, like if they were written specially for me.
Q: What are some things that you learned while working with other musicians in your band that you carry with you now?
LEWIS PE: I learned to not make things in a rush, because sometimes I can be very fast at working. I’m impatient, and some of my music mates are more perfectionists than I am in some aspects.
Q: How do you want listeners to feel while listening to “The Castle” album?
LEWIS PE: I didn’t compose this music to make people feel one way or another, but I was more focused on being natural and doing what I really like to do. So, I’ll feel very glad if they enjoy the album in general. And if someone listens to the whole album, not only some particular songs, is an achievement for me, even more on these days in which we have millions of songs on the internet, and every day we have tons of new music.
Interviewed by Taylor Berry
