“I am pretty sure I had the title ‘Hanging On’ written in my Notes on my phone,” he said. “I do that with ideas when I know I want to dive into a song about them. ‘Hanging On’ is about a relationship I was in and had no idea where I stood. I wrote the song with Steph Jones and Jarrad Rogers.”
Lewis continued, “Each line came about by being really honest with Steph about where I was in my relationship, and how it felt like I was just being lead on. We tried a lot of different paths for the song and towards the end of the day of writing it we scrapped everything we had and went back to our first melody and initial instinct for the chorus. It just felt the most natural and honest to the feeling.”
On his plans for the future, Lewis said, “I would love to get out on the road and play what I’ve been working on live. That’s what music is all about to me. Being able to connect with people, so that’s what I want to do. I have a lot of music I want to release as well so as long as people are asking for it, I want to be rolling out new songs and continue sharing what I’ve been making.”
Regarding his musical inspirations, Lewis said, “I am inspired to write music when I can’t figure out how I really feel about something. Sitting down and trying to craft my feelings into a verse, pre-chorus, or chorus, and then having to interpret them to other people, helps me figure out how I feel. What inspires me to keep going is the idea that I can connect with someone through the music and help them figure out their feelings, or whatever they’re going through. That’s what my favorite music does for me, so I hope I can return the favor.”
“I feel like the longer I write music, the more I couldn’t imagine doing anything else with my life. Days feel a little weird when I’m not thinking about a song or working on something,” Lewis added.
Digital transformation of the music business
On the impact of technology on the music business, Lewis said, “At the risk of revealing my inner nerd, ‘with great power comes great responsibility.’ I think it’s really easy to lose sight of what music can do for people, and the power we as writers and artists have to put a voice to feelings, change, struggle, you name it. I think the benefits outweigh whatever cons you could name. The industry has definitely changed if not erased any formula of how a song or artist can break and I love that.”
Regarding his use of technology in his daily routine as a musician, Lewis said, “One of the coolest things has been being able to talk to people across the world who listen to my music. There are a few people in Brazil that I get to chat with on Instagram who are super supportive, that I wouldn’t be able to communicate with without a little Instagram and Google Translate love.”
Lewis continued, “I do think I’m pretty tethered to my phone and my computer. I would be embarrassed to share my screen time stats on my phone. I guess a regular day would be, wake up scroll Instagram, gym playlist, listen to some of my go-to’s on the drive to a session, use Apple Notes and Voice Memos throughout the session. I checked and I am on ‘New Recording 2328’ as of this morning. Then, I go back to the car, listen to some more music, catch up with my family, have dinner and watch Netflix. I repeat everything the next day.”
His greatest musical influences include James Taylor, Michael McDonald, Crowded House, Sam Smith, and Chet Faker. “I also love the way The 1975 and Frank Ocean have created so much of their own sound and the way they’ve been able to go against the grain while still remaining commercial,” he said.
For Lewis, singing to Arista is “the biggest step” that he has ever taken career-wise. “It completely took me by surprise. I didn’t think a major label deal was anywhere in my near future, but here we are. To think I went from moving to Nashville with little to no clue what I was doing to now being able to sit down with such an amazing team and throw ideas at the wall is amazing,” he said.
Lewis listed Frank Ocean as his dream collaboration choice, and he concluded by thanking his fans. “I am better with my words when it comes to putting them into songs, so just a massive thank you to everyone who keeps listening to the music. There’s much much more to come, I promise, so stay tuned,” he said.
To learn more about Quinn Lewis and his music, check out his official website.
