Tag: writing

The Sounds of Heaven

Hola everyone.

And welcome back to my blog and also with that to another week. I hope the last week and weekend have been great and that you’re doing good. First of all, I need to apologise for not posting anything the past week. I was quite busy the last few days – good busy, not bad busy, thank god – and could unfortunately never find the right time to actually sit down and write something, although ever since Saturday the 19th – the one two weeks ago – I’ve had one post fully planned out. This one you’re reading right now, to be exact. And it’s a special one, I can tell you that. Because today, and finally, I have the honour of telling you everything about the very beautiful, super mesmerizing and absolutely unbelievable Amber Run gig I had the chance to attend. It was incredible. I can’t wait for you to read this.

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Okay, so, first of all, the whole adventure started off with me – and buckle up for this – actually getting to interview these lovely guys from this incredible band. Joe, Henry, and Tom. The fantastic trio. And the ultimate reason for one of the most phenomenal days/evenings/nights of my entire life. I’m not gonna go into much detail about the whole interview, as all the gossip and stuff isn’t really my thing, but I do want to say that they were the nicest guys ever and that I still feel so incredibly honoured to have got the chance to meet them. I’ll definitely never ever forget it. And with that, it is also my pleasure to share the finished feature I wrote about our whole chat with you guys. So, if you want to check that out, please just click here and enjoy. Also, please don’t hesitate to tell me your thoughts if you do check it out. I appreciate any kind of feedback. Thank youuuu.

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So, yeah, that was kind of the first part of the absolute madness that was that day. And I had every intention to fully enjoy every second of it. After the super lovely interview, I then obviously had to stay at the venue – the Roundhouse in London – in order to get to the front for the gig. You might think now that it could be a bit weird to be there as a journalist at first and then end up in the front row for the gig, but, in all honesty, I had waited for that gig for a long time and besides that, I’m also short, so it’s either the front or seats for me. And in that case, it had to be the front. Which I actually managed to get – I mean, it was second row, but let’s not be that strict, right -, which I’m still kind of proud of. I know, I know, I was one of the first people to actually get to the venue, so where else would I be, but still. I’m proud.

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After quite some time of waiting outside and then inside, which mainly consisted of me sitting on the cold floor and fangirling about the interview with my friend, it was finally time for the support band – Stereo Honey – to come on stage and then, after them, Amber Run. I can’t even put into words how excited I was. Even after having spent quite some time with them chatting while being sat in a tiny room, it was still so incredible to see them on stage. Maybe also because it was my first time of seeing them live. Either way, if anyone ever looked professional and at ease with what they’re doing, it was definitely them. And I truly, truly loved that. You know, whenever a band is on stage, playing live, and really shows and lets the crowd know that they are enjoying the moment just as much as the people attending the gig, the whole thing levels up by about a hundred for me. It just completely changes the overall dynamic in the room when the artists are as happy as the crowd. And that’s why it matters so much to me. I want the band or the artist to be happy. Just as happy as I am in that moment. And I think, on that particular Saturday, the whole room was definitely just one big heap of happiness (and maybe a bit of melancholic sadness in-between, depending on the song they were playing).

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Out of the whole one and a half hours, there were quite a few highlights, which I do have to talk about because I simply can’t help myself. The first one definitely has to be finally getting to hear ‘Amen’ and ‘I Found’ live. I cried during both of them. Both kinda broke my heart – ‘Amen’ a tad more simply because of its story and existence in general (or how Joe put it – it was peak emo). And both were an experience that I could only describe as heavenly and otherworldly. I mean, the whole gig in itself felt like a trip to heaven for a few reasons. For once, there’s Joe’s voice. If you don’t know how it sounds, please go and check it out now, because I simply have no words to describe how beautiful it is. Then there’s the fantastic band. And last but not least, there were the moments I will forever cherish when all three of them – Joe, Henry (their keyboardist) and Tom (their bassist) – sang together. I can’t even describe what their voices combined sounded like. Heaven. They sounded like heaven. And they made me feel like I was in heaven.

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Besides that, there was also this very cute moment when they started playing ‘What Could Be As Lonely’, which is one of my absolute favourites and also funnily enough one of theirs as well, and Henry, who was right in front of me, and I had this very fun moment of complete understanding and excitement. The story to that is that we had discussed the song during the interview and at the end they had said that they would make sure to play the song. So, when they played it, Henry looked at me with that look of “AHA! There you go.” on his face and I just laughed at him and gave him two thumbs up. It was such a sweet moment, honestly. Actually having a real interaction with the band during the gig is literally one of the best things ever.

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And last but not least I have to mention the moment when all the crying on my behalf started, which was when they played ‘Affection’. I mean, this one has always had a special place in my heart as it was the first song I heard of their newest album, but what made it all even more incredible was that they actually had the singer of Stereo Honey come up on stage to perform the song with them. Have any of you guys ever had to cry because something was too beautiful to cope? Because that was exactly what happened to me while I was listening to them and watching them. It was just so damn beautiful. And wholesome. And cute. It was simply perfect.

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Actually, that’s what I would call the whole day/night overall. It was nothing short of perfection. As soon as the gig had ended, I fell in this kind of trance. It had really been this good. I felt like I was on a cloud or something. And I know this might sound super crazy now, but out of the over 170 artists I’ve seen live over the course of my whole life, that band and that gig definitely earned a spot in my top 10. And that’s really saying something. I’m easily excited and interested, but not like that. Amber Run did more than just excite and interest me. So much more.

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Also, absolute probs to their whole team and especially their stage and light designers, because, heck, what a show. I mean, just take a look at the pics down below. How beautiful does that look? With the colours and the sign and just everything. So pretty.

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So, overall, that Saturday, that interview, that gig and Amber Run created something magical that I had never experienced before and I will forever be grateful for that and cherish every single moment. If any of you guys ever get the chance to see these incredible guys live, please please please do yourself a favour and go to the show. Even if you don’t know their music. Trust me, you’ll love them. And obviously, checking them out on Spotify is a must as well. And until then, I can only hope that you enjoyed reading about this magical, heavenly day/night that I got to experience. I’m utterly happy that I got to share it with you and I can’t wait to hear all your opinions. And as always, I wish you all an amazing week and, of course, thanks for reading. x

What’s up

Hola everyone.

How are we all doing on this beautiful Friday? I hope so far you’ve had a nice week and that you’re looking forward to the weekend. I am definitely. This week has been quite busy, so I’m really excited to just relax for a bit. Actually, this is what I wanted to talk to you guys about today. Quite some time has passed since my last update post and since I just sat down and chatted to you guys for bit, told you what’s happening in my life and how living in London has turned me into a whole new person (I’m only kidding, obviously). So, why not get straight into it?

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This Sunday, on the 20th of October, it will, in all honesty, as much as I can’t believe it, be my first anniversary of living here in London. One month. I think this month has actually been the shortest of my whole life. Feels like a week. But at the same time, it feels like I’ve been here for ages, simply because of all the things that I’ve already done and that have happened. Concert season officially started two weeks, opened up by the fantastic band Inhaler, who were, as always and unsurprisingly, absolutely fantastic. They played at this tiny venue in Camden, which was sold out, of course. But you could really tell that they are one of those bands to keep an eye on right now. Also, the freakiest thing ever happened. Not only was one of the actors from the show Discovery of Witches (and I think he’s in Killing Eve as well) standing right in front of my friend and me in the crowd – his name is Edward Bluemel if you want to look him up. But when the gig had ended, after a few minutes of us waiting for the space to clear up and maybe another celebrity popping up out of nowhere, Noel freaking Gallagher walked past us. Yes, the Oasis dude. That one, yep. I couldn’t believe it. I mean, I was not even close to being as excited as my friend, who I think had a hard time trying not to squeal, but, I mean, it’s Oasis. Everyone knows Oasis. Everyone loves Wonderwall. And that guy literally just stood in front of us for so damn long. And nobody even cared. It was the coolest and most surreal experience.

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The next gig I went to was actually just a few days ago – The Academic at Scala. I mean, what can I say. I just love those guys. It was such a fun gig. And on top of their whole amazingness, it was even Craig’s, their lead singer’s birthday, which made it all even more special. Again, another sold out gig, which didn’t surprise me at all. They deserve to play sold out shows, they really do. If any of you ever get the chance to see them, I’d totally recommend you checking them out. They’re worth it, trust me.

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What I’m not counting as going to gigs though are all the shows I’ve been to the past few weeks due to my work. Yes, I did actually manage to get a job, within the first week I had moved here, to be exact, which I’m still incredibly proud of. I now work at a fantastic venue here in London, which I’m incredibly happy about. I wouldn’t say it’s the most chill job, but it’s definitely worth it. And I just love being in that space. There’s great music and everyone is happy and celebrating this phenomenal form of art. I love it.

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And yeah, besides that, nothing much has been going on. Uni has been absolutely amazing so far, which I’m very happy about. Our cat here at home, Maisy, has officially become my new roommate, as she basically spends all her time in my room when she’s not eating or outside in the garden. I’m not going to lie, that’s actually one of the most prominent reasons why I love our place so much. I mean, I basically own a cat here. A cat. Me. The personification of love for cats. I’m the granny with 20 cats. That’s me right there. Although, I have to admit that it sometimes does make me miss Peaches, my baby, even more. I’ll be going home for the Christmas break again this year, so I’ll be seeing her and the rest of my lovely family again in less than two months, which I’m already so excited about. As much as I love being here in London, basically living (in) my dream, I’d still do everything to be able to shrink my house and my family and just bring them with me. But that’s the price I had to pay for this. And I can still “see” them whenever we facetime, so at the end of the day, it’s all good.

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So, all in all, so far the month here in London has been absolutely stunning. I still haven’t fully reached the level of realization that I now really live here, but that’s alright. Maybe I’ll be walking around in Soho in one or two months and then it will hit me and I’ll burst into happy tears and everyone will think I’m crazy. Oh well. In the end, I again have to thank my family for making all of this happen. This is absolutely unbelievable and I feel like the luckiest person in the universe.

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But, now, enough from me. What about you guys? Are you all doing good? How has life been? Please don’t hesitate to send me a message if you want to chat or leave your comments and thoughts down below. As always, I hope you enjoyed this little update and wish you an amazing weekend. And, of course, thanks for reading. x

Finally, London

Hola everyone.

Oh my god, I don’t even know where to begin. First of all, I’m so so so sorry for not posting anything for so long. But, and here comes the biggest news of, like, ever, I didn’t get to write anything as I moved to London a few days ago. I moved to London. I now live in London. London has become my home. No matter how many times and in whichever way I say it to myself, I’ll probably never realize it a hundred percent. I can’t believe is this is really happening. It feels like a dream.

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You can probably guess that this is what today’s post is going to be about because I can’t even put into words how happy I am ever since I came here, so I have to share this happiness. It has literally been the best time ever. First of all, I have to say that this, the move to London and the ability to call London my home, has been one of my biggest goals for over 10 years. I remember when I first came to London, during a school trip, I immediately fell in love with the city. It was then that I knew that this place was where I wanted to live, where I wanted to spend my life, even if it would just be a part of it. So I dreamed about London for years and years and years and worked my butt off to get where I am right now. Whether it was my uni degree or just actively talking to people and going to places to make it happen, I did everything I could to have my dream become reality. Obviously, this also could’ve never happened without the unreal support of my family and friends, so the biggest thanks go to them. I’ll be forever grateful for everything they’ve done and still do for me. I love them, with all my heart. And now, after so many years, I’m finally able to call this amazing city, this heaven of a place, this absolute dream, my home. And I could cry just thinking about it.

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Whenever I leave the house now, where I live with my best friend, just to mention that, – which obviously makes everything so much better and easier and even more perfect – I always get this sudden shock when the realization of where I am hits me. And with every step I take and every day I spent in this city, I fall more and more for it. It’s just so damn perfect. The architecture, the possibilities, the cinemas, the concerts, the people, the shops, the restaurants, just everything about it. It’s all so perfect. And now I live here and am able to take part in and make use of all of it. Just like that. How crazy is that? Also, I have to add that we also live together with the cutest cat and dog and I am so in love, this is literally more than I could’ve ever wished for (besides being able to shrink my house plus my family and take them with me).

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I also started uni today, which, unsurprisingly, was absolutely amazing as well. You know, even after having decided to transfer to London, I was still worried a bit that I maybe had made the wrong choice. But oh no. The building is awesome, the teachers seem super lovely and motivated and so far the class has been super nice as well. I was a bit nervous walking into a class of people who’ve already spent a year together, but in reality, I didn’t feel weird at all. And, in the end, it’s just uni. The most important part is to enjoy the time and make the most of it. And I’m so planning on doing that. Also, I think I’m probably one of the only students who are actually happy to be back at university. In all honesty, I really did miss it. So much. The lectures and the teachers and just the learning. The truth is, once you actually get to study something you really enjoy and love, even a 9am lecture is fun. It’s all about loving what you do.

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And now I’m sitting in my room, in the middle of Brixton, and I still can’t really fathom that I’m really here, with Leni just a few stairs away and the city welcoming me with open arms and waiting for me to explore it. I can only think of the future and of all the exciting things that are going to happen and, honestly, I can’t wait. This is exactly where I need to be. London is finally mine and it feels good to be home. Finally.

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Of course, I am planning on taking you all with me on this journey in and through London, so please stay tuned for more exciting adventures. Obviously, if you’ve got any questions, please don’t hesitate to leave them and your other thoughts down below. I’m so happy that I get to share all of this with you and I really look forward to more. But until then I wish you all an amazing week and hope that you’re doing good. And, as always, thanks for reading. x

Ps: Ed just opened his own bar called Bertie Blossoms in Notting Hill and obviously I had to visit it as soon as possible. It’s literally the cutest place ever. Might have to save up some money to have dinner there some time. It’s a must, let’s be real. Pics are below.

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Sziget Festival – Part Three

Hola everyone.

How are you all doing today, guys? I hope you’ve all had an amazing weekend and that you’re feeling well. Am I the only one who feels like time is literally flying by in full speed? I mean, September is just around the corner and, I swear, I’ll be moving to London in no time. How is summer already over? I can’t believe it.

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No wonder I’m so drawn towards the idea of sharing every single amazing detail of Sziget festival with you. I just can’t let it go. So far, I hope you’ve had fun reading about the first three days. About Ed’s gig on the first day, how Marty’s show blew me away, how I met Gabe Fraboni (let’s go Team Garrix) and how my mum and I went to bed at quarter to 6 am and didn’t crumble into pieces the next day. Actually, the not crumbling part and the two fantastic days that followed will be today’s topic, so I hope you’re excited to hear all about that. I, for my part, am extremely happy that I get to share all of this with you. So, without further ado, here come day 4 and 5 of my week at the legendary Sziget festival.

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Day 4

You can probably imagine how day 4, the day after Marty’s show and the day after I had gone to bed when the sun was already rising again, began… I woke up, felt like someone had whacked me on the head and immediately wanted to curl up into a ball under the covers again. I think we had slept for about four hours, which, for someone who usually sleeps about ten hours if she can, wasn’t nearly enough. Far away from it, actually. But obviously, I had to drag my body out of bed, because there was another phenomenal day at Sziget waiting ahead for me and no matter how tired I was, I wouldn’t let any hour I could spend in paradise go to waste. On another note, I also woke up with little to no hearing and my voice was pretty much gone, so yeah. I was in a STATE. But still happy. As always.

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Thankfully, I already knew that day 4 wouldn’t be as extreme as the previous one, as it wasn’t filled with lots of concerts and I could give my ears and body a bit of rest. And here once again comes the reason why I love Sziget so much – even if the lineup isn’t for you, you’ll still have so many other things to do, you’ll never get bored. Never ever. Even the opposite, because if I remember correctly, we couldn’t even do all the things we wanted to and we were there for a whole week. That’s how much this island has to offer.

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It all started off with mum and I making our own bracelets (I made a yellow one… I wonder why…) and then we went on the hunt for all the stamp spots on the island for our Szitizen passport. I know, what the hell am I even talking about? If you’ve never been to Sziget, that last sentence was probably very confusing to you, so please let me explain. At Sziget, once you arrive on the island, you get a Sziget passport to become a Szitizen. And as with usual passports, you can visit different areas where you can get stamps from, so you know you were there. You can also go have a picture taken and printed out and then you can go to the official immigration office and then you will become an official Szitizen. Which, obviously, my mum and I had to do. That means we are now official Szitizens. And I know it might sound a bit freaky, but it actually feels really nice. I’m happy to say that this island, this paradise, this place of music, love and happiness is my second home now. I feel honoured.

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Besides that, we pretty much just wandered around the island, from one show to another, and enjoyed the moment to its fullest. Music-wise, the highlight of the day was definitely Macklemore, who I had never seen before but who actually really surprised me by how good the show was. I usually don’t really listen to his music, but I really enjoyed his gig. I loved how energetic he was and how he managed to get 75.000 people to party with him and his band (who was amazing as well and super hilarious). Also, from what I could tell, he seemed like the nicest guy ever and it looked like he was really enjoying himself, which made the gig a thousand times better. And just a side note – Foo Fighters were playing on the last day and you would think that they would have a big crowd, but I swear to god, Macklemore had a far bigger crowd than them. The field was packed. Not as much as for Ed, but close. Like I said, I was blown away.

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In full, those are all the acts we got to see that day:

  • Tamino
  • Hearts Hearts
  • Roosevelt
  • Macklemore
  • Wanda
  • The National
  • James Blake

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Another highlight, besides the gigs, was a venue called Fulldome, which again looked like a huge plastic, walk-in balloon, just like the Luminarium. But here comes the fun part: on the inside, it was like a cinema. So, you get inside this huge plastic bubble and then lie down on cushions so you look up, where the round top turns into a screen. It’s supposed to be some kind of virtual reality thing, but while I was lying there and watching some kind of magical sea creatures swim across the screen, I couldn’t help myself but think how amazing it would be to watch actual movies like that. Like, imagine watching Infinity War like this, where it actually feels like you’re part of the scene and the movie. It would be absolutely fantastic. Maybe I’ll change my career and just do that. The bubble cinema.

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Obviously, we didn’t leave the island before 1 am that night, even as tired as we were. Sziget is way too amazing, leaving just isn’t an option. And just like the previous days, we had again spent a few fantastic hours in paradise and while I was finally falling into bed, I couldn’t wait for what was still to come.

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Day 5

Here comes the most relaxed day out of the whole week. In fact, it could actually be described as a very long arts and crafts session with a few concerts squished in between. I remember the day the full lineup got released and I saw what Sunday looked like, I was a bit disappointed because there wasn’t much for me to look forward to. But now that the day had come, I was actually thankful for a bit of quiet and relaxation. No stress. No worries about how we would get to the front row. No waiting for anything. When I woke up, I already knew that it would be a good day.

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Like I already mentioned, we spent most of the day walking around the island and taking part in different activities and doing anything fun we could find. We did some kind of pop-art, stick-different-magazine-cutouts-on-a-piece-of-wood-and-call-it-art thing, which was fun. I even made a Sziget magnet, which I’m actually pretty proud of. And after that, we went to an “all love is equal”-party at the main stage, which was super cool and then spent the rest of the night checking out different gigs and visiting the funfair again, which was another highlight. We even went on the small, new ferris wheel. It was super cute. Oh yeah, and we also went to the circus and watched a group of acrobats act as if their bodies were made to fly. Absolutely incredible.

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All in all, the whole day was a nice mix of great shows and fun activities and I’m honestly really glad that it wasn’t fully packed, as I knew that the upcoming two days would be quite intense. In total, here are all the acts we saw that day:

  • Jungle
  • Post Malone
  • Honne

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You might ask now, what I am doing at a Post Malone gig? Well, wait for him to play Sunflower, obviously. No, but in all honesty, he was actually really good. I’m not really a big fan of rap music, as you might know, but he actually has a good voice. Once he sat down with his guitar and it was just him and his voice and the instrument, it was really really nice. I think even my mum enjoyed herself. Just another reason why I love going to festivals so much. Of course you get to see your favourite acts and maybe bands you’ve already seen a few times, but besides that, you’re guaranteed to see bands and artists you’ve never heard of. Some will be good, some will be bad, maybe one will even become your new favourite band. But they will all be new. And that’s exactly why festivals are so much fun and so exciting.

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In total, the day was absolutely beautiful all around. Again, I can only point out how absolutely freaking amazing Sziget is and how much love I’ve got for it. It really has its own special place in my heart and I can’t wait to go back as soon as possible. It’s something else, it really is. And while mum and I were walking home that night, night 5, I couldn’t wait for the next two upcoming days to come. I felt like I was living my ultimate dream and I never ever wanted it to stop.

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And on that note, here’s the end of today’s post. If you’ve made it this far, thanks so much for reading all about my time at Sziget, I hope you enjoyed it. Of course, I would love to hear all your opinions and thoughts, so please don’t hesitate to leave them down below in the comment section. And, as always, I wish you all a lovely week and, again, thanks for reading. x

Let’s go to Paradise

Hola everyone.

And welcome to another Monday. I hope you’re all doing good and that you had an amazing weekend. I for my part am pretty tired and sore because I went climbing yesterday with my parents, which, despite me having no strength left at all, was absolutely fantastic and so much fun. But even more so, I am honestly in the best mood ever right now, because now, in two days, I’ll already be getting ready in our hotel in Budapest to go to Sziget. In two freaking days. I can’t believe it. And as my excitement is that big, I thought I’d tell you a bit about this phenomenal festival – or how I like to call it, the Disneyland for music lovers.

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If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll probably know what Sziget is, as I basically never shut up about it. It was my very first festival I ever attended, back in 2015, and, without exaggeration, I fell in love with it the moment my mum and I got there. It really felt like a dream, stepping onto this island full of exciting music and fantastic people. God, I loved it so much. And ever since then my mum and I have been trying to find a reason to go back every single year (sometimes the not so well-fitting lineups hindered us). We just adore it so much. And now, in 2019, the festival finally gave us another reason, after last year, to once again step back into paradise. And this time for a whole week. Yes, you read that right. A whole week. I would be lying if I said that I’m not a teeny tiny bit nervous about the one-week aspect, simply because I know how draining festivals can be. But in a good way, obviously. Once you’re a bit deaf and sound a bit croaky, that’s when you’ve reached the good kind of exhaustion. Exhaustion that comes from music and happiness.

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And I have to say, this year’s lineup is basically the organisers thinking “who would Laura like to see the most?” and then booking those very same people. I mean, come on. Ed, Marty, Twenty One Pilots, The 1975, Florence and The Machine, Kodaline, Catfish and the Bottlemen and Boy Pablo? Might as well just put everyone from my favourites playlist on. It’s absolutely crazy. Especially as Ed, Marty and TOP are my all-time top three and now I’m really going to see all of them within the space of one week. Absolutely mind-blowing. I get happy/nervous tingles whenever I think about it. I’m just so damn excited, holy moly.

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Obviously, as soon as I get back, I’ll tell you everything about the whole week. And I’ll of course also include the ultimate highlight, the one high note the whole trip will end on – my tattoo appointment. I’m not going to lie, I really tend to forget about it, simply because the whole week at Sziget in itself is so sensational that the prospect of getting a new tattoo on top is on the verge of being too much. In the best way ever, obviously, but still. And do you want to know what the best part about that is? I’ll get the tattoo, which is inspired by the one and only Twenty One Pilots, not even 24 hours after having seen them live. If that’s not the cherry on top, then I don’t know what is. Also, my mum and I want to try to get as close to the front as possible for their set on Tuesday, so I might just get to hold Ty with the very same arm I’ll get the tattoo on. Doesn’t that sound absolutely perfect? I’m already so in love with the idea. Watch me wait for hours at the front in the glaring sun just to hold him up during Trees. It would totally be worth it though, let’s be honest. The whole week will be an absolute dream, I can already tell. Can’t wait.

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You can probably guess that I, unfortunately, won’t be able to post anything until Monday in two weeks, as I’ll be at Sziget. But you can already put down the date on your calendars guys because that post will be a hell of a ride. A “Sziget was freaking unbelievable / I held Ty’s hand / look at my new tattoo” hell of a ride. And I can’t wait to write it and for you to read it. But until then, let Sziget and the most fantastic week come around and regarding all of you guys, I wish you lovely two weeks and thanks for reading. x

‘I passed my goal a long time ago’

Hola everyone.

And welcome back to my blog and a new week. I hope you’ve all had an amazing weekend and that you’re doing well.

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Today, I’ve got to share something very very special with you, guys. Something I haven’t really discussed with you in the past. I’m of course talking about the interview I did with the one and only Lewis Capaldi. And yes, I really mean THE Lewis Capaldi. The Scottish dude who’s currently at number 1 with his debut album and who recently sold out his tour in the UK within a few minutes. That guy, yes.

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Some of you might remember that I briefly mentioned going to his concerts in Brighton and London and meeting him in the past (here’s the link if you want to check that one out), but I’ve never really talked about the interview itself. Which, in all honesty, I don’t even want to do, because it doesn’t feel right in any way. The opposite of professional, actually. But now that some time has passed, I thought it would be nice to finally share the finished piece I wrote about the interview with you.

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But before you jump right into it, I want to add one thing: The interview I did with Lewis was my very first big one with a musician and even though it’s been about 8 months since I met him, I still can’t wrap my head around it. It still feels like a dream. Because, I mean, it’s Lewis freaking Capaldi. The guy I’m confidently calling the next Ed Sheeran. And I literally sat in a room with him, chatting for about 45 minutes, cracking jokes, the whole deal. Absolutely unbelievable. I’ll never ever forget how nicely he and his whole team treated me. It was my first step into an industry I’m hoping to become a full member of in the future and they all treated me like I had been part of the team for years. I can’t put my feeling of gratitude into words. I’ll never ever forget that interview. Never.

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So, and now that you know that, I’m proud to finally share my Q&A with Lewis with you. It was definitely one of the funniest, nicest and most interesting interviews I’ve ever done and if you haven’t become a fan of this guy until now, you really need to ceck out his new album ‘Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent‘ and become one immediately. He really deserves all the attention he’s been receiving and so much more. He’s really a one-of-a-kind artist, especially once you get to see his Instagram and Twitter pages and experience his humour. And just so you’ve got an idea of what I mean – on his Wikipedia page it says that he plays ‘sunglasses’ for an instrument. Lewis, we all know you wrote that, just admit it. And, on another note, his twitter name is Lewis Crapaldi, because some hater called him that and he loved it so much, so he quickly turned it into his own joke. Yep, that’s Lewis. You just gotta love him.

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And now, without further ado, please enjoy the article down below. And, as always, please don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts and comments down below. I’d love to know what you think. Until then I wish you all a fantastic week and, of course, thanks for reading. x

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‘I passed my goal a long time ago’

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At the young age of twenty-two, Lewis Capaldi’s career couldn’t be more fairy-tale-like. Within less than two years the Scottish singer-songwriter went from singing in karaoke bars and self-releasing his heart-wrenching debut track ‘Bruises’ to supporting the likes of Sam Smith and Rag’n’Bone Man and selling out one tour after another.

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I caught up with Lewis before his sold-out show at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire to talk about his most recent experiences with success, staying true to himself in the age of social media and handling all the attention he’s been receiving.

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A few years ago, did you think you would end up where you are now?

No. I mean, I was kind of always doing this, but I didn’t think I would be doing it to this level. I did think I would be playing music, but my goal was to play 350 capacity rooms around the UK and, if I was lucky, 100 capacity rooms in Europe. And not even to necessarily play my own songs. I just wanted to play music and be able to make money off it. And so far it’s been very nice, but to be playing shows this size is a very weird thing. To have someone come to my room to ask me questions and write down what I’m saying so people can read it is a very weird thing. And having people outside in the queue know who I am is very weird. And it can all go away very fast. I’m not saying I would be okay with it, but if it did go away, I would still be playing music. I passed my goal a long time ago.

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That must feel pretty amazing, right?

I’m pleased with it. But I’m sure we’ve all done amazing things, but have been too close to them to realize how amazing they are. That’s when you need to take a step back and go ‘oh, that is kind of amazing’. Sometimes I’m really bugged down about things going wrong. I think, as people, we are kind of drawn to focus on the things that go wrong rather than the things that go right.

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Why did you start your career by releasing your music yourself?

Nobody wanted to sign me. *laughs* I’m joking. I just think the first thing you release should come from you. If you want your first piece to be exactly how you want it to be and how you see it, you should release it yourself.

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Sounds like music means a lot to you…

I approach it as I approach everything else – I don’t take it too seriously. If I’m having a shit time and I write a song about it, I’m able to work through it, but it’s not like therapy. I don’t agree with people who say it is. But being able to look at things from that angle and seeing they aren’t necessarily as bad as they seem is good. Sometimes a good song comes from a bad thing. But I don’t want to put too much weight on things, even with music. It feels more like an old, familiar friend.

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Which part of being a musician do you enjoy the most and is there something you hate?

I love playing live, that’s the main thing. That’s where I came from, that’s why I’ve done most of it. I’ve played live more than anything else. But I fucking hate being in the studio. It’s the most boring fucking thing ever. And I don’t know if that comes across in my music, but it’s just so tedious. Not so much being there with a producer and coming up with ideas, that’s fun. But the actual recording of the vocal is the fucking most boring fucking thing you’ll ever do in your life. For me, I record music so I can go and play it live.

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And what about interacting with your fans?

Again, this is a very weird job. So having lots of human interaction online and during the shows is very important to me. And I mean, how often are you sat in your room, just randomly scrolling through Facebook and Twitter, bored out of your fucking mind? And I can just go and talk to people. It makes me feel more normal about everything. Suddenly it isn’t just a big, faceless crowd. And also, it can probably make someone’s day, so if I can make someone feel good, that’s just fucking sick.

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Speaking of the internet – how do you stay true to yourself in the age of social media?

So many singers nowadays are very careful about what they do online. And I think, if you’re not a horrible person, you don’t really have to be careful. I was like this at the beginning, but I don’t want to not be myself because of that. I think it’s a hard thing to do for a lot of singers. But, again, this is a very weird job. The fact that so many people follow me on Instagram is a fucking weird thing. But you know what, it’s not that weird if you just ignore the fact that it’s weird. When I was growing up, I would have liked people to just be themselves as much as they can. That’s why, in the past, I always used to say: ‘if you don’t like a chubby guy singing sad songs you’ve come to the wrong fucking place’.

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Also published in: The Sun & Brighton Life Magazine