Rhys Lewis (born March 18, 1991) is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist signed to

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

. His debut studio album ''Things I Chose to Remember'' was released in July 2020. His second studio album ''Corner of the Sky'' was released on 20 January 2023.

Early life

Rhys Lewis was born in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

to parents who were both teachers. He has two brothers; one older, Tom, and a twin, George. George is the older twin, making Rhys the youngest in his family. Lewis was educated at Bartholomew School in

Eynsham Eynsham is a village and civil parish in the West Oxfordshire district, in Oxfordshire, England, about north-west of Oxford and east of Witney. The 2011 Census recorded a parish population of 4,648. It was estimated at 5,087 in 2020. Etymolo ...

and first started performing in a cover band with his brother. He also worked as a '

dinner lady Lunch lady, in Canada and the U.S., is a term for a woman who cooks and serves food in a school cafeteria. The equivalent term in the United Kingdom is dinner lady. The role is also sometimes known as cafeteria lady or school caterer. Sometimes ...

' at Cokethorpe School. At 19, Lewis moved to London to attend the London Centre of Contemporary Music.

Artistry

Influences

Lewis cites

Alex Turner Alexander David Turner (born 6 January 1986) is an English musician. He is the lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Arctic Monkeys. Turner is known for his Songwriter, lyricism ranging from kitchen sink realism to surrealism, surreal ...

Arctic Monkeys Arctic Monkeys are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. They comprise lead singer Alex Turner, drummer Matt Helders, guitarist Jamie Cook and bassist Nick O'Malley. The co-founder and original bassist Andy Nicholson ...

as his songwriting inspiration, commenting that " urnerwas the first songwriter of my generation to make the lyrics of a song jump out at me." Other influences include

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

and

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He is known for having several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Grandma's Hands" (1971), "Use Me ( ...

, in particular, the latter's song " Lean On Me".

Musical style and songwriting

Lewis' debut album, ''Things I Chose to Remember'', is distinctive in that it was made on

analogue tape An audio tape recorder, also known as a tape deck, tape player or tape machine or simply a tape recorder, is a sound recording and reproduction device that records and plays back sounds usually using magnetic tape for storage. In its present ...

. Lewis stated his reasons for this as “ nalogue tapeforces you to think clearly and in detail about every single part that goes down, and how you can make each part do the most it can”. Numerous critics have commented on the

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

influences in his music. Lewis writes songs about a variety of aspects of his life. In ''Things I Chose to Remember'', topics include the portrayal of men in the media, mental health and his own relationships. Many of his songs are about heartbreak, including "When Was The Last Time", "Be Your Man" and "Hurting". He says he finds his song "No Right To Love You" difficult to perform because it also deals with a personal heartbreak. "I suppose the song is a bit of a trigger for lots of memories and emotions of the breakup … every so often it really hits me again, and the emotion of the song comes flooding back."

Discography

Studio albums

EP

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Rhys British male singers Living people 1993 births Sportspeople from Oxford British multi-instrumentalists British soul singers English singers English male singer-songwriters English singer-songwriters British male singer-songwriters British pop singers