February 23, 2023
Who is the greatest rapper of all time? Is it even possible to crown just one person? Well, Billboard and Vibe did exactly that. And, according to them, that person is Jay-Z. In honor of Hip-Hop’s
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February 18, 2023
Kaytranada (Louis Celestin) is a Haitian-Canadian record producer and DJ. He is a highly acclaimed electronic artist, having earned two Grammys and countless other awards for his work. Kaytranada has
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February 17, 2023
What happens when a famous music producer takes an interest in self-help books? The Creative Act is your answer. But who is Rick Rubin? Without a doubt, Rubin has an impressive track record in the
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February 14, 2023
The music industry is a place full of musicians, producers, and creators who have the magical ability to make those perfect sounds we hear everyday through our digital devices. We want to listen close
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February 14, 2023
What do popular video games franchises Super Mario, Legend of Zelda, and Star Fox all have in common? They were all produced and published by Nintendo, and the iconic music themes that you hear in...
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February 8, 2023
Being a successful woman in the music industry is no easy feat. Not only do they deal with the typical trials and tribulations of being a musician, but there are also gender-specific challenges.
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February 8, 2023
“Is it just me, or are songs getting shorter these days?” This is a question I have often pondered, especially in the last few years. It appears that in the era of social media, attention spans are
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February 6, 2023
SG Lewis (Samuel George Lewis) is a rising star in the dance/electronic music realm. He is a DJ/producer turned singer-songwriter, and is known for his disco-inspired, transcendent sound. He routinely
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February 4, 2023
Sam Smith just released their new album “Gloria” on the 27th of January. As described by Pitchfork, “Gloria flips between hyperpop, country, dancehall, disco, 2-step, and intimate, Kehlani-esque R&B”.
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February 5, 2023
Virtual reality and the metaverse have become popular topics in the music industry where more and more technology and music have been combined, creating something that could revolutionize the entire
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February 5, 2023
The 65th annual GRAMMY Awards are here, and there's a long-awaited addition to the awards. This year marks the introduction of a new category: the Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical Award. For all
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January 31, 2023
Zach Bryan released his first album in 2019, and in the short time since he has become one of the biggest names in country. His biggest album, “American Heartbreak”, broke single-day album streaming
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SG Lewis (Samuel George Lewis) is a rising star in the dance/electronic music realm. He is a DJ/producer turned singer-songwriter, and is known for his disco-inspired, transcendent sound. He routinely draws on influences from pre-2000s club music and has worked with Elton John, Dua Lipa, MØ, Mabel, Tove Lo, Khalid, and many more. His most recent album “AudioLust & Higher Love” just dropped on January 27, 2023. It is packed full of powerful dance anthems, ones that are sure to tear up the clubs, or at least add a little bit of excitement to life’s dull moments.
Early Career & Progression
After remixing Jessie Ware’s “You & I (Forever)” and posting it on the internet, Sam caught the attention of Ware’s label, PMR Records. Soon after, he was signed and began releasing his own music. His first EP “Shivers” came out in 2015, with another titled “Yours” just a year later.
In 2018-2019, Sam released “Dusk”, “Dark”, and “Dawn”, a conceptual collection of EPs that symbolized the phases of a night out. He then released “Hurting” with Aluna George - a popular vocalist in dance music. Around this time, he also released “Better” with Clairo, which Clairo touted as her first step into the pop realm. The song is a fan favourite, and like his other work, encapsulates a feeling that is reminiscent of music from before the Y2K.
His first album titled “Times” was released in 2021. In an era when clubs were shut due to Covid restrictions, the album blasted to the top of the UK dance charts. This is ironic in a way, as the album was meant to be an ode to the present moment. While Covid was not worth celebrating, the album acted as a “symbol of hope”.
Critical Reception
With “Times”, Sam was praised for his talent in producing “disco-infused pop-house” - but he was described as less confident in work that moved away from that. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive, but critics felt that he cranked the autotune when he was the lead vocal, as if he was not confident in his voice. Pitchfork also praised the album’s background texture and many other things, but felt that there were times when Lewis played it too safe.
Although, critics noted that these growing pains are ones that are likely to fade with time - no pun intended.
AudioLust & Higher Love
“AudioLust & Higher Love” shows remarkable improvement in Sam’s confidence as a vocalist and producer. He sings in most of the songs on this album, and much more confidently than in the past. Lewis cites the success of Times’s “Chemicals” as the push he needed.
This album is also conceptual in nature - as Sam finds it difficult to finish a project without a self-concept, and finds it “crazy” to create an album with tracks that lack a common thread. The first half represents the “ego-driven and toxic approach to relationships”, with the latter half representing “a more romantic approach of love that is sold to us”. It draws influences from yacht rock, to create a light yet danceable aura in a blend of high-BPM, excited dance tracks and some slower, groovy ones as well. “Missing You” and “Something About Your Love” are especially upbeat, and were named among the top dance songs of 2022 by Billboard.
“AudioLust and Higher Love” was created through intense stints at rural recording studios in England, where he worked with the industry’s best through the pandemic, to come up with the album. It is still signature SG Lewis, with a pulsating, transcendent, synth-heavy sound. It is an evolution of his previous work, just more polished and diverse as there were more people involved in the creative process.
What’s Next For SG Lewis
SG Lewis has always had a distinctive sound. His career has grown steadily through the last decade, and as he advances, he is making great progress in discovering what works for him as an artist.
He is set to perform at Coachella in April, which will likely boost his reach even further on this side of the pond. Sam predicts that “nineties trance is going to make a comeback”, and if he keeps up this momentum, he could be the next big breakout hit to make that happen.
