Lewis Watson (musician)

Lewis Watson (born 19 October 1992) is an English singer-songwriter currently playing in venues around the northern hemisphere and other locations. Watson was raised in Bicester, Oxfordshire, and currently has a YouTube channel labeled HolyLoowis.^[1] 2012 saw the release of his first EPs (It's got four sad songs on it BTW and Another four sad songs), which ultimately lead to a record deal with Warner Bros. Records. The Wild was his third EP and was released in March 2013.^[2] In July 2013, he released his fourth EP Four More Songs, including a cover of "Made up lovesong No. 43", originally performed by Guillemots.

Music career

2010–2012: Career beginnings

Watson first started playing after receiving a guitar for his sixteenth birthday. "I've never had lessons", he admits. "I just enjoyed playing guitar so much. I'd play for hours a night, and try out new things to make sure it didn't get stale."^[3] Watson uploaded a video of himself singing a cover of Bombay Bicycle Club's "Swansea" on YouTube in 2010 (using the name "HolyLoowis" to avoid the attention from his friends). He continued recording various pop covers and originals over the following years, and the number of people subscribed to him on his YouTube channel increased rapidly. His channel currently has 87,600 subscribers.

2012: It's Got Four Sad Songs on It BTW and record deal

After three years of uploading videos to his YouTube channel, he decided to release his first EP. Joe Porter from tBeatMusic helped Watson record his first EP It's got four sad songs on it BTW in 2012.^[4] This record includes the four tracks "What About Today?", "Nothing", "Bones", "Windows". "I set the songs on that EP out like a story, for my girlfriend Josefine from Denmark", he explains. "'What About Today' was about quite a rubbish situation where I was being used, and that was the tale of the end of a relationship; 'Windows' was looking back after the relationship ended; 'Bones' is about meeting someone new; and 'Nothing' is about being happy with that person."^[2] Within days of the EP's release, Watson had attracted the attention of just about every record label in the land and soon inked a deal with Warner Bros. Records. Part of the appeal, he says, was the label's long-running success with male solo artists as diverse as David Gray, Damien Rice, and Neil Young.^[3] Later that year Watson's second EP Another four sad songs was released. It included a cover of "Lamplight", a song originally by Bombay Bicycle Club.

2013: The Wild, Four More Songs, and Some Songs With Some Friends

In early 2013, Watson toured Australia supporting Birdy, and he also played a few surprise gigs in various locations.^[5] In addition, he performed at various festivals and tours, including supporting Benjamin Francis Leftwich on his May tour.^[6] In July 2013, Watson released his fourth EP Four More Songs, featuring a cover of Guillemots "Made up lovesong No. 43" and a demo version of a new song, "Close". In November 2013, he released his fifth EP Some Songs With Some Friends, which included three covers, featuring a different artist for each track, namely Gabrielle Aplin, Hudson Taylor, and Kimberley Anne. The EP also included a reworked version of "Even If" as the lead single.

2014: The Morning

In February 2014, Watson announced his upcoming debut album The Morning, due for release in June. His extensive writing sessions yielded the majority of the material that features on the album. Some were written at the last possible moment, while others have been released before in sketch form, the oldest being "Windows", which originally featured on his debut EP. "I'm not a fan of just repackaging old material. The original EPs were meant to be works in progress. And these versions are much more polished". Watson will also be embarking on his largest UK tour to date this Autumn.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

References

External links

• Official website
• Lewis Watson on Facebook
• Lewis Watson on Twitter
• Video on YouTube