Dean Lewis

Australian-born adult alternative singer/songwriter Dean Lewis pens yearning, emotionally vulnerable tunes in the vein of contemporaries such as Jamie Lawson, Ed Sheeran, and Lewis Capaldi. Emerging in the late 2010s, he had his first taste of international success with the multi-platinum-selling single "Be Alright," which was included on his official full-length debut, 2019's A Place We Knew. The heartfelt "Falling Up" appeared in 2021.

The Sydney-bred Lewis taught himself guitar growing up, playing along to his favorite Oasis songs and writing his own compositions, slowly amassing a small arsenal of original material. He remained largely outside the public eye for some time, quietly writing over 80 original songs before eventually releasing his first proper single, "Waves," in 2016. The song was a huge hit in Australia and was certified platinum within a year of its release. Lewis followed the single with "Need You Now" in early 2017, and in May of that year issued a debut EP titled Same Kind of Different. The moody and evocative pop tones of the EP included "Waves" and "Need You Now," as well as four additional tracks in a similar dark yet melodic style.

The wistful single "Be Alright" appeared in 2018, with the nostalgic "7 Minutes" following in early 2019. "Be Alright" became an international hit, surpassing a billion streams by the time Lewis' debut LP, A Place We Knew, arrived that March. The set reached number 31 on the Billboard 200 and took home the Album of the Year, Best Male Artist, and Song of the Year awards at the 2019 ARIAs. He issued the inward-looking "Falling Up" and the pulsating "Looks Like Me," the lead singles from his forthcoming sophomore album, in 2021. ~ Fred Thomas