Lewis Watson is an English singer-songwriter. Watson was raised in Bicester, Oxfordshire, and currently has a YouTube channel labeled HolyLoowis. 2012 saw the release of his first EPs, which ultimately led to a record deal with Warner Bros. Records. The Wild was his third EP and was released in March 2013. 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." Watson uploaded a video of himself singing a cover of Bombay Bicycle Club's "Swansea" on YouTube in 2010. 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.
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. Watson recorded his first EP It's Got Four Sad Songs on It BTW 'in 2012 with a college tutor. This record includes the four tracks "What About Today?", "Nothing", "Bones", "Windows". "I set the songs on that EP out like a story, 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." Within days of the EP's release, Watson had attracted the attention of various record labels 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. 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. In addition, he performed at various festivals and tours, including supporting Benjamin Francis Leftwich on his May tour. 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 Jaya Beach-Robertson. 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 albumThe 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".
2015–present: ''Midnight''
Watson stepped away from the limelight to refocus and work on new material. Regaining full control, he was able to take his time writing songs that fully explored his experience and talent and, with a wealth of new material to choose from, he entered the studio and recorded his entire second album in just two weeks with a live band. With a choice of labels keen for his signature after two years away, Lewis decided to find a new approach to releasing his music, partnering with the leading independent labelCooking Vinyl, and heading out on tour to showcase many of the new songs direct to his fans. His album Midnight was released on 24 March 2017. Lewis appeared as a featured artist on dodie's 2019 EP Human, on the track "Not What I Meant." In 2019, Lewis was featured on Consoul Trainin's song "Don't Say A Word". On 27 November 2019, Lewis announced his third albumThe Love That You Want would be released on 29 May 2020. He also released the song "Spark" from the album.
