It looked like Sydney singer-songwriter Dean Lewis had already had his moment in the UK sun, when his single Be Alright peaked at number 11 last October.
But the song’s swelling global popularity means that this is just the beginning for the 31-year-old. It’s a quiet, soft-hearted ballad, with a chorus in which a mate tells our hero that there are plenty more fish in the sea.
Now it’s become a monster on nearly half a billion Spotify streams, six-times platinum status in Australia and this week, the number one spot on Billboard’s Adult Pop Songs chart in the US.
A debut album of Sheeran-style sensitive songsmithery, A Place We Knew, was released last week, and he’ll hit London for two gigs next month. Meanwhile, he’s just been named Apple Music’s latest “Up Next” artist, an honour previously bestowed on Billie Eilish, Khalid and H.E.R., which means the streaming and radio giant will be banging on about him at every opportunity for the forseeable.
According to his songs he’s unlucky in love, but this music thing is working out great.
Apr 15-16, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, W12. o2shepherdsbushempire.co.uk
