The Aussie singer talks working with Kygo, his massive year, and what’s ahead.
I was expecting [him] to come and make it like Dont You Worry Child, he remembers.
But at the advice of his manager, it went elsewhere.
I was like, Fk it, whatever.'
Keep in mind Id never heard tropical house before.
[But] it grew on me.
And then [Kygos team] told us [Firestone] was going to be a single.
Two sugar-free Red Bulls and a cup of coffee sit in front of him.
Its the first guitar I ever bought, he says of the ink.
The Divine Mercy, a Catholic rosary prayer that his grandparents used to send him, surrounds the instrument.
Sewells familial influence is seen all over his music.
Soul music, for me, definitely comes from that side of the family.
Both his grandparents were singers, as is his sister.
His brother shows up frequently in his lyrics because, He always get fked over by girls.
When he was 18-year-old, Sewell moved back to the U.K.
I loved the music that was coming out of there, he says of the jump.
I started a band because I idolize the Strokes and the Killers.
I thought I was really rock n roll I wasnt.
The group never took off.
Then it was time to get serious, he says.
Sewell headed for Los Angeles.
But the Grammy-award winning British singer isnt on Sewells list of influences.
I wrote that song before Sam Smith even existed, he says.
Then Sam Smith came out and I was like, Guys why havent we put this song out yet?
But thats just the way things have panned out.
Part of this enthusiasm seems rooted in those Smith comparisons.
Im so not Sam Smith, its not even funny, he says.
Im a soul-pop project.
Im not standing there delivering a ballad, Im sort of strutting the stage, thinking Im Mick Jagger.
Theres a whole different element of what Im trying to do.
But his live set is more than just strutting.
Ive always wanted to go to the extra mile when it comes to performing.
Sitting on a stool was never enough for me.
I feel like I have to impress people.
A 30-minute set at Barclays Center on a Thursday night in January did just that.
I want that to happen when they hear me.
When I fall in love with an artist, I want to hear them over and over again.
