Continuing his unbelievable start to 2019, Lewis Capaldi has today announced his eagerly awaited debut album Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent – out May 17th on Virgin EMI. To mark the news, tickets have also gone on sale for his largest ever UK headline tour which includes a night at London’s O2 Academy Brixton – just over a year on from his debut show in the capital.
Recorded over an 18 month period across London, New York & L.A., and featuring stunning co-writes with the likes of Jamie Hartman (Calvin Harris & Rag N Bone Man), Malay (Frank Ocean & Lorde) & TMS, Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent is an ironically titled, but charismatically defining album that’s lyrically candid and an accurate snapshot into the ups and downs of growing up. Made up largely of recordings that capture the charm & feeling of how they were originally written, Lewis’ stunningly identifiable voice, coupled with its turbulent themes of love, loss and heartache, make it a debut record that is both extremely poignant and unequivocally relatable.
In a heartfelt, open letter to fans and media, Lewis explains…
“I’m absolutely buzzing to finally be able to announce my debut album. I never thought I’d get to the point where I’d be able to release a proper album and I ABSOLUTELY never thought that when I did, I would give it a name as stupid I have, but here we are.
Everyone always tells you about how amazing recording their first album was and how they’ll always look back on the ‘process’ with fond memories. I will look back on it as an extremely stressful time that somehow also managed to be extremely boring. The actual process of building the songs up I loved, but recording the same guitar parts over and over again to get them right and going back on mixes for weeks, I did not.
I hope people don’t think it’s shit. I mean don’t get me wrong there will be one or two stinkers on there, but I’m only human and we all make mistakes, but as a whole I think it’s pretty fucking good.
I’m excited for it to be released and have people finally be able to hear a full body of work from me for the first time. Should it bomb completely or receive an absolute critical lambasting, don’t worry, it’s just my life’s work up until this point…..“
Whilst the emotional rawness of ‘Bruises’, ‘Someone You Loved’ & ‘Lost On You’ deliver the piano tearjerkers that Lewis’ fans have come to adore, further album highlights include the beautiful ‘Headspace’, written just aged 15, and the gospel-inspired ‘Hold Me While You Wait’ which sees Capaldi step into new territories, culminating in a magnificent and illuminating sound that demonstrates the kind of infectious and engaging songwriting that will strike a chord and live with fans for years to come.
Since debut track ‘Bruises’ exploded online last year, Capaldi has been able to boast incredibly rare markers in his still fledgling career. The young Scot, whose incredible humour sets him apart from fellow heartbreak songwriters, has already secured his first UK top 5 single, achieved successive Radio 1 A-List tracks, sold over 90,000 headline show tickets, enlisted the music video acting services of ex-Dr Who star Peter Capaldi, amassed over 330 million plays across streaming services & has sold out no less than three back-to-back headline tours, with demand outstripping supply at every turn. This all underlined with critical praise, being shortlisted for the 2019 Brits Critics’ Choice award, performing on Top Of The Pops, and making both the BBC’s Sound Of 2018 longlist and BBC Radio 1’s Brit List.
His personal achievements haven’t gone unnoticed by his musician peers either, with Sam Smith, Rag’n’ Bone Man, Bastille & Niall Horan offering Capaldi an audience of 500,000+ people. The young 22 year old who only 18 months previous had been plugging-in night-after-night into the local pub gig circuit of Glasgow, will now head out on the road in November to headline some of the countries most notable venues, including London’s O2 Academy Brixton. An extraordinary feat for an artist who continues to smash through boundaries at an alarming rate.
2018 was a remarkable year for Lewis Capaldi, and as 2019 rolls on, things continue to get bigger and better. Lewis has taken pairing sad songs with an incredible wit, and a rampant social media following to match, and made it his very own. The results are magnificent.
Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent is available on 12” LP, CD & CD Box (with exclusive sunglasses & Lewis Capaldi calendar (available on Lewis’ store only)
TOUR DATES
MAR 27 – 31 – 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland (supporting Picture This)
NOV 22 – Belfast, Ulster Hall
NOV 23 – Manchester, Academy
NOV 25 – Birmingham, O2 Academy
NOV 26 – Bristol, O2 Academy
NOV 28 – Southampton, O2 Guildhall
NOV 29 – London, O2 Academy Brixton
NOV 30 – Norwich, UEA
DEC 2 – Nottingham, Rock City
DEC 3 – Sheffield, O2 Academy
DEC 5 – Edinburgh, Usher Hall
DEC 7 – Glasgow, O2 Academy
DEC 8 – Glasgow, O2 Academy
UK FESTIVALS
MAY 9 – Brighton Dome @ The Great Escape (SOLD OUT)
JUL 21 – Tramlines Festival, Hillsborough Park
JUL 26 – Truck Festival, Oxfordshire
JUL 27 – Camp Bestival, Lulworth Castle
JUL 28 – Standon Calling, Hertfordshire
AUG 2 – Indiependence, Cork
AUG 3 – Belladrum, Inverness
AUG 11 – Boardmasters, Newquay
AUG 24 – Victorious, Portsmouth