SG Lewis is taking on Coachella with over 1 billion streams and all-star collaborations under his belt
SG Lewis is a sought-after producer who has collaborated with Dua Lipa, Elton John, Robyn, and more.
Insider caught up with Lewis ahead of his performance at Coachella last weekend.
He discussed making music with Tove Lo and sharing the festival stage with Channel Tres.
Seven years ago, SG Lewis played his first-ever US show at the most famous music festival in the world.
Last Friday, the British musician returned to Coachella in Indio, California to play hits like "Chemicals," "Vibe Like This," and "Impact," with thousands of people screaming the lyrics.
Lewis has steadily built a reputation as a sought-after singer-songwriter and producer — and racked up over 1 billion streams along the way. He was featured on Elton John's "The Lockdown Sessions," cowrote "Hallucinate" for Dua Lipa's No. 1 smash "Future Nostalgia," and produced two songs for Tove Lo's latest collection "Dirt Femme."
Earlier this year, Lewis released his own album, "AudioLust & HigherLove," a prismatic ode to the dance floor that includes collaborations with Ty Dolla $ign, Lucky Daye, Channel Tres, and more.
Insider caught up with Lewis backstage ahead of his performance at Coachella weekend one.
He will return to the festival's Outdoor Theatre stage on Friday evening for another round of golden-hour grooves.
You're coming off a recent performance with Tove Lo on "The Late Late Show." How did that collaboration, "Call On Me," come about?
It started with me and Charlie, who's married to Tove. I met her husband before I met Tove.
Strangely, I was on this night out and I sort of made fast friends with this guy that was a mutual friend. And so we went on this crazy night out and at some point in the night, he turns to me, he's like, "Oh, you're working with my wife next week." And I was like, "Who's your wife?" He's like, "Tove Lo."
Because we've become such fast friends, there's this big old sort of pressure on the session, because we were both like, "Oh my god!" And Charlie was like, "Sam's great!" And I was like, "Charlie's great!" So Tove was like, "Oh God, this better go well." But luckily, we got in the studio and just clicked straight away.
That was the first thing I played Tove and we started writing, and then we did three different versions of the lyrics and finally nailed it on the third time.
Musically, it does feel like a natural pairing. Did it feel that way in the studio?
Oh my god, it's one of the most natural pairings I've ever had. She's an incredible writer and I feel like we share so many tastes and interests musically. So yeah, it was a really easy collaboration and we're definitely keen to do some more.
You've worked now with Tove Lo, Jessie Ware, Robyn, and Dua Lipa. Which iconic pop star will you add to your collection next?
The list is ongoing and large. It's always evolving. But I'd love to work with Charli XCX. I'd love to work with Doja Cat. There's so many. There's lots of artists I want to work with.
Do you often make tracks with a featured artist in mind, or does that come later?
Most of the time, I like to do the work in the room. So if I'm in the room with an artist, I'll start from scratch and kind of build the vibe based on what's happening in the room in that moment, really.
Can we expect any surprise guests during your performance today?
Maybe. [Smiles.]
A little bird did tell me that Channel Tres is going to make an appearance. So can you tell me more about "Impact," the song you made together?
Yeah. [Laughs.] So me and Channel, we were in the studio and back when Channel was drinking, we were drinking as we were working. And we started working on this instrumental, and we got so excited by the verses that he put down that we left the studio to go to a club, and we never wrote a chorus.
So when we woke up the next day, we were like, "Damn, we didn't finish the song." We were like, "Well, why don't we send it to someone else to do the chorus?" And Channel had just been on tour with Robyn, so it was like, "Fuck it. Why don't we send it to Robyn?"
So we sent it to Robyn and luckily, she was into it. And then we went back and forth for the best part of the year and made "Impact."
Robyn is quite a get, isn't she? She doesn't do a lot of features.
She's rare. She's very rare. But she's an unbelievable, iconic artist.
Coachella is known for these surprise onstage cameos. I'm curious about how that happens. Do you just text your friends and ask them to come through?
There's a lot that goes on. It starts with a text, but then there's usually flights, accommodation, entourage. There's a lot of arguing with the festival about passes.
Coachella is also a great place to play for people who aren't already fans. How would you describe the theme of your latest album to someone who had never heard it?
It's all about infatuation versus actualized real love, the difference between those feelings — and all through the lens of psychedelic electronic music.
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