LEW is way too sexy to be sad and way too talented to be confined to a genre. After pivoting from country to pop, LEW is redefining herself as an artist to watch.
We caught up with LEW backstage as the opener for Marielle Kraft’s The Right People Will Love You Tour to chat about being back home in Boston, her upcoming EP, and starting over.
(This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)
JUICE BOX PRESS: What is one place you have to stop while you’re home here in Boston?
LEW: We rolled in and we immediately went to sound check and then we roll out right after the show. But if I could, if I had one place in Boston, I would go back to my stomping grounds at Faneuil Hall and get Chipyard cookies.
JUICE BOX PRESS: This past year has been huge — moving from LA, a breakup, and now a tour. What’s it like to look back on everything and be where you are now?
LEW: Dude is crazy, honestly, especially because when all that was happening. You know, when you’re in a dark place, you’re like, A, it’s never gonna get better and B, like what the f*ck am I doing? There were definitely moments that I was like, what have I done? You know, I’ve changed my name, I’ve changed my genre, I moved, I broke up with my boyfriend. Like, it was giving quarter life crisis. But especially on this tour, I felt very affirmed because being on stage is where I feel most myself. And so it’s been like, okay, everything’s gonna be fine. We’re gonna keep going. We’re building on it and it’s all gonna be good. So tour has been really lovely to like connect cause that’s all I care about.
JUICE BOX PRESS: What’s been your favorite tour memory so far?
LEW: Favorite memories from tour so far? We got to go to White Sands National Park, which was probably the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I would say that was a highlight. I’d never been to Colorado, so Colorado was beautiful and I thrifted really cool sh*t in Colorado, so hell yeah. And I would say those are like two highlights. And then just meeting everybody and just talking to everybody, especially because COVID and the effect it had, it’s been so cool to talk to real people again.
JUICE BOX PRESS: You posted about being “fed up” with social media, but being thankful for the connections it’s built. What is like connecting with people now in person?
LEW: Dude, oh my gosh. I have been really fed up with it lately. But I do understand the importance of it and it’s given me everything I have, so I’m trying to find a better balance with it. But it’s been amazing. I haven’t toured for this long ever, so just to get out, go to cities I’ve never toured in before and just meet people that say, I’ve been listening to your music for four years. It’s like, my god, you’re real. To me, you’re just a metric on Spotify for artists, but you’re actually real. And I always say that’s all I care about is connecting with people. So it’s been a big eye opener, and it just makes you want to tour every day of the year.
JUICE BOX PRESS: What can LEWsers expect from the new EP dropping on November 14?
LEW: This EP, Too Sexy to Be Sad, it’s kind of a departure, but it’s really all about my depression era, but then alchemizing it into something beautiful. So that’s kind of what this EP is. It’s very danceable. It’s very inspired by everything I would listen to if I was pre-gaming for a party and what I grew up on. So like a mix of Pink and Katy Perry and Dua Lipa and dance music and Lady Gaga and stuff like that. It’s just made for when you’re in the slump. My therapist always says make yourself dance in the kitchen for three minutes even if you don’t want to. And so that’s what these songs are. It’s like get out of bed and do it for three minutes. You can go back to rotting afterwards, but just do it. And that’s what these songs are made for.
JUICE BOX PRESS: I have to ask for the girls, gays, and theys (and Ashnikko) — are we getting “Eye Candy” on this EP?
LEW: Wait, isn’t that crazy? I was like Ashnikko, what? You’re a fan of me? I’m a fan of you. Yes, you are getting “Eye Candy” — next year.
JUICE BOX PRESS: What is your message for all your LEWsers?
LEW: Hey LEWsers! I would say, I don’t know, I always say that my mission is to promote power and vulnerability to connect with people in a greater way. So I would just say wear the outfit, say the thing. Literally everyone’s on their phone and no one is looking anyways, so just be you. And I found that when I go out and I wear the weird thing or I do the thing that made me uncomfortable, I feel more confident weirdly. I would say do that. Not weirdly, it’s just how it is. It’s true, so do it!
Amelia Cordischi, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Juice Box Press, is an accomplished digital marketing professional with over a decade of experience in media and communications. Her work has been featured in notable publications, including The Boston Globe. A communications graduate of Simmons University in Boston, Amelia served as manager of Simmons College Radio (“The Shark”), where she also launched and co-hosted her radio show, The Find.
In addition to her editorial work, Amelia is an established freelance photographer, with bylines in Blended Magazine and CelebMix, capturing artists and cultural moments across the music and media landscape. Her career began at WCVB-TV’s Chronicle, the ABC affiliate in Boston, where she gained firsthand experience in broadcast journalism and storytelling.
When she’s not taking photos from the photo pit, interviewing emerging artists, or crafting the next Juice Box Press feature, Amelia can be found thrifting and exploring the world of sustainable fashion.