Lewis Capaldi
Lewis Marc Capaldi[3] (born 7 October 1996) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician.[4] He was nominated for the Critics' Choice Award at the 2019 Brit Awards. Capaldi also won the 2020 Brit Award for Best New Artist.[5] In March 2019, his single "Someone You Loved" (2018) topped the UK Singles Chart where it remained for seven weeks, and in November 2019, it reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100; it was nominated at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and won the 2020 Brit Award for Song of the Year. "Someone You Loved" was the bestselling single of 2019 in the UK. In May 2020, it was announced that Capaldi's song "Someone You Loved" had become the longest-running top 10 UK single of all time by a British artist.[6]
Lewis Capaldi
Lewis Marc Capaldi
7 October 1996
Glasgow, Scotland
Singer-songwriter
- Vocals
- guitar
- piano
2013–present
On 17 May 2019, he released his debut album, Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent, which remained at the top of the UK Albums Chart for six weeks. It later went on to become the best-selling album of 2019 and 2020 in the UK. His second album Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent (2023) was supported by the lead single "Forget Me", released in 2022.
Early life
Capaldi was born in Glasgow, Scotland,[3] and lived there until he was 4 years old,[7] when his family moved to East Whitburn in West Lothian.[8] Capaldi is of Scottish, Irish and Italian ancestry.[9] He is the youngest of four children. His mother becoming pregnant with Lewis came as a surprise to his family, being called a sort of "immaculate conception", because his father had had a vasectomy.[10] Capaldi's passion for performing started after he sang on stage at the age of 4 on a family trip in France.[11] He learned how to play guitar when he was nine.[12] Soon, he began writing songs, and playing gigs by sneaking into pubs with the help of his eldest brother.[13]
Career
2014–2016: Beginnings
In 2014 Capaldi took part in a three-date tour as part of the Hit the Road project run by The Scottish Music Centre. He played in Dumfries, Edinburgh and Fort William alongside Jacob, Rory Green and Zoë Bestel.[14] When he was 18, his manager Ryan Walter discovered him by an iPhone recording that was recorded in his bedroom and had uploaded to his SoundCloud account. The day after first contacting Capaldi, Walter flew from America to Britain to hear Capaldi play live.[15][16] In 2016, Capaldi graduated with an HND in Music from New College Lanarkshire, Motherwell.[17]
Personal life
Capaldi is a fan of association football and supports the Glasgow-based Celtic F.C.[66] On his father's side, his first cousin twice removed is the actor Peter Capaldi, who appeared in his music video for "Someone You Loved".[67]
After his rise to fame, Capaldi started feeling anxiety and a pressure to perform. He started showing nervous tics. In September 2022, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome.[68] During the COVID-19 pandemic, he moved back to his parents' house in Whitburn, Scotland, to work on his second album. In April 2023, his documentary How I'm Feeling Now was released on Netflix.[69]
Capaldi has been in a relationship with Scottish actress Ellie MacDowall as of June 2023.[70][71]
Influences
Growing up, Capaldi listened to heavy metal bands including Slipknot and Avenged Sevenfold, pop-punk bands such as Blink-182 and Busted,[72] and indie rock bands like Oasis and the View.[73] He discovered a love for "soulful pop music" from the work of Paolo Nutini and Joe Cocker.[74] Capaldi has expressed admiration for the 1975,[75] the Macabees,[76] Arctic Monkeys, the Beatles, and Bob Dylan.[77] Adele and Kings of Leon have also inspired his songwriting.[78]