3 weeks Ago By Lisa Rockman
Give him an intimate venue, an acoustic guitar and a decade-long setlist of heartfelt songs and Conrad Sewell is a happy man. or signup to continue reading It's been 10 years since the Australian singer-songwriter released his multi-platinum hit, , and he couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than with a stripped-back regional tour. "These gigs are perfect for me and allow people to come out and hear the music in its purest form," he says.
"All of my songs were written on a piano or an acoustic guitar and my voice has always shone in that scenario, it's like less is more with me. "I love performing with a big band but sometimes it can cover up the vocal. I think a lot of people are drawn to the emotion in the voice when it is stripped back.
" With more than 1 billion streams of on Spotify alone, Sewell's 2014 hit with Kygo skyrocketed him to fame. But his musical journey began much earlier; Sewell was singing, writing and shopping demos from as early as eight years old. In 2015 he picked up an ARIA award for song of the year with his single, , and he was nominated for breakthrough artist and best pop release.
His 2018 single, went triple platinum and was nominated for song of the year at the ARIAs, and in 2019 Sewell released his debut album to critical acclaim. Sewell divides his time between homes in Los Angeles and Brisbane, and takes his young family with him whenever he can. He has two children with partner Jasmine Hington: Memphis, three, and one-year-old Faith.
"I've been up since about six this morning with my baby, actually," he says. "It's hard being away from them but when I'm home, I'm home, and present. I'm doing a lot of writing over there at the moment so we're just making it work .
.. we're juggling half a year over there, half a year here.
" I mention the comparisons that are made between his voice and that of The Weeknd, and he laughs, saying: "Why is he playing the Super Bowl and I'm not?" I remind Sewell that he sang the Australian national anthem at the NRL season opener in Las Vegas on March 1. "That's true. And I'm very grateful," he replies.
"But this industry is like, you know, who you've got looking after you, the stars aligning ...
being from Australia, we spent a lot of time building things here, and I think we kind of neglected the US market a bit when we had an opportunity to pounce there. "Again, I'm grateful for what I have and it's amazing to be able to have a career in Australia, but I definitely have moments where I compare myself to other artists. I'm not young any more but I still feel that there are some amazing things to come in my career.
I'm just gonna keep working hard, and the right songs will come." Speaking of, he's been busy writing and has an album ready for release. He's just waiting for the right time to share it with the world.
"I've been in the major label system my whole life and we just left Sony last year and now it's like 'OK, how do we do it from here?'," he says. "I just need to make sure that when it comes out, it gets the right amount of ears on it and it doesn't just disappear into the abyss. You pour your heart and soul into these songs and you want as many people to hear them as possible.
" Fri 2 May - Bowral Bowling Club, Bowral, NSW Sat 3 May - The Country Club, South Coast, NSW Fri 9 May - Exchange Hotel, Newcastle, NSW Sat 10 May - The Recky, Elizabeth Beach, NSW Fri 16 May - William Farrer Hotel, Wagga Wagga, NSW Sat 17 May - Beer Deluxe, Albury, NSW Fri 23 May - Metropolitan Hotel, Mackay, QLD Sat 24 May - The Strand, Yeppoon, QLD Fri 30 May - Cleveland Sands Hotel, Brisbane, QLD Sat 31 May - Kings Beach Tavern, Sunshine Coast, QLD Fri 4 July - Eureka Hotel, Geelong, VIC Sat 5 July - Village Green Hotel, Mulgrave, VIC Fri 11 July - Alice Springs Brewing Co, Ross, NT Sat 12 July - Monsoons, Darwin, NT Fri 18 July - York on Lilydale, Mount Evelyn, VIC Sat 19 July - Berninneit, Cowes, VIC Fri 25 July - Edge Hill Tavern, Cairns, QLD Sat 26 July - Dalrymple Hotel, Townsville, QLD Thu 31 July - Don Russell Performing Arts Centre, Thornlie, WA Fri 1 August - Koorliny Theatre One, Kwinana, WA Sat 2 August - Moora Performing Arts Centre, Moora, WA Fri 8 August - Royal Oak Hotel, Launceston, TAS Sat 9 August - Republic Bar, Hobart, TAS Writing songs that have meaning, and make an emotional connection with the listener, is important to Sewell. "Life changes, but ultimately what I love to write about is the journey that we're all on," he says. "Once you figure that out, it's not about writing just another pop song.
You can go deeper in the lyrics, and within yourself, to find what you're trying to say, what message you're trying to give to the world. "Ten years ago it felt like you could write a song and it could change your life, but the state of the industry has changed with the sheer amount of music coming out. It's, like, is a good song even enough these days? But if you don't believe in that, there's really nothing to hold onto.
You have to believe that great music will still do its job." And a great voice? "Definitely." I ask him about the "blue-eyed soul" tag often used by people who have heard his voice but have no idea what he looks like.
"Yeah, people have asked me many times if I'm African American, and I'm like 'No, I'm a white boy from Australia'," Sewell says, laughing. "I've heard the Michael Jackson comparisons, too, and it's such an honour. He was a huge influence on me.
I've always had quite a high voice and I get compared to the tenors like him, but Michael was a singer like no other. "I grew up listening to voices like his, and they all had tones and they all had power. I don't have the moves like him, though.
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