Dean Lewis is one of those classic overnight success stories that was actually years in the making. At one point he was rejected by every single record company in Australia, until one day he finally got his lucky break when one of Savage Garden’s managers heard his demo tape and signed him.

From there he started writing songs for other people, before releasing his debut single “Waves” in 2016. It was, however, 2018 single “Be Alright” that went crazy, achieving double platinum status in America and going 11 times platinum in Australia, sending Dean on a whirlwind schedule of touring and playing shows as he supported his debut album, 2019’s A Place We Knew.

For a guy from Sydney who’d only done five shows before heading overseas to play, it was a steep, steep learning curve, one Dean talks about throughout this interview. He also talks about his upbringing and path into music, his love for Oasis and The Kooks, his issues with anxiety and much more.