A Dirty Dozen with PIP LEWIS – January 2025

Photo credit: Amy Tran

According to a recent press release: “Pip Lewis is a British singer-songwriter based in San Diego, California. At 22 years old, she has over a decade of musical experience. Her forthcoming album, Growing Pains, blends introspective lyrics and ethereal soundscapes to create a truly resonant experience. “Safe & Sound,” the first single from the LP, comes out on January 24th.” We get Pip to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through? Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

“Safe & Sound” is the quintessential house party experience for anxious folk. The idea of feeling alone in a crowd is explored a lot in songs. What makes this single different is that it’s a cry for help out into the crowd that doesn’t go unanswered. It’s the product of the beaming gratitude I feel towards the few that see me when I’m feeling at my most invisible.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

2. I grew up with parents who had excellent music taste. There would be many nights as a child that I’d stay up past my bedtime watching music videos with my father (the likes of Madness, Joy Division, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas’s, the list goes on). I slowly picked up various instruments over the years, the first being guitar. I don’t think I ever really realized I wanted to be a musician, it was almost this innate sense that I already was one. How can you want to be something that you already are, right?

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

“West End Girls” by Pet Shop Boys was a video that I watched a lot as a kid and I think it guided my taste to be skewed in an 80s direction in my formative years. That song, and “Blue Monday” by New Order still sit in my top five songs of all time.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

I’d love to collaborate with Gorillaz. I think out of the broad spectrum of artists I listen to, Damon Albarn never fails to put out a fascinatingly offbeat collaboration with every artist he features.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour? What do you like to do to unwind?

I’m a rock climber through and through. My waking hours that aren’t consumed by music are mostly taken up by climbing or working at the gym. I enjoy putting a record on the turntable and doing some yoga to unwind.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?​​

Hmm… My response when people ask me what kind of music I make is usually basic white girl sh*t. But in seriousness, probably some mixture of MARINA, Phoebe Bridgers, Maggie Rogers, and AURORA? I’ve never been compared to someone I don’t at least kind of see the resemblance to.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

I’m a soloist! Just me, myself, and I.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

Oh, definitely when Hozier said my cover of Shrike was beautiful. He’s a big inspiration for me, so that had me in shambles.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

The best part of being a musician is the feeling of flow I get when I get a song idea that just comes together seamlessly. People Like You was like that. I wrote, recorded, arranged and produced it all in under 2 hours. Filmed the video for it the following day. Plus, it’s often very easy to become totally enthralled by the minutia of making music. Lacing songs with little intricacies and wondering if some audiophile out there might pick up on it? So fun. If I could no longer be a musician I would be a route setter.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

What’s the best live performance of all time? My answer would be “Silver Springs” (1997). The rawness and the tension in that performance is palpable. One of the singles from my forthcoming album, Growing Pains, is inspired by it. A question I’m tired of answering is what genre of music I make. I have no idea. I’m never quite sure if I’m pop? Indie? Alternative? Pigeon holing myself is never something I’m inclined to do.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

No, I don’t think I would take back or change anything about my career. All of the trials and tribulations were learning experiences. From never learning to read music or not taking the position I had in a prestigious music program in Dublin after high school, I think my choices were for the best.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

I’d love to have been a part of Trench by Twenty One Pilots. The production value on that thing is immense, Paul Meany absolutely knocked it out of the park. The sonic landscapes, the storytelling, the performance – it is unadulterated genius. There’s this semblance of showmanship in it that you don’t often hear in albums recorded in a studio. I think it was one of the first albums from this century that I fell in love with from a production standpoint (perhaps with the exception of Currents by Tame Impala).

PIP LEWIS LINKS:

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Category: Interviews