Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Lewis Capaldi still enjoys reading reviews of his music: ‘Even the bad ones’

A journalist’s description of Capaldi sounding like ‘a constipated Hozier’ tickled the ‘Before You Go’ vocalist

Nicole Vassell
Saturday 15 April 2023 03:58 EDT
Comments
Lewis Capaldi shares NSFW impact anti-depressants had on him

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Lewis Capaldi has revealed that he still reads reviews of his music, even the less favourable ones.

The Grammy-nominated Scottish singer-songwriter is set to release his second studio album, Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent, on 19 May.

His 2019 debut, Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent, topped the UK album charts for six weeks and became the best-selling album of both 2019 and 2020.

At the time of release, The Independent gave the album a four-star review, with Roisin O’Connor stating that it “proved Capaldi’s songwriting chops”.

In a new interview with The Independent, Capaldi says that he remains appreciative of, and entertained by the takes on his musical stylings.

“I still enjoy reading reviews of my music… even the bad ones,” he said. “Thomas H Green of The Arts Desk said I sound like ‘a constipated Hozier’ and I thought that was hilarious.”

He continued by coming up with his own comparisons: “I think I sound more like a Paolo Nutini knockoff. Or like if Adele was a guy and not as good.”

The interview, published on Saturday (15 April), then featured Capaldi defending Ed Sheeran from some of the harsher takes he’s received over the years.

“I’d say that Ed has been at it a lot longer than me and he does get a lot of unfair criticism,” Capaldi said. “I think he’s one of the best songwriters of the past 30 years. But I think he gets overlooked because of his popularity.”

Lewis Capaldi
Lewis Capaldi (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Capaldi’s friendship with Sheeran was referenced in his recent Netflix documentary film, Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now.

While staying at Sheeran’s home in Sussex, Capaldi opened up to the “Shape of You” star about having feelings of imposter syndrome.

Sheeran mentioned Capaldi’s anxieties to Elton John, who then sent Capaldi an encouraging email.

Elsewhere, fans were moved to tears by the film’s exploration of the singer’s struggles with mental health and his eventual diagnosis of Tourette’s syndrome.

You can read The Independent’s full interview with Lewis Capaldi here.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in