New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Following a string of stellar singles drawn from his forthcoming debut album times, London-based multi-instrumentalist and producer SG Lewis today reveals the album's opening track "Time" - a soaring disco groove featuring legendary Canadian singer Rhye.
Speaking about the track, SG reveals, "'Time' is a song that is central to the album thematically and sonically. Rhye has one of the most unique and distinctive voices out there, and I've been a fan for so long. We wrote the song at Rhye's studio after watching the sun set in Topanga Canyon, a memory which makes this song even more special to me," he explains. "The beat initially started from a piano loop and a
Dennis Edwards sample TEED had started working on with Julian, which I then turned into the instrumental late one night in Nashville."
On the collaboration, Rhye adds, "Sam and I first met when he came over to my studio to work on the track. He has such great personal energy and a zest for life that it felt natural to work off of that and imbue it into what we were making. I think you can hear the fun in this one."
"Time" is the latest track to emerge from times, SG Lewis' upcoming debut album, following the releases of the releases of huge singles 'Chemicals', the
Robyn and Channel Tres collaborative smash 'Impact' and most recently, current single "Feed The Fire" featuring Lucky Daye. The LP, out February 19 via Republic Records in North America, finds one of modern pop's secret weapons stepping out front and center, as he takes listeners on a voyage through soaring electronic dance and kaleidoscopic future disco, with the help of a few friends along the way.
Check out the Aidan Cullen (Dominic Fike,
Omar Apollo and Trippie Red) directed video for "Feed The Fire" which features rising stars Alton
Mason and Quen Blackwell alongside SG and Lucky Daye HERE.
Last week, The FADER unveiled their insightful new SG Lewis documentary titled, "times: Past & Present." Directed by
Harvey Pearson, the documentary follows SG around London, and sees the talented multi-hyphenate speak about the creative process behind the album and how the trials and tribulations of the past year helped to shape it.
For his debut, SG Lewis (real name Sam Lewis) has enlisted a blockbuster collection of recently revealed and soon to be announced, very special guests, as Sam continues a long line of stellar collaborations that have singled him out as one of music's most sought after producers.
Debut album times - markedly stylized in lowercase - arrives after a year when 'times' have been few and far between, especially in contrast to a huge 2019 which saw him sell out headline shows across North America, Asia, Australia and
Europe as well as appearing at prime slots from Coachella to Glastonbury. It was a string of live experiences that cemented his status as not just one of London's hottest talents but also a formidable artist capable of making a splash on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond.
On the album, Sam says "times is an ode to the present moment. 2020 has shown us that the experiences we took for granted in the past, are never promised tomorrow, and that the opportunity to dance together may not always be there again. After reading about 70's New York and the birth of Disco, I became infatuated with the euphoria and escapism that the music from that period created, and the safe spaces the clubs at the time provided for people to express themselves. I aimed to create a world musically that captured those same feelings, and to imagine the music that would be playing in those rooms if they were to exist today."
This is his first collection of songs since the three-chapter concept EP Dusk, Dark, Dawn, which featured Clairo, T.E.E.D.,
AlunaGeorge and Ruel and served as a tribute to club and youth culture, chronicling the trajectory of a night out through its different moods and genres.
Sam has recently collaborated with Aluna,
Victoria Monet, Raye, Ray BLK, The Neptunes/N.E.R.D's Chad Hugo, Gerd Janson, Conducta and more as well as producing 'Hallucinate' on Dua Lipa's record-smashing album
Future Nostalgia and Dave's '100M's', proving his worth as one of the most respected and prolific musicians in the world. Sam's ever-growing catalogue both as a collaborator and solo work showcases his abilities as an artist capable of working beyond the limits of genre and style with times ready to send his star into the stratosphere in 2021.
'times' is out everywhere on February 19, 2021
