After the rousing response to his much-loved studio album 'PLASTIQUE' last year, US artist and rapper Nolan Lewis is back to his vibrant best once again with his latest EP 'Do your eyeballs ever feel warm?'
Channelling more of that bold and innovative aesthetic he has been building for himself over the years, this new six-track collection makes for an incredibly adventurous listen. Brimming with this broad and immersive approach to production at every turn, 'Do your eyeballs ever feel warm?' continues to cement him as one of the more distinctive names doing the rounds right now.
So with the new EP available to stream now, we sat down with him to find out more about his origins and what has been inspiring him most lately.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
While my parents had me start with drums when I was two, later switching to piano when I was four (and piano has been my main instrument), I secretly fell in love with guitar thanks to Guitar Hero. Specifically, “Eye of the Tiger” helped me fall in love with guitar. When I was in middle school, I asked my aunt to get me an electric guitar for the birthday that is currently collecting dust, so I ended up sticking with piano after all. Not to say I don’t enjoy it.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
I’m originally from Los Angeles, and my memories of driving to elementary school are with my dad because he was always playing music in the car. When I was probably five, I loved Queen Latifah. I knew—and still know—all the words to “Wrath of My Madness”. Pharrell Williams, “Frontin’”, there was a lot of Justin Timberlake, Slick Rick, Eric B. & Rakim. With my mom, there was a lot of Chaka Khan, Ledisi, and Beyoncé. So Black—and Queer, because I didn’t know about Queen Latifah initially, since I was a child—rappers, R&B artists, pop vocalists, very versatile people. I guess that tracks today!
What was the first album you remember owning?
Let’s talk digitally, because I am Gen Z, haha, but the first album I purchased on my phone was “Whack World” by Tierra Whack. I’ve been a massive Tierra Whack fan since I was 14, and had a full circle moment when I performed alongside her at Spring Fling at Wesleyan University. My first physical vinyl record is the official soundtrack of “The Wiz”, by Quincy Jones, because that is my favourite movie ever.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
“I’m Feeling Love” by Raphael Saadiq. The album itself that it’s from, “Jimmy Lee”, is about content that I don’t necessarily have experience with, but that specific song sounds lovely, which I believe was the point. A motif of my songwriting is to turn sad and dark themes into positive sounds. It’s not necessarily a viral track by any means—it still has more streams than me—but it’s a really relaxing song that creates a soundscape. I aspire to create songs that drop you into a sonic environment, which I think I’ve taken steps toward with my new release, the “Do your eyeballs ever feel warm?” EP.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
Honestly, my remixes are a habit that helps me write new music. Recently, I’ve been trying to do them daily. Hasn’t worked out, but it’s been almost daily. When writing on other people’s songs, I tend to adopt the rhyme scheme, flow, and energy. I rarely remix suggestions, so these are always songs that I like and am already listening to. I adopt the style for a second when I remix, and some of that consolidates and can be applied when I’m ready to write something new.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Mama’s Gun, not to be confused with the Erykah Badu album. They are an incredible band from the UK. I’ve been studying nostalgia through my college course on pop music revolutionaries in Japan, and in the 1980s, nostalgia was considered a very powerful tool in music. The sound and genre exploration of Mama’s Gun perfectly encapsulates that. I’ve been listening to their new album “Cure The Jones” non-stop, at least once a day. I also listen to a lot of Solange—she is SUCH a visionary who has greatly inspired me. I primarily listen to “When I Get Home”, it’s one of my no-skip albums. I honestly have no words because that’s how amazing she is. Anyone who knows me knows I listen to Doja Cat all the time—“Scarlet 2 CLAUDE” has proven to be yet another amazing release that I have done many a remix of. Last but not least, I would say Kali Uchis and Tyler, The Creator. I have wavered in listening to them recently, but they are always two of my favourites and I’m starting to ramp back up with my streaming.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Well, there’s always the classic Beyoncé answer, but I feel like opening for her means that she’s already fully aware of you and a positive opinion has been strongly formed. But with smaller artists, you have a chance to further a relationship and get to know each other by being on the road together constantly, so for that reason, I would probably say Victoria Monét or Aminé. They seem so fun and silly behind the scenes! And we have on average a decade age gap, so I would love to hear their wisdom as well. I love artists with an “é” in their name, I guess.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
This may be really weird, but I love it when previous generations engage with my music. I recently performed at the Students of Color (SOC) Fashion Show at my university, and the following day, one of the designers told me that their mother (Gen X) was asking about me and wanted to know if I had Spotify, so they gave it to her. I also remember while on stage, parents of some of the models were really getting into it, when surprisingly a lot of my generational peers were not, which is neither here nor there. So yeah, I love it when members of previous generations appreciate what I’m doing because that makes my music feel all the more valid when you can appeal to all ages.
And what is the most frustrating part?
That I’m independent! Doing everything yourself is a confidence-booster, no doubt, but there are some things that I truly need external help for and do not have the funds to make that happen. There are times when you have to make do, and it can be frustrating to know that there’s potential for what you just created to be better but there’s no network to make it better, as much as you want it to be. But that doesn’t stop people from enjoying my music which I really appreciate! Any artist reading this knows that we are our own biggest critics. So, it’s nice to have an audience out there to remind you that it’s not all that bad and you’re doing very well regardless.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
Last year, Dan Limerick told me to “GRIND, GRIND, GRIND!!!” It was said three times because the point was to emphasise “tripling down”—whatever you do, go deep into it, because the results will be fruitful in the end. I believe that I’ve started to employ that strategy, and it has been working out overall. His advice seems like a no-brainer, but it’s really hard to establish a relationship between discipline and drive, and to hear what you know you should be doing does wake you up a little bit, and I would say it woke me up.
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Nolan Lewis' new EP 'Do your eyeballs ever feel warm?' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.