Lewis Capaldi's extraordinary 2019 has been recognised by Music Week as we crown the singer/songwriter our Artist Of The Year.
Capaldi spent seven weeks at the top of the UK singles chart with the Grammy-nominated piano ballad Someone You Loved, which went on to top the US Billboard Hot 100 in October, while his debut LP, Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent (Virgin EMI), is the year's biggest-selling album in the UK.
The 23-year-old stars on the cover of our bumper end-of-year issue, in which he reflects on his incredible success on both sides of the Atlantic.
“It’s just fucking out of this world," Capaldi told Music Week. "Stuff that I had deemed impossible – like getting a No.1 in the UK, and America going the way it went – is now a thing and it’s crazy. I’m just so fucking lucky. You can write as many songs as you like, but the only way to describe my year is just fucking lucky.”
We had a hunch that Lewis had a personality that made him a little more interesting and entertaining than a lot of artists
Ted Cockle
Virgin EMI
"We had a hunch that Lewis had a personality that made him a little more interesting and entertaining than a lot of artists,” said Virgin EMI president Ted Cockle. “Thankfully, this year has paid off on a ridiculously improved level from even our great expectations, so we’re delighted.”
Ryan Penty, who guides Capaldi's live career alongside fellow Paradigm agent Alex Hardee, said: "The whole team have absolutely smashed it. I've never known anything like it in terms of demand and everybody still wants a piece of him."
"He has an extraordinary, special, touching voice but apart from that he is so fresh and unique," added Thomas Scherer, EVP repertoire and marketing, LA for BMG, which publishes Capaldi.
See today's issue for the full interview with Team Capaldi. To secure your copy of Music Week's epic Christmas edition, email Rachael Hampton on rachael.hampton@futurenet.com. To subscribe and never miss a vital music biz story, click here.
