First love is all butterflies and fireworks, but the second time around tends to be a more guarded affair. No one seems to know that better than singer-songwriter Lewis Loh (known as lewloh), who at the age of 25, has clearly had his fair share of hurt and heartbreak.
And lewloh's done the work of dissecting and healing from the trauma of his experiences. What's remarkable is his deep dedication to honesty – in the way he views his relationships, his feelings, and in his writing. All this is effortlessly translated into compelling lyrics and lush soundscapes. On his 13-track sophomore album michigan/missinghim, we're taken on an intimate ride through his experiences of second love – and the regrets, heartbreak, growth and healing that it brings.
When the feelings are so raw, yet conveyed so sensitively, it's no wonder that lewloh's singles have been finding their way into coveted playlists across Spotify, Apple and radio stations in the region. In person, lewloh also comes across as introspective, slightly playful, and very real – you can't help but like this guy. We chat with him to find out more about his inspiration behind the album, his growth as an artist, the impact he hopes to make – and get some sage musings on love and life at the same time.
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Hi lewloh! Thanks for joining us. First things first – what did you miss about Singapore while you were studying overseas?
It's such a lame answer, but the first thing that comes to mind is the transport system. Honestly, it's very easy to get around Singapore. There's a train and a bus to every nook and cranny, and I like that. Or, you can just take a Grab.
This is the first time you're speaking to Time Out. Can you tell us more about yourself?
Hi, I'm lewloh. I'm a singer-songwriter, first and foremost. I'm also an ex-yoga teacher, and yeah, I try to be very honest in my songwriting and try to document what it's like to be a 25-year-old – our experiences with love, relationships, new things, loss, and all of that. I try to be honest in my writing so that people of all ages who've experienced similar things feel less alone in their journeys.
It's not easy to be so honest, especially on such a public stage. Have you always worn your heart on your sleeve?
I think I have. The reason behind that is because I grew up with a lot of strong female figures in my life and just watching them express emotions unapologetically made me realise how much weight comes off your shoulders when you can live like that. Applying that to my writing is what makes my job easy because I don't have to filter anything or censor much. Instead, I get the privilege of speaking my mind and turning it into music. So, it's something that feels very natural to me.
I realised it wasn't the norm when people asked me, "Isn't it very hard to write about your breakup so candidly?" And I'm like, no, because I just speak my mind. But then I understand why it can be hard, because it's just the way society is built. It's kind of like – don't cry in public, don't show weakness, don't let your employers what know you're not good at. That kind of weight on our shoulders is what makes us feel ashamed of vulnerability and of being human, you know?
Congratulations on your new album michigan/missinghim! We hear that it's about second loves – can you tell us more about the inspiration behind it?
I think I've learned not to be embarrassed about the fact that my writing is mostly about love. That's one of the first things I learned at music school – you can't escape from writing about love because everything in the world is about it, be it friendships, self-love, romantic love or familial love. So this second album is about my second love, just like how my first album is about my first. And if I meet a third person, it will probably be the next album [laughs].
But I think this album is different from my previous works because the way you experience love at 19 – which is when I put out my first album – and the way you experience love at 25 is so drastically different. The first time you experience it, all the Disney tropes come into play. Then it breaks and this new reality is shown to you, and you're like – oh, all of that was real, but I need to be more grounded next time.
And that's what this album was about. It's approaching love with a more mature point of view, where you know that love exists and that's why you're open to it, but you also have your guard up because you know that people make mistakes and that you are capable of not being a perfect partner. That's why the themes on the album are about growth, making mistakes, and communication.
That's great – we can see your growth as a person from album to album. And, technically, how did your time in the States help you?
I wrote my first album purely through intuition – this feels good, therefore it works. A lot of it was waiting for inspiration to come. Maybe it's 3am and I feel heartbroken, so let me write a song, right? But going to music school taught me how to write songs even when inspiration wasn't around, so writing the second album felt way more intentional.
I could set aside time to really dive deep and hone in on a specific experience and encapsulate it into a song. The intuition is still there, it's just that I know why it works. This melody works not just because it feels good, but because if we look at it objectively, it's a nice melody; or these lyrics are objectively stronger than this idea. And I think that intention is why I'm so proud of this body of work.
It's like you've married the art and the craft. So, how would you define yourself as an artist now?
I think I'm an artist who dares to tell my story. There are lots of societal expectations that we feel pressure to mould into. If we're taking the music industry as an example, pop music sells, but that's not my current vibe. So, instead of writing solely pop music that's, say, more electronic or hook-driven, I just want to write music in my own style.
In terms of lyrical content, I identify as a queer artist so I make sure I don't censor gender pronouns in my songs and live shows. Because at the end of the day, the concept of heartbreak is not exclusive to, for example, straight couples, and heartbreak exists in every kind of dynamic. Being a bisexual artist, having these nuances does affect how society accepts different identities, you know?
It's exciting to be part of this generation that dares to just be themselves. Nowadays you see people who are so damn fashionable on the MRT, or more up-and-coming musicians on the scene. These people are like, fuck the very stereotypical path that society expects from me. I'm going to pursue art, I'm going to pursue music, I'm going to do what's right for me. And I'm going to succeed.
I'm an artist who dares to tell my story.
And that's powerful. Now, going back to the album – why did you choose terminal as the title song?
I'd be lying if I said it was the first song post-breakup, but it was the first song that I knew was going to be for the album. I wrote it about a month after the breakup, and it was after all the highs and lows had settled down and you can really sit with yourself and think, "How did I honestly feel about that relationship? Do I feel like I lost a soulmate, or am I just experiencing loss in general?"
And the honest truth is that I knew it was not a forever relationship. And I think that's what terminal is about – knowing that this relationship has an expiration date, and you're holding on because it's comfort. I think a lot of people are in this situation where they are talking about the future – HDBs, having kids – but maybe one or even both partners are feeling so lonely, not communicating properly, or experiencing some kind of power struggle. People think that settling down or getting married will solve all their problems, but no! You're just adding more to the mix. Now you're lonely and you have a house. But that doesn't solve the fact that you're in a relationship where you feel insecure.
And that’s why people are drawn to your music, because like you said, you’re honest about your experiences.
Yeah, but it's true, though. Once you find love, you feel the need to hold on to it as hard as you can, because you don't know when the next one, or if the next one, will come. But I don't think that's how people should interact with love. It should be this thing that you hold in your hand, and if it goes, it goes, and if it stays, it stays...just don't [close the hand]. I know people are going through this and hearing, for example, you say that you relate makes me feel better about my existence. We're all going through this shit together.
We also heard that you wrote this album during the pandemic. What was that like?
I didn't write the album all during the pandemic. So, some songs are older than others but it was produced and recorded during this pandemic. That was initially very daunting to think about because anyone who's ever had to organise anything during the pandemic knows it's just a mess. We met on Zoom and tried to do everything remotely, but after two sessions of that, I was like, "I'm just going to buy a ticket, and I'm going to fly to Nashville and we're going to coop up together for 10 days and just knock it out."
So we did the 13 tracks in 20 days, and it was just one of the most magical experiences. Because it's not just about making music with people in person, it's that space that I was in. The studio that I recorded at was an hour and a half outside of Nashville, and it was situated next to a cemetery. There was no Wifi so you're really disconnected from the world, and it just gave me space to stop thinking about what other people think.
And being next to that cemetery just added more to the story. Where this little studio was situated was a little pathway that led to an open field, and there was a cool natural walkway down to this little creek and this one tree standing in the middle of the plain. Singapore doesn't have these retreats. That's why I hope I managed to encapsulate that bit of magic into the music, so when you listen to the album it brings you to a different space and it takes you out of Singapore and the monotony of this life, and it makes you feel like you get to pause for a moment.
Did that creek inspire the album art?
So, the album art is actually derived from the actual lake that I would visit with my ex. We would go up there once a year, and it was this beautiful lake up north of Michigan and we would stay in a little wooden cabin. You could rent a kayak and go kayaking – and again, sometimes I do wonder if I am sharing too much of my personal experiences. But I want people to relate because we all have that lake with this partner. We all have that place that we shared this magical moment where you connect and you're like, "Wow". It's not just you that is beautiful in this space, it's the whole experience. So, I wanted to share this lake with everybody. I'm not going to tell everybody where this lake is or what the name is, but that lake symbolises something for every relationship.
We all have that lake with this partner. We all have that place that we shared this magical moment where you connect.
Just curious, do you give your exes a heads-up before writing these songs?
I did! I actually did. I didn't tell him all of the things that I was going to expose – but it’s not really 'exposing', right? Because it's not like a shit-on-my-ex album. It's more like, what am I going to share? And he gave me his blessing, though I know that deep down he's not okay with it but also like, it’s for art…And also he knew what he was signing up for right, he literally dated a musician. I’m victim blaming right now, so bad. [laughs]
Oops. Okay, now you worked with a couple of people on the album, like Julia Gartha and NESS FRANCO. Can you tell us more about what it’s like working with them?
I'm going to list all of their names – Julia Gartha, NESS FRANCO, Ariyel, Emily Sangder, Ingrid Anderson – these are all amazing writers, amazing artists and amazing people. If you really know me, and you're my circle, you know that I have the privilege to choose to only work with people that I like, and all of these people have shared intimate moments with me and we've built really strong relationships to the point where we can wear our hearts on our sleeves to work on this music.
For example, Ariyel wrote the first three tracks on the album with me – dear, love letters and grow together – and she's one of my favourite writers because, well, all of them have something in common, which is that they're not afraid to admit when they're wrong. That's my favourite thing about listening to songs – when the artist or narrator can admit that they fucked up in the relationship, right? We all know songs where it's about "I hate my ex, they were toxic", but in most situations, it's way more grey. There are two villains and two heroes, two protagonists and two antagonists, and I think all of the writers that I got to work with understand that approach to songwriting, and that's why the duets with them are conversations. Love is never clean cut.
And then your Instagram is a mix of confessional, inspiration, and also laugh-out-loud moments. What kind of impact do you want to make through your platform?
It's so damn cheesy, but my answer is really just to be yourself. If you're an artist, you don't have to be so serious all the time. There's a lot of pressure to look like you know what you're doing, that you have it all under control, that every piece of music you put out is perfect and high-quality. But that's not life, right? Yes, I want to put out high-quality music, but at the same time, in my downtime, I have a quarter-life crisis and think about what the hell I am doing with my life. That's the kind of public figure I want to be – somebody who gets that you can be a CEO of a big company and still struggle with relationships, or have the best relationship but not know what you're doing with your career.
Nobody has it all under control, and if they do, they're lying. It's all going to crumble away soon. But yeah, that's the kind of image I want to put out. You can be successful and feel insecure at the same time – that's okay because that's how it is. As a human being, you have one of the best gifts in the world, which is to experience multiple things at the same time. And that's what I want to say.
I know you just said you don’t really know what the hell you're doing in life, but to wrap things up, what’s next for you?
Oh no! My manager is going to kill me for not promoting the next thing, but my answer is going to be that the next thing is whatever is happening tomorrow. And that's enough. I'm not going to worry too much about what's going to happen in five to 10 years. All I'm going to be is try to be more present and think about what's gonna happen tomorrow.
Oh, though I don't know if they've announced it yet, I'm playing Baybeats next month, November 4 – there you go. I'm so excited to play that show and Rene is going to be playing too, so yeah, that’s going to be fun.
