It’s likely that you may have heard of Lewis Blissett already, you may even be one of his 1.3 million instagram followers. If you haven’t, here’s the lowdown. Over the last six months, Blissett has shot to stardom, though it’s by no means come from nowhere. In 2017, he ventured onto The Voice Kids and made it to the semi-final. Then, in September 2018 his cover of Ariana Grande’s ‘no tears left to cry’ went viral. He can now even count Ariana Grande as a fan, along with Sia and other influential names. He covered Billie Eilish’s ‘idontwannabeyouanymore’ in late October 2018, and Eilish also shared this with her followers., and the video has now wracked up over 10 million views. No doubt his rise to fame is deserved, but having struck a chord (pun intended) with so many celebrities in the industry has given him more than a leg-up.
This week saw Blissett release his debut single ‘Sick Thoughts’ at the age of just 15. The English singer has a worldwide audience thanks to his YouTube covers of celebrities such as Rihanna and Billie Eilish, all from his home in Swindon. The single has all the hallmarks of a chart song (make of that what you will) though it isn’t by any means vapid. My initial thought was that it was Eilish-esque, and this sort of grungy-but-mainstream pop seems to be connecting with a lot of people. ‘Sick Thoughts’ is about Blissett’s fight against people who haven’t exactly supported his rise to fame, particularly those online. He sings, “That’s why I’ve got these sick thoughts, […] look what you’ve caused, you’ve got ’em too”.
The scribblings seen on the album artwork are more than likely, sadly, things that have been said to the 15 year old. The song reflects the current rise in conversation surrounding mental health. Some may say it’s a bold step for such a young person, though to me it’s calling attention to the fact that young people (there have been numerous comments about Billie Eilish’s lyrics seeming beyond her years) are most definitely in this conversation, and clearly have something to say. We should listen.
In quite a feat, Blissett recently supported Charli XCX at her sold-out Village Underground show in London,. No doubt we’ll see some headline shows in the not-so-distant future.
BUSK MUSIC 