Next Wave #1203: Tyler Lewis

From competing on a BBC talent show to being the first artist signed to MNEK’s MuzoByUzo label, it’s been a whirlwind few years for Tyler Lewis. The 23-year-old West Londoner, who has a knack for crafting narrative-driven, pop-RnB hybrids, ended last year on a high, performing at one of Mahalia’s RnB tastemaker showcases. “At first, I hated live shows because they made me so anxious,” she explains. “But doing shows like this has completely changed my outlook. Now, I look forward to that feeling you get when you come off the stage after performing.” 

Having been discovered by BBC scouts on social media and invited to audition for Little Mix: The Search, Lewis rapidly became a fan favourite when she made it through to the live shows. It’s an experience she says readied her for the cogs that drive a cut-throat industry. “I was thrown in the deep end,” Lewis says. “But I feel like it’s a breeze now. I’ve done the hardest part of fighting and competing.” 

After meeting MNEK on The Search, the pair began working on music together organically. Fast forward to now and Lewis has unveiled her debut EP, ‘wait ‘til she gets her heart broken’, a release that feels cathartic after a lengthy build-up. “With your first project it takes a while to get to a place of being open and vulnerable. But I got there. Now, it feels like being an artist is no longer just a hobby but actually my job.”

The EP features lead single ‘under the rug’, a glossy throwback number detailing a friend’s experience in a relationship. “One of my friends mentally checked out in a relationship. It took me time to grasp it, but I could relate because I’m a bit of a people pleaser myself. Sometimes, I’ll not say something to keep the peace,” she says. 

Lewis experienced what she describes as her “first full circle moment”, supporting Leigh-Anne Pinnock at her Lafayette headline show. She reflects on the joy of having gone from being a young girl on Little Mix: The Search who “didn’t even know who I was”, to supporting a pop powerhouse. In a creatively fruitful phase of her career, Tyler is excited to build on those foundations,

“I want to put out another project. I’d love to release a Christmas song, and I’d like to carry on with tour support and festivals,” she says. “It will be nice to look back in a year’s time and see that I’ve developed and grown.” 

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