1 Rue d’anjou – A conversation between Lorenzo Sutto Lewis and Noa Fischer 

L.S Lewis’ new single, 1 Rue d’anjou, unfolds with a restrained confidence, balancing clarity of structure with a subtle experimental edge. Its production is marked by a layering of deliberate instrumentation set against more atmospheric elements that give the song depth without overwhelming its core. L.S Lewis traded his more normative “cool guy” performing suit uniform for something far more composed, emotive and intentional. Brave. With the support of Mark Ceiling playing the piano, and Jacopo Corbari on the drums, there is a precision in the pacing, allowing moments to breathe while maintaining a steady emotional throughline. What emerges is a composition that feels both controlled and immersive, drawing the listener in through its understated intensity.

Recalling the hushed intimacy of Elliott Smith, but with a sleeker, more self-possessed edge, and the textured restraint of one James Blake. The production walks a fine line between precision and looseness, letting certain moments fray at the edges while the core stays constant. It’s controlled but not cold; intimate, but not confessional.

NOA FISCHER: Hey Lorenzo!

LORENZO SUTTO LEWIS: Ciao Bella!

NF: I came to see you and your band European Vampire last night at Lost in London… Tell me everything: how was that for you?

LSL: I love being in London, especially lately, because we get to stay with Angus’ parents, with his mom and stepfather in Teddington. They have a wonderful place. We sleep in this huge bed. It’s all white and comfortable and clean and smells like soap. When we got to the venue, we went straight into soundcheck. At first, we thought we were going to play on stage, but the stage was filled with all these tall tables.

NF: You were up on the… I don’t even know what to call that. Above the tables on the ramp.

LSL: Yeah, we were on the ramp on top of the stage. It looked straight out of Goodfellas—the scene where they walk from the kitchen into the bar. Because we were about to climb six meters above the ground, they wouldn’t let us drink.

NF: They didn’t let you drink?

LSL: No, they didn’t.

NF: (laughs) That is hilarious.

LSL: For health and safety. Yeah. When we got to the stage, the club was packed. We climbed the ladder, I saw you, hugged you, and then we were performing upstairs completely sober. I was in a sort of trance because from above, I couldn’t see anyone. I didn’t know if the club was empty, or if the crowd was having fun. We played for an hour and forty-five minutes, which is a lot.

NF: What was that initial adrenaline like? When you get on stage, is the beginning the most nerve-wracking and exciting? Does your energy subside, or does it last? How comfortable do you get as the show goes on?

LSL: Because I’ve been doing this forever, I’m used to the adrenaline rush. You need that kick to get you going. But it’s hard to describe. I don’t remember any of my performances. I’m just there, trying to sing.

NF: That’s crazy. But I guess that’s the best way—to give yourself over to it. The energy of the crowd carries you, and to you it’s all a blur.

LSL: Completely. All my gestures, dances—it’s part of me because I’ve been performing in this band for four or five years. But it wasn’t part of me at the beginning. In the beginning, it was a gimmick. I wanted a different persona on stage because I wanted to talk about fashion in a way I never could with rock music or my previous band. So I created this persona with a suit and tie, slicked-back hair, and I paid my model friends to be onstage with me. I know we have a good figure on stage, that we’re good-looking, that there’s a sexual aspect to it. That’s part of everything nowadays. But I’d rather play in the dark and let people immerse themselves in the music.

NF: How does that translate into everyday interactions? Since you focus on communicating to a whole crowd, how do you then sit down one-to-one for a coffee with friends? Does everything become performative, or can you separate the two?

LSL: It’s very hard. Very, very fucking hard.

NF: Yeah?

LSL: It takes a toll on my mental health. That’s also why I’m doing this solo project—I don’t want people to think I’m just that persona. You have so many interactions daily. I have three flights a week. People will see whatever they want to see in you. They want to see that Casanova persona. But I’m actually… I don’t know if “normal” is the word. That image is only part of me. It came from my life at some point, sure, but I’d rather talk about other things. On stage, it works—you can liberate that energy. You become self-aware of the effect you have. You can bend the dance floor into your shape and make people dance to your beat. But it’s not good for everyday life. People see you on stage and want to talk to you, get your input. And because we’re not superstars yet, they can. But offstage, you don’t want to talk about being onstage. I want to be intimate again—with my guitar, with a band, with a different kind of music. I don’t want to think about crowd-pleasers or making people dance. I love making people dance, but I also want them to listen and feel something different.

NF: So the solo project is more intimate, introspective?

LSL: My solo project is my way of saying, “This is what happened, and this is how I feel,” in the most intimate, soft, honest, discreet way. There’s still some persona—an idealized way of seeing things. That’s where the song Idealize comes from: “Idealize yourself, we’ll make it to the draft, kid.”

NF: Is it going to be visually different from EV as well?

LSL: Yes. I like the idea of having white instruments on the stage, a white guitar, dressed in black. This would focus the eye on the instruments, which are the most important part. I like the idea of doing something pure. No perfect direction. I used to do mood boards for my previous bands with what we should do and wear. With this, I want it to be more organic and natural. The music should speak—as loud as it can. The whole concept strips down any kind of stylized idea of an artist.

NF: What about the sound?

LSL: This project is much more intimate and intuitive. The voice will sound like a soft speech with a beloved friend or a lover. As for the production, it is always a compromise between what you want to do and what you end up needing to do. The goal is to become completely autonomous and be as raw as possible. Like Kurt Cobain’s home recordings: you work with what you have at your disposal. I feel excited about the potential of reaching people on social media, too. Connecting with so many people just by hitting record.

NF: In your song You Won’t Need a Gun to Sleep Tonight, you say, “It’s hard not to fall in love.” Do you think it is?

LSL: Yeah. It’s fucking hard to fall in love.

NF: Harder to fall in love or stay in love?

LSL: I guess it’s harder to fall in love after you’ve experienced it once; it’s hard to trust again sometimes with the same amount of enthusiasm. But I think that’s something that’s part of growing up.

NF: Do you think we learn from our mistakes?

LSL: No. But that’s because they’re mistakes—if you see them that way. If you see them as part of the journey, then you don’t have to “learn”. It’s just part of life’s path. Still, I wish I had learned. I fall into the cyclical side of life so often, I’m like, “Am I stupid? Am I dumb? Am I doomed?”

NF: Do you hold grudges?

LSL: Yeah—towards myself, mostly. Because I don’t learn. I’ll be crying and thinking, “Lorenzo, you knew this would happen. So why are you surprised?” And I hold grudges against people too, sometimes for days. It’s toxic, but it’s part of me. I’d rather be uplifted than full of negativity, but we’re human—we hold grudges.

NF: Do you think you’ve changed a lot, or stayed the same?

LSL: I wish I hadn’t changed so much from the pure way I used to see the world. I had a good childhood and loving parents—but outside, in school, I was bullied and broken down. Still, I had the chance to be completely myself. I wore skinny jeans before anyone else did, women’s clothes, blazers; I listened to whatever I wanted. And I did that without Instagram, without trying to get laid, without performing. I did it because I felt it. I’ve lost some of that purity and clarity now. I’ve become cynical—even though part of me still isn’t.

NF: Are you religious?

LSL: Yeah. I have a weird relationship with God—or whatever is above us—but I do pray to something. Some kind of energy that could be seen as a Catholic God. I hold faith accountable for some of my decisions. I see recurring energies in my life that feel like… destiny.

NF: And do you believe in talent?

LSL: Yes. Completely. I think it’s the strongest energy a creative can have. But there’s always this battle path between having talent and being able to turn it into any kind of recognition because you need commitment. You need effort. You need to put your head and your work into it—not just your heart. And it takes time.

NF: Do you think anyone can be a great artist?

LSL: No. It takes noes, and it takes pain, and it takes suffering. It takes a lot of love and loss. And you can lose yourself on that path—on that road to success. But talent… you can just see it. It’s something that glitters in someone’s eyes when they talk. I think I have it. I think you do too.

NF: Ditto.

LSL: I mean, there are so many people in this industry who fake talent for recognition. Because they’re recognized as something, they start to believe they are that something—but they’re not. And I don’t like it.

NF: Who are your biggest influences?

LSL: For the majority of the songs I wrote on that EP… I had just discovered Roberto Bolaño—The Savage Detectives—which is now one of my all-time favourite books. And I started reading Raymond Carver, Cathedral. A collection my ex-girlfriend (laughs) recommended to me.

NF: Great pick.

LSL: It’s gorgeous. The way he talks about normal life—plainly, simply—but in the cracks between the phrases, you get exactly the feeling he wants you to feel. It’s incredible. It’s like you’re there. And then I started reading in Italian again: Dino Buzzati, Un Amore.

NF: Completely right.

LSL: More big influences on me are Sun Kil Moon, Nick Drake, The Dandy Warhols, Leonard Cohen… Joni Mitchell. Going back to Virginia Woolf and Joan Didion—I think Joni Mitchell is directly connected to them.

NF: Do you feel the need to document your existence? To leave something behind? Do you think about legacy?

LSL: I put furniture inside my headspace for nostalgia—my bed, my nightstand, my closet, my guitar… my library. I think about my dead grandparents so often that it feels like they’re still here. And with that said, I don’t need anything else. I need my music and my writing to sustain myself and get through life in a way that lets me keep making this kind of work.

NF: Mhm.

LSL: I don’t have a message. I don’t want to save the world. I believe creativity and inspiration are above us. You’re writing for a reason you can’t fathom. It’s just entropy, energy, chaos. I’m glad that we, as humans, found a way to express those emotions. Otherwise, what the fuck are we doing?

NF: I loved when you said, “I do it for myself, and if somebody gets it, they get it.” What’s the most attractive thing someone can do for you?

LSL: I don’t like it when someone tries to impress me. I hate it. I like to be surprised.

NF: So you like to be surprised?

LSL: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m a child. A big, big child.

NF: That curiosity is beautiful. And with that, my final question. What’s the point?

LSL: Fuck. Yeah, that’s a good question. I guess the point is… stability, simplicity, love. You want to get there. You want good food, success, entertainment. And also love. My god—that’s the point. Love.

NF: Love.

LSL: Love, love, love. Not death, not drugs, not violence… not fashion. Fuck fashion. Not glamour, not decadence. Love is the fucking point. Holding someone and feeling like you’re at home—even when it’s raining and you’re eating a kebab at five in the morning.

NF: The most important thing: love.

LSL: Yeah.

NF: You should watch That Most Important Thing: Love.

LSL: I will—on my holiday.

NF: Let me know what you think.

LSL: Thank you so much. This was such a balm for my spirit.

NF: Lots of love, darling.