Australian-born adult alternative singer/songwriter Dean Lewis pens yearning, emotionally vulnerable tunes in the vein of contemporaries such as Jamie Lawson, Ed Sheeran, and Lewis Capaldi. Emerging in the late 2010s, he had his first taste of international success with the multi-platinum-selling, multi-billion-streaming single "Be Alright," which was included on his official full-length debut, 2019's A Place We Knew. Lewis' 2022 follow-up album, The Hardest Love, was another success, reaching number four in Australia and spawning the heartfelt global hit single "How Do I Say Goodbye." Collaborations with Julia Michaels and Ruth B followed, as did solo singles like 2024's "The Last Bit of Us."

The Sydney-bred Lewis taught himself guitar growing up, playing along to his favorite Oasis songs and writing his own compositions, slowly amassing a small arsenal of original material. He remained largely outside the public eye for some time, quietly writing over 80 original songs before eventually releasing his first proper single, "Waves," in 2016. The song was a huge hit in Australia and was certified platinum within a year of its release. Lewis followed it with "Need You Now" in early 2017, and in May of that year issued a debut EP titled Same Kind of Different. The moody and evocative pop tones of the EP included "Waves" and "Need You Now," as well as four additional tracks in a similar dark yet melodic style.

The wistful single "Be Alright" appeared in 2018, with the nostalgic "7 Minutes" following in early 2019. "Be Alright" became an international hit, surpassing a billion streams by the time Lewis' debut album, A Place We Knew, arrived that March. The set reached number 31 on the Billboard 200 and took home the Album of the Year, Best Male Artist, and Song of the Year awards at the 2019 ARIAs.

In 2021, he issued the inward-looking "Falling Up" and the pulsating "Looks Like Me," the latter of which served as the lead single from his forthcoming sophomore LP. Lewis shared more music in 2022 as the album's release grew closer, issuing the single "Hurtless" in March of that year. The song was accompanied by a video starring Irish actors Frank Blake and Stephanie Dufresne, and within a month of its release it had already been streamed over ten million times. All of this led up to the September 2022 release of the full-length The Hardest Love, which debuted at number four in Australia. The album's third single, "How Do I Say Goodbye," was written for Lewis' father who had been diagnosed with cancer. The poignant track became a global hit and went double platinum at home. In 2023, Lewis collaborated with American singer Julia Michaels on the hopeful anthem "In a Perfect World." Following the release of his own single, the ballad "Trust Me Mate," he teamed up with Canadian singer/songwriter Ruth B on the song "28." Lewis remained in ballad mode on the 2024 singles "Memories" and "The Last Bit of Us." ~ Fred Thomas