Rising independent artist Nolan Lewis is back with a new EP titled ‘Do your eyeballs ever feel warm?‘. This six-track project showcases Nolan’s diverse musical talents and represents his commitment to championing Black and queer artists in the industry.
Over the years, the American artist has been making waves with his infectious pop-rap sound. After gaining recognition from actress Beanie Feldstein, Nolan solidified his place in the music scene with the release of his previous album, PLASTIQUE (Deluxe), in December 2023. His remix of Nicki Minaj’s hit track “FTCU” further catapulted him into the spotlight, garnering over three million views on TikTok.
Following the release of his new EP, we caught up with Nolan Lewis to learn more about his artistry, influences, and challenges he had to overcome.
– What initially drew you to music, and when did you realize that you wanted to pursue it as a career?
This may seem really silly, but “California Gurls” by Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg was the song that
made me think “what is this, how do I do it forever, how do I make this my life?” It thrust me into the
consumption of pop culture, specifically musicians. While I have my studies today, music is my dream
job, and I know that I’m capable of achieving it, especially in this time where I’ve seen so many people
in my age group have that rise to stardom. Seeing people across generations enjoy my music is very
validating, and at this point I’m starting to feel like it’s only a matter of time.
– You hail from Los Angeles and are currently based in Bethesda and Middletown. Do you feel these
different locations influence your music and artistic style?
Not so much Bethesda because I recently moved there while I was in school and haven’t been home
a ton, but Los Angeles and Middletown have definitely influenced me. I grew up not too far from
Watts/Compton, and was constantly surrounded by rap and R&B, going back to its inception—I was
listening to The Sugarhill Gang a ton, but also Pharrell Williams and Queen Latifah. I’ve taken in all of
this aspect of Black culture, which has certainly influenced the music I listen to and tried to emulate
when I first started creating. Being at school in Middletown, everybody is a musician and there’s such
a wide variety of genre representation that I’ve learned to appreciate—not to say I never appreciated
them, but I’ve learned to love them more, and take what I see from others and apply it to myself,
which is how we get a project like “Do your eyeballs ever feel warm?” Being at school has also
allowed me to be freer in my queerness, which has crept into my music, performance, and costuming,
my “all of the above.”
– Your EP title, “Do your eyeballs ever feel warm?” is quite intriguing. What’s the story behind it and
how does it reflect the themes or emotions explored in the music?
The EP itself is a love letter to The Wesleyan Spirits, which is an a cappella group that I have been a
member of since my freshman year, they are some of my dearest friends. It’s a tenor-bass group, so
those tend to be pretty unhinged, and we’re all so silly. The title itself came from one of the members,
Drew—we were coming up with silly phases one day, which happened to be the day I decided I
wanted to make a short body of work about my experience on spring break. I asked another member,
Ryan, if he could pass me the notebook and I saw the phrase “Do your eyeballs ever feel warm?” and
knew that was it. Not only does it represent the whimsical nature of the group, when you cry, your
eyes can feel warm. Spring break is also a very emotional time for us—we’re saying goodbye to our
seniors and are getting to know and love each other, which brings out strong emotions that definitely
translated onto the latter half of the EP.
– What’s your favorite song from the EP and why?
It’s so hard to choose between my babies, but I think we all know I have to go with “Crisscross by
candlelight” because that is the purest representation of what this EP is all about. It’s inspired by a
tradition we have called confessions where we all sit “criss cross applesauce” by a candle, and we go
around through this emotional outpouring. On the surface, this is the largest gap between genres that
I’ve publicly released. I’m known for pop-rap, that was my quintessential style that gave me a viral
moment through my remix of “FTCU” by Nicki Minaj. To extend into a pop-country-orchestral, John
Mayer x Laufey ballad is something that nobody has seen from me, but that everybody liked.
– Your music blends various genres, including hip-hop/rap, electro-pop, country, bossa nova, and
psychedelic soul. What draws you to such a diverse range of musical styles and how do you
approach blending them seamlessly in your songs?
I’ve always been drawn to versatile artists like Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, and more recently, Doja Cat.
She kind of dominated my musical life once I discovered “NINTENDHOE”, I was also on the “Acapella” app at the same time as her, so she’s always been around. When she really took off in
2020, I was more all-in than I already was before. To see an artist like her who can rap and sing
across various sounds, live or in the studio, is something I try to emulate. My upbringing also exposed
me to diversity of music, I have a very widespread music taste as evidenced by my playlists. My
playlists can have Aretha Franklin and Charli XCX, I’m always taking in so much music across genres
and when I’m creating, it all comes out as musical word vomit.
– The EP was produced, written, and recorded in under a month, which is quite impressive. Can you
walk us through your creative process during that intense period, and how did you manage to capture the essence of your musical journey within such a short timeframe?
I was already in the mindset of working on another project, so my creative juices were already flowing
which I think helped to speedrun the process. Producing instrumentals is always easier for me, and I
already knew what I wanted each song to sound like, so I was able to streamline my work and those
were done pretty quickly. The writing took a second—I was on the train back to school in the last few
days of break and I finally finished, then I immediately got to recording when I was on campus.
Thankfully, I was still on break so I had no extra stressors and I had all the time in the world to simmer
and refine everything. I think it was easy to capture my journey and feelings about the Spirits because
my love for them comes so naturally, which was mainly captured in the latter half. The first half is
much more silly, and being around their energy so much has imprinted that onto me. Combined with
doing remixes all the time, I’ve really honed my songwriting ability. It’s easy to get out a verse that
doesn’t sound rushed.
– As an independent artist, what are some of the challenges you’ve faced in the music industry, and
how do you navigate them while staying true to your artistic vision and values?
As rewarding as it is, it’s really hard being your own manager, social media team, distributor, etc. My
biggest challenge is determination—it can be so easy to just decide I’m too tired to post something
one day, and the next day…and then the next day…and fall into that slump. But working up the
motivation to keep grinding comes from being the change I want to see in the industry and the world! I
want to be a champion for Black artists, queer artists, versatile artists, underground artists, the whole
nine yards.
– Looking ahead, what can fans expect from you in the future? Are there any upcoming projects or
collaborations you’re excited about, or new musical territories you’re eager to explore?
I have several features lined up for the summer (and perhaps fall depending on timing) with domestic
and international artists that I am so excited for everyone to hear. Also, expect some upcoming live
performances across Northeast America this fall, as well as a 2025 album drop!
More from Nolan Lewis: TikTok – Instagram – Twitter – Facebook – YouTube
