Heartbreak, piano, growing pains, repeat. KK Lewis has re-emerged from a four-year silence with something quietly devastating. The Dublin artist who first caught ears back in 2021 returns with 'Pigeon Man'—a bare-bones ballad that captures the exact moment youth cracks open. No frills, no overthinking, just one voice, one piano, and the kind of honesty that stings.
Born from Ireland's indie underground with a string of festival slots under her belt, KK's always known how to find the tender spot. But this feels different. Tracked live in Drogheda with Sexy Tadhg and polished by the hands behind beabadoobee and Adele, 'Pigeon Man' strips everything back to the bone—a breakup in St. Stephen's Green, the confusion of your early twenties, and that weird man feeding pigeons who somehow witnessed it all.
So with the track now out in the world and more music on the horizon, we sat down with KK to talk about first heartbreaks, fiddle lessons in Clare, and why the best part of being a musician happens long before anyone hears the song.
What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
I actually grew up playing fiddle as a kid in Clare, that was my first introduction to music. But because I learned them in quite a structured way, it never really felt like mine. It was more of a chore than a love at that age.
It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I really fell in love with an instrument. I started teaching myself guitar on my own terms, and suddenly everything I’d learned from the fiddle clicked in a new way. The guitar became this space where I could express my emotions and figure out how I was feeling, and it opened the door to performing songs. So even though the fiddle came first, the guitar was the first instrument I truly fell in love with.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger
When I was younger, I listened to a real mix of everything. My dad played a lot of folk, Leonard Cohen was always on but he also used to secretly blast Eminem in the car every day. My mom, on the other hand, rotated between her Divas of Jazz CD and Amy Winehouse, so I grew up hearing all of that too. I remember those artists and those sounds so vividly.
But if I’m being honest, the slightly “uncool,” but very integral part of my musical upbringing was being a pop girly. As a teenager, I was absolutely obsessed with One Direction (a full on fangirl) and Katy Perry was another huge one for me.
What was the first album you remember owning?
The first album I remember owning was actually my mom’s, The Script’s self-titled album from around 2008. I can still picture the cover so vividly; I remember thinking it looked unbelievably cool. Even though it technically wasn’t mine to begin with, it became the first album I claimed as my own.
What is one song you wish you could have written yourself?
A song I wish I’d written is I Can’t Make You Love Me. Bonnie Raitt’s original, and the Bon Iver version too are just stunning. I think it’s one of the most beautifully written songs ever. The melody, the lyrics, the heartbreak in it… it brings me to tears every single time. It’s one of those songs that’s just so effortlessly brilliant, you just wish you’d been the one to write it.
Do you have any habits or rituals when writing new music?
When I’m writing, I have a couple of habits and rituals I always fall back on. I tend to look through old journals and poems a lot, not to dredge up emotions for the sake of it, but because when I find a melody I love, those old feelings often fit naturally into it. Lyrics are the part I can get really bogged down in, because I want them to be perfect. Revisiting things I’ve already written helps me stay in the flow instead of overthinking.
And honestly, a cup of tea. It sounds simple, but it sets the tone for me. Once I make the tea, it’s like okay we’re down to business now.
Who are your favourite artists at the moment?
Lately I’ve been obsessed with a few artists. I’ve been following Olivia Dean for years, honestly since she had about 5k followers and I’ve been in love with her songwriting and voice from the start. There’s such an effortlessness to what she does. She’s one of those rare pop songwriters where every single song is brilliant there are no duds. I just adore her.
I’ve also been listening to an artist called Jackie Evans a lot at the moment. She writes these soulful piano ballads that just slap she’s incredibly talented.
Paul Simon has also been on the rotation a lot, I’ve gone back to again recently. He’s just an extraordinary songwriter full stop.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
There are so many artists I’d love to open for, but the first that comes to mind is Olivia Dean i just think we would be the perfect duo???? Also Adele.. like that would be insane.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
For me, the most rewarding part is people connecting with my music. When someone messages me to say a song helped them, comforted them, or let them feel something they’d been holding back, it means everything. Even after gigs, when people come up and say a song hit something inside them that’s the part that makes it all worthwhile.
Hearing how others make their own personal meaning from something I wrote, whether it helps them cry, process emotions, or feel joy… that’s the goal. Being able to make someone feel something is the most rewarding part of what I do.
And what is the most frustrating part?
Honestly? Selling yourself. Being a musician sometimes feels like you’re doing constant self-promo, which is funny because most of us just want to hide in a corner and write songs. And of course, there’s the classic challenge of actually making enough money from it, the very unglamorous side of a very glamorous-looking job. It’s all part of the package, but definitely the part that tests you.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve received as a musician?
The best advice I’ve ever been given is to enjoy the process. We’re always rushing, rushing through recording, rushing to finish gigs, rushing to get the song out, when in reality the fun part is everything before the release. The planning, the creative proccess, the conceptualising… that’s where the magic is.
In my eyes, learning to enjoy the process is how you learn to enjoy being a musician, because truly, that’s 90% of it.
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Stream ‘Pigeon Man’ in the player below