Written by Ben Province

Credit: Delaney Gibson Moon

Just as they have for many creative people over the decades, two of the artists who have inspired Lew Apollo are Bob Dylan and Prince.

They’re especially fitting because both are from the soulful singer’s home state of Minnesota, and they each have transcended genre. 

Surprising the listener by combining elements that subvert the audience’s expectations appears to be something Lew, who is set to release his first LP on Aug. 8, seems to try to put his own spin on.

While those legends, as well as Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, are his influences, he also counts more recent artists Arctic Monkeys, Leon Bridges and Hozier as inspirations.

His forthcoming debut album, “Fool’s Gold,” follows his first EP, 2023’s “JUNGLE,” which reached 150,000 streams in less than two months. 

Now living in Austin, Texas with his wife, fellow musician Mello Jaxn, Lew has sold out venues such as The Pershing and Antone’s Nightclub in the city’s famous music scene. 

Ben Province: Can you describe your process of fusing styles and influences that span different eras? 

Lew Apollo: I have always loved every genre of music, so I feel the meshing of styles is just natural. Specifically, I love the drums and backbeats of modern R&B and soul music, but the songwriting and melody hooks of ’60s and ’70s music, so I just combine what sounds best to my ears.

BP: With The Beatles’ music being a big part of your soundtrack growing up, I was wondering how they’ve influenced your approach to making music. 

LA: The Beatles have influenced every facet of my music and overall process. Writing a song the “old-fashioned” way on acoustic guitars like they did is the purest form of songwriting in my opinion. They found a way to strip back songs to their essence and always served the song in the production process. The Beatles approached songwriting as an egoless pursuit, which I agree with. They found a way to write quantity and quality songs and didn’t just record them live, they continued their songwriting through the studio production process.

BP: How has your openness about your mental health journey impacted the way you connect with an audience?

LA: Being open about my mental health and the struggles my family has faced through mental health has allowed me to connect with others by being such an open book about these subjects. I feel talking openly about these common struggles breaks the barriers and stigmas that so often are associated with depression and anxieties. 

BP: When you moved to Austin, how significantly did that impact your career? 

LA: I’ve always said Austin is an incubator of musical talent. I quickly was thrown into a large pond with much bigger fish around me. The first stage I found myself on in Austin was with some of Austin’s most legendary guitarists, which certainly was a wake-up call for me to dive into learning my instrument more fluently. If it wasn’t for moving to Austin, I would have never grown into the artist I am today.

BP: How did producing “Fool’s Gold” yourself add to the personal direction of the album? 

LA: The album came to life through its production. Producing the album myself was not a stubborn decision, but rather the necessary one for the direction and sound I was only hearing in my head. Before the songs were fully produced, I feel the songs were only around 60% written. Leaving the other 40% up to another producer for such personal songs was not something that ever crossed my mind. 

BP: Where does your recent single, “Diamonds And Gold,” rank among your favorite songs you’ve ever written? 

LA: “Diamonds And Gold” was a track that slowly grew into my favorites. I’d say it’s a top-three song I’ve written. “Diamonds And Gold” initially was a bluesy song I used to play in bands many years ago. It wasn’t until my wife and bandmate, Mello Jaxn encouraged me to rework the song for the album that I felt it was unlocked. I added a four-on-the-floor drumbeat to the song, and it quickly turned the song into one of my favorites.

Interview was conducted by email and has been edited.