Video by Anna Laquintano and Ryan Brong
Singer/songwriter Lee DeWyze, 31, closed out CAP Board’s EPIC Week with a concert performance on Cabrini’s campus.
The former ‘American Idol’ winner, kicked off the event with a radio interview by Cabrini’s own Cavalier Radio where he recorded a few of his own tracks before his performance on the Commons later that night. You could tell he was excited and ready to go for the nightcap.
“When I found out it was an outdoor show, it’s something about playing at night that’s just nice,” DeWyze said. “Just getting to meet people like you guys and just hangout and play songs and just chill, it’s just like fun.”
The Chicago-native DeWyze began his musical journey at a young age. Heavily influenced by Simon and Garfunkel and Cat Stevens, DeWyze fell in love with the way the two groups used their music to tell a story. “I remember [my dad] playing those records and me reading the lyrics to those songs on the back and realizing that they get to write stories and sing for, like, their job?”
DeWyze’s first musical endeavors had him sitting behind the drum set. While he loved playing the drums and the piano, DeWyze found a deep passion for the guitar and vocals. When he was 12 years old, he began to teach himself guitar by reading a few ‘teach yourself Beatles songs’ books that his dad had. After he learned the songs on guitar, he would begin writing lyrics to them, which he did not know he could not actually do until his father told him.
In 2009, DeWyze auditioned to be on ‘American Idol’ and eventually went on to win in the shows ninth season. “American Idol in itself was definitely the most amazing experience,” DeWyze said. “It’s unlike anything else.”
DeWyze was a bit apprehensive to audition for Idol at first, but once he did, he did not regret it, even considering how different it was. In the eight months from the show’s premier till its end, DeWyze went from playing shows at local Chicago bars to playing on shows like Jimmy Fallon and Larry King Live.
The one thing that DeWyze was adamant about is how he wants to be remembered in the Idol community. “I am a songwriter that won ‘American Idol’, not an ‘American Idol’ winner who became a songwriter,” DeWyze said.
DeWyze has proved that over the years. He released his first album in 2007 and has released five albums since, with a new album in the works that should be out by the end of 2017.
“Since ‘American Idol’, I’ve spent the last few years really steering the ship towards the direction it’s in now, which is songwriting and performing,” DeWyze said. “For me, that’s what I want my story to be when it’s all said and done”
On top of his six–soon to be seven–albums, DeWyze has shown his strong songwriting capabilities in other places, too. He has written songs for multiple TV shows including ‘The Walking Dead,’ ‘Elementary,’ ‘Suits’ and ‘The Fosters and Bull.’ “We had a lot of my songs [in different shows] and I think that’s because a lot of my songs really cater to emotion,” DeWyze said.
But as much as he loved his experience writing the songs for the TV shows, DeWyze still thinks there is nothing better than playing a live show, even if being on the road is not always easy. “What I love most about the road is getting to see the fans,” DeWyze said. “You could have 10 hours of travel and two hours of sleep and you’re starving but everything kind of goes away when you’re on stage and you get to play.”
To check out more about artist Lee DeWyze, go to his website: http://leedewyzeofficial.com/ or check him out on social media.
Video by Anna Laquintano and Ryan Brong
