‘American Idol’ Winner Lee DeWyze Dives Into His Dark Past With New Single ‘Devil in The Details’
Lee DeWyze, known for his American Idol win and successful music career, sought a new creative direction for his latest project. Despite California’s significant role in his life—where he not only won American Idol but also recorded several albums and married his wife, Jonna Walsh—DeWyze felt a need for a fresh start.
“I knew I needed to do something different,” DeWyze reveals in an interview. He decided to move away from his usual environment and head to Virginia. “I’ve made my last few records here, so I went to Classic Recording Studios in Bristol, Virginia, with two songs, rented a house, and wrote the rest of the record in two and a half months.”
Also Read: Joey King Stars in New Dystopian Thriller ‘Uglies’
It was in this new setting that DeWyze created his most emotionally raw work to date. “I just let it fly,” he says, reflecting on his songwriting journey, which includes contributions to over 70 films and TV shows, such as ‘The Walking Dead’. “I just wanted to write from a very honest, vulnerable, real place. And I did.”
This authenticity shines through in his new single, ‘Devil in the Details’, which will be featured on his upcoming folk album, ‘Gone for Days’. “Sometimes, as a writer, there are just things you know you are not going to write about,” DeWyze explains. “But over time, you end up facing the things that you try to avoid. You end up becoming friends with those things, and you find that rather than hiding from them, you sit at a table and have coffee with them.”
DeWyze’s openness led him to explore themes that many shy away from. “I really allowed myself to dive into some of those things that I think a lot of people are afraid to talk about,” he notes. “The thing I like about this song is that it touches on the experience of what it feels like to not know all the answers.” The single features contributions from Barry Bales of Union Station. The music video for ‘Devil in the Details’, premiering exclusively, was another emotional endeavour for DeWyze.
He brought his concept to video director Sarah Wilson Thacker, known for her ability to turn dark themes into something beautiful. “Working on this video was the most emotionally provoking experience I’ve ever had, outside of making records and performing,” DeWyze shares. “I’ve never felt so connected to something that I was in. It was very me, from the colour choices to these little bits of choreography to the set. The music video felt heavy, but we all walked away just so proud of it.”
-Sushmita Sarkar
