BANGALORE: If music can heal, then there is no one who believes it better than Jayce Lewis. For, the story of the singer is the story of an autistic boy whose leap of faith lead him to his calling.
When he performs in Bangalore on Friday, he will not only be taking with him a truck full of lyrical wonders, but also an account of how a little boy overcame obstacles to reach that point of popularity.
“I was autistic,” he confides, sans any awkwardness. “I couldn’t grasp things well in school. And because of that, I was bullied a lot,” says the Welsh musician. At four, doctors suggested music therapy as a possible way of tiding over his difficulties.
Seeing light at the end of the tunnel, his father, soon bought him a little guitar. And that’s when he fell in love with music. Thus, Jayce Lewis started his musical career at the age of six as a guitarist, after taking to the instrument with the swiftness of the wind. “Out of the negative, comes something positive,” he says. He not only defeated autism but also found his new life.
Now signed to EMI India for a five album deal, Lewis’ musical expedition into the commercial world began as a drummer for Losing Sun, an electronica/experimental/metal band from South Wales, UK. Being a fan of dance and tribal music, and following it keenly, he had an innate inclination towards rhythm. Nevertheless, Jayce did not start drumming until some years later, at the age of 19, and the turning point came when Jayce was asked to replace a drummer for the band he was the guitarist for.
The band went separate ways in February 2009. But being with them, changed his life, he says. “Everyone was amazed by the band. Being with them taught me a lot. People loved our sounds. Unfortunately it ended when we split,” he recalls. But, in just a few months, his debut single, Icon, surprised his fans more than anything else. Garnering rave reviews from MTV and VH-1 in the East Asia markets, it can only be rightly said that he is unmistakably riding on a musical high. But that doesn’t give the upcoming star any ostentatious airs. “I don’t call myself a rock star. I love what I am doing and that’s why I’m doing it,” he says.
His new single, Icon is a motley bunch of good sounds — solid drumbased rhythms with plenty of guitar, overlapping good catchy vocals.
Jayce is also working on his new album titled, Chapter, and he is keen on breaking open a repertoire of sounds he grew up listening to, in this album. After all, his musical endeavors began at the age of six when he was greatly influenced by Queen, Duran Duran, Aha, Sepultura and the likes.
In his second trip to India (the first one to Bangalore), he hopes to strike a chord with the rock hub of the country.
“All I’ve been told is that the people in Bangalore rock harder than in any other place. India as a nation is very creative. Maybe I should come here and settle down,” he says. He then adds, “Shilpa Shetty opened up India to the UK. I was supposed to meet her once in the UK. But just before that, I was flown to Germany for a concert.” He then quips, “Maybe I could meet her when I come to India this time.” Catch Jayce Lewis, live, The Hard Rock Café on October 23 as part of his VH1 tour.
elizabeth@epmltd.com