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Jun 22, 2023 By Kat Ramkumar

When pop meets psych rock, you get “Highway,” the latest song by French musician Lewis OfMan featuring Los Angeles-based Empress Of (aka Lorely Rodriguez). The song, which was released today via Virgin France/Profil De Face, features exuberant Latin guitars and percussion, melded with guitar solos and Empress Of’s smooth vocals in a sunny video shot by Ecoute Chérie. Lewis OfMan also has a handful of summer tour dates. Check out the video, followed by upcoming tour dates below.

Of the song, Lewis OfMan says in a press release: “‘Highway’ is a fresh shower, when you are getting ready to leave the house on a sunny day—it’s also a fresh shower for me as I’m getting into a new style. The track was started in Greece during a reset break from love and from being on the road… getting back to myself. I was listening to a lot of ’70s Brazilian music, Jorge Ben, Quarteto Em Cy, etc. but also went back to the music I was listening to as a teenager, all this psychedelic rock, that is why you hear this fuzzy phaser guitar sound. I also played the drums on it, my first instrument, so it’s new but at the same time I’m coming back to my musical roots. Then I met Empress Of in Los Angeles and the morning before going to the studio I was walking to pick up my wallet I forgot and on the way I listened to this demo I had and thought ‘this would be the perfect song to do with her.’ The vibes were so easy, we wrote and recorded her voice in a few hours, I was so impressed by her tone—she’s one of the most talented singers I’ve ever met.”

On working with Lewis OfMan, Empress Of says: “Lewis is a whirlwind artist and this song is nothing short of fantastic. He has such a clear vision of what he wanted to make with this song and played so many beautiful Brazilian references to me in the studio. Watching him in the studio is like watching lightning. Jumping from synth to synth, wearing sunglasses inside. A real renaissance guy.”

“Highway” shows Lewis taking a different direction with his music, taking a step back from synth-driven dance sounds to more heavy psychedelic sounds. It’s visually evidenced in the music video as well. The video’s directors say: “Amidst flashbacks and the present, we witness the search for an unknown love, its story and magnitude shrouded. In Californian settings, imagination intertwines with reality, evoking a mysterious connection. Swift shots, mostly in cars, like fleeting thoughts and memories, revolve around a lost or rediscovered passion.”

Lewis OfMan tour dates:

June 23: Solidays, Paris (France)
June 24: Le Bikini, Ramonville (France)
July 2nd : Au Large Festival, Marseille (France)
July 7th : Musilac Festival, Aix-Les-Bains (France)
July 13th : Pete The Monkey Festival - Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer (France) July 15th: Les Vieilles Charrues, Carhaix (France)
July 18th: Paleo Festival, Nyon (Switzerland)

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