Jun 26 2008 08:40 PM ET

Blake Lewis talks about split with Arista

“Leaving Arista is a positive,” Lewis tells EW.com about his recent split with the label. “The industry is eating itself and I’m not trying to eat off their plate.” Yesterday, the American Idol season 6 runner-up blogged about the news, and how he became aware of it, on his MySpace page, writing: “I was just wishing they would
have put the word out to me over the last couple months, because let’s
face it…. Waiting SUCKS!!!! Oh well. I guess the right
time was now. No biggy. I’m still with 19 Recordings and I got a tour
and new record on the way. Now all I need is a home for my music. Some place warm and tropical…”

Lewis is already hard at work on a follow-up to Audio Day Dream, which he’s co-producing with Seattle drum ‘n’ bass master KJ Sawka, a longtime friend and collaborator. On his way to an all-day drum session for the album, Lewis told EW.com the new music is like “Massive Attack meets Zero 7.” Meanwhile, there’s actually still life in ADD: The track “How Many Words” is currently number 39 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart.

Comments (40 total) Add your comment
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  • YoYo

    He never really caught my attention on AI.

  • jake

    Everyone should check out Blake Lewis’s HOW MANY WORDS. The best song on the CD. go to itunes now!

  • Why oh why

    Blake who? Another Idol back to obscurity. Next: Syesha Whateverado.

  • WTF?

    OMG next thing you know he’ll be posing for Maxim.

  • garth

    Yep, he’s no David Cook. Hell, he’s not even Jason Yerger. But he does have a future sewing his own old man pants.

  • elly

    on the plus side, being familiar with zero 7 demonstrates a genuine knowledge of the kind of music he wants to make.

  • Kate

    Too bad that the label is impatient with new artists and expects huge profits right away. I loved Blake’s 1st album, one of my favorites of recent artists, and waiting for a follow up. Best of luck to him in his future projects. I have no doubt we will hear more from him. He is 100 % dedicated to his music.

  • Owen

    Hey, you have to remember that Blake Lewis set the stage for this year’s crop of Idols. He was an “artist” who didn’t play the old Idol karaoke game. He experimented. Without Blake Lewis there would not have been a David Cook.

  • R&B

    Blake is very creative and offered something different. There are plenty of solid independent labels that would pick him up.

  • R&B

    Blake is very creative and offered something different. There are plenty of solid independent labels that would pick him up.

  • Cathy O’Connor

    Not too worried about Blake. He’s a worker, a creator, a performer. I’ll always be a fan and buy whatever he sells. he is multi-talented. Sometimes I think these record companies are to selfish to help sell an individual. They could have done a lot more to help promote Blake, but whatever. Like i said, “He’ll be just fine”.

  • Butet

    I am actually happy that he is off Arista. I liked his more electro/hip-hop/jazz music better, it was so much more organic. I loved the A.D.D album but it was way to pop for me and even then the album wasn’t mainstream pop which I believe Arista needed from him. I think though the album might have been more promising if they had released Know My Name as the first single. But who knows. I am just stoked for a follow up album which has more electronic roots.
    GO BLAKEY!

  • Butet

    And I agree with Owen, with out Blake pushing boundaries and pissing off Bon Jovi with ‘You Give Love a Bad Name” and doing his own thing on American Idol, there would have been no David Cook or that type of risk on that show.

  • OATMEAL WITH A SIDE OF BLAND

    I think he’s an arrogant asphole. He needs some humility.

  • lilman07

    Face It Blake fans he is not going to go anywhere. Maybe and i do mean maybe if it was 20yrs. ago when beat boxing was popular he might do well but it is old and deffenately doesn’t
    appeal to hip-hop are R&B so what is left???

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