Dean Lewis broke through in 2018 with his emotional hit “Be Alright,” and now he’s got another hit on his hands with “How Do I Say Goodbye,” which he wrote after his father was diagnosed with cancer. Dean says he thinks the song is resonating with people for the same reason “Be Alright” did.
“It’s funny that the songs that have connected to me in the past have always been the ones that are the most genuine … that say something that’s deep that I’m going through,” the Australian singer/songwriter tells ABC Audio. “[The songs] that are not so much, just, ‘I love you, I miss you’ … they’d say something in them that is a universal thing, but is personal, that I didn’t intend to be universal.”
“So I guess it makes sense that ‘How Do I Say Goodbye’ would be that because it was so genuine and so real to me,” he adds. “And I think it’s just when you do that, it tends to connect.”
And while Dean’s dad is now in remission, many fans experiencing illness in their families haven’t been so lucky. That’s one reason the song has blown up on TikTok.
“There’s been so many emotional TikToks,” Dean says. “People telling their stories about their family members who have passed away and using the songs is very special. So many people have done that — used the song to just tell the story about someone that they love and miss.”
Dean has been responding to fans who reach out to share their stories. After a fan reached out to tell him about her mom being diagnosed with cancer, he posted a video of himself serenading her and her mom — who’s now in remission — backstage.
Dean will tour the U.S. this September.
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