Lewis Canner is a 20-year-old acoustic pop, singer songwriter from Retford. After headlining The Platform, Lincoln, his success has only just begun. Canner has been performing in pubs from the age of 11 while he was in a band with his brothers. He decided to go solo after his 18th birthday.
His urge to start performing solo came after going to an Ed Sheeran concert, he said: “My friend had a free ticket to go see Ed Sheeran. He had a few support acts, but it was Passenger that I really liked it. No one knew who he was, but everyone was screaming before he had even started singing. It was that moment that I thought, why can’t that be me? After the concert, I went home and ordered an acoustic guitar and started singing solo just after my 18th birthday.”
Lewis played a mix of old and new music at his peformance at The Platform. He said: “I find it quite crazy that I have an EP out, and that I have enough music for another one. It’s great to now be able to play a mix of old and new music.”
When I asked Lewis about what the highlight of his career was, he couldn’t choose between two. “My busking tour last year was great. It was freezing cold, but I got to meet people who had liked my music from YouTube and had seen me on Twitter.
“Supporting Amber Run in The Platform was also an incredible experience. I was really grateful for them giving me the opportunity. I actually performed a cover of theirs at my Platform gig as a thank you.”
Looking at 2016, Lewis wants to keep doing as many gigs as possible. He said: “Building a bigger fan base would be good. I’m not that big at the moment, and I want to just keep performing. I have a lot of goals, but I keep hitting them and want more. I am my own worst critic. I just want to surprise myself with how much I have done.”
When asked what his advice would be for others wanting to start performing he was incredibly humble: “At this stage I don’t think I can give people advice. It would be like me telling Shakira what to do. But just make sure you say yes to everything. When you start out, funding is not good but just keep going. Performing at The Platform was my first milestone, and I just want to keep going.”
After speaking to Lewis and listening to his music I can tell that he is an extremely dedicated and talented artist. He is someone that everyone should keep an eye out, as I see big things for the 20 year old.