Lewis Capaldi on musical inspiration from friends Sam Fender and Grian Chatten

Lewis Capaldi has opened up about his friendship with Sam Fender  and  Fontaines D.C.  frontman  Grian Chatten .

- READ MORE: Lewis Capaldi – ‘Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent’ review: overwrought and frustrating

The Scottish singer-songwriter  returned in November last year with an EP, ‘Survive’ , marking his first new music since his 2023 album ‘ Broken By Desire to Be Heavenly Sent ‘.

Now, he’s opened up about how his relationship with Fender and Chatten helped inspire him when getting back in the studio.

In a new interview with Billboard , Capaldi said that the trio – who all live near each other in north London – send each other new music recommendations, which have included NME 100 artist Bleech 9:3 , as well as Aaron Rowe and Jacob Alon .

He also explained how attending the 2025 Mercury Prize Ceremony , where both Fender and Chatten were nominated (with Fender ultimately winning for ‘People Watching’ ), motivated him to take more creative risks.

> @spamfender This clip has me creasing #samfender #fontainesdc #lewiscapaldi ♬ Hello – Adele

“[Fender and Chatten] talk about music as art – and I know this sounds fucking mental coming from someone who is also a musician – but they really fucking care about everything they’re putting out,” Capaldi told the publication.

“It is so inspiring. What they have instilled in me is to really take time [in the studio], and start properly giving a fuck about what I’m saying and what the songs sound like.”

The group also jokingly refer to themselves as “The Syndicate”, and last summer  were spotted hanging out together in Mayo, Ireland , and even went on a 90-minute cruise together along the Galway-Mayo border.

In other news, Capaldi is topping the bill at BST Hyde Park  and  Roundhay Festival 2026 on Saturday July 11 and Sunday July 12. The massive outdoor gigs will form part of his UK and Ireland headline tour this summer , and you can find any remaining tickets  here .

Last month, the Scottish singer-songwriter played a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden, and ahead of the gig, surprised fans with a pop-up concert outside a florist in New York’s Penn Station. It was there that he debuted new track ‘Stay Love’, and  the gig drew such a big crowd that it was almost shut down by police .

In other news,  Capaldi was recently revealed to feature on the “mystery vinyl”  with pitched-down vocals, with the official release set to arrive in record stores on  Record Store Day .

His 2025 EP followed his  surprise set on the Pyramid Stage at last year’s Glastonbury , which was a particularly poignant slot as his  break from performing live  started after he was  forced to cut his set on the same stage in 2023 short due to struggling with tics caused by Tourette’s .

Since making his comeback, Lewis Capaldi has  made a surprise appearance at a charity event  alongside  Matty Healy ,  made a cameo in Taylor Swift’s ‘Opalite’ music video , and  hinted at new music on the way .

As well as the upcoming shows at BST Hyde Park and Roundhay Festival, Capaldi will be  headlining two huge ‘In The Park’ summer 2026 shows in Liverpool and Newcastle , as well as  a set at Sziget Festival .

The post Lewis Capaldi on how his friendship with Sam Fender and Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten has inspired him appeared first on NME .

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