Toronto, June 4th, 2020, Before the coronavirus pandemic hit, Rowan was playing to packed venues while on tour with Neon Dreams, and he plans to hit the road again when it is safe to do so.
In the meantime, he is continuing to write music that he hopes resonates with fans in a profound way. His single “HONEST” is out today on every platforms
“Honest is about the duality of love and media. So often we put our relationships on pedestals due to what we see in TV and film, ultimately creating false and damaging expectations. The verses of honest are full of movie references and wishes of how my relationships could be, the hook, in contrast, is a showcase of real life. Sometimes it’s hard to get out of bed, sometimes we fight, and because of these insane standards we’re meant to live up to, sometimes we self-destruct our relationships.”
Not many people can say attending their older brother’s show was a life-changing experience, but for Levi Rowan seeing his brother play made him feel like he had a shot as a musician.
“The exchange of energy and the respect that the crowd gave them made him a superhero to me,” the alt-pop singer recalls. Growing up in the small Canadian town of Belleisle, New Brunswick, “aspiring musician” wasn’t on many peers’ résumés, so this was monumental. From then on, the teen homed in on his own craft and has been professionally releasing music for the past year.
Equal parts alternative, pop, and hip-hop, Rowan pulls influence from an eclectic mix of artists including Childish Gambino, Odd Future, The Black Keys, and Nirvana; however, visuals might be an even larger inspiration.
Rowan takes this approach with his own music videos. Last year’s single “Night Terrors” is accompanied by visuals inspired by his favorite horror film, Evil Dead, and he’s working on another video that pays homage to The Truman Show. The sense of vision also plays a big part in the writing of his music.
That drive is something Rowan’s learned to harness after continually feeling misunderstood and misrepresented in his youth. “Music was something I could talk to, that knew I wasn’t a bad kid, and that wanted the best for me,” he says. “I believe you manifest your destiny. And In trying to manifest that, I’ve realized that if I would have fit in then I would have been comfortable. It’s in being uncomfortable that I looked for more, and that’s what I think I found.”
As he continues perfecting his sound, Rowan believes he’s currently writing the best music of his life, both in terms of naturally combining his myriad musical influences and finding his true voice through honest lyrics.
“When I was younger, I didn’t look to a teacher for help, I looked to people like Mac Miller who was pouring his heart out in records,” he says. “That music kept me going and I think that goes for a lot of kids. No matter in what way my music helps people, that’s all I want it to do.”
