Exclusive Interview: Louis Knight Talks “Burn This All Down”, Tapping Into His Vulnerability, and More

Louis Knight has emerged as one of the voices of his generation. Known for his emotive storytelling, the singer-songwriter has struck a chord with listeners around the globe. His 2019 debut single, “Changes”, has racked up over a million streams worldwide, and solidified his place as one of music’s most exciting up-and-coming artists.

His latest release, “Burn This All Down”, finds Louis opening up about the highs and lows of the industry and his battle with his mental health.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Louis about “Burn This All Down”, tapping into his vulnerability, and his upcoming tour and EP.

PC: It’s been over a year since you’ve released any new music, which you’ve opened up about in your new single “Burn This All Down”. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the song?
Louis: The inspiration behind the song was that during the pandemic, post-American Idol, I lost myself for a while. I was trying to write, but I hated everything. I thought it wasn’t good enough. I basically hadn’t written anything in six months. I was getting so frustrated.

Then I moved to LA. Within two weeks of being there, I was hanging out at my good friend Francisco Martin »s house, and we were just hanging out. He started playing some guitar chords, and I just started freestyling. This entire song came out.

It was the result of all this pent-up frustration from the place that I was in and also from trying to navigate this industry. I wouldn’t have it any other way, but it’s crazy obviously.

PC: Throughout your career, you’ve been incredibly vulnerable in your craft, and this single is no different. Has it always been easy for you to tap into that side of your artistry?
Louis: I love this question. It has always been kind of easy for me. I like wearing my heart on my sleeve. I feel like it’s easier for me to be very open about things. That’s the whole reason why I’m able to write music. I don’t think I’d ever be able to write from a place where I wasn’t writing about what was happening in my life or someone around me. I feel like that’s why I write and that is what writing has been for me throughout my life. Constantly being vulnerable, telling my story, and being open about my mental health can be a double-edged sword because it can also be emotionally draining at times. It’s interesting to find that balance.

PC: This single finds you collaborating with Idol alumni Wyatt Pike and Francisco Martin, and the three of you have formed this brotherhood. How have you all been able to challenge each other as artists?
Louis: Francisco and I weren’t even supposed to be writing that night. We were hanging out, having a couple of beers, and this whole song came out. Writing with him has been so much fun because we’ve been through so much together through the ups and downs of Idol. He understood the place that I was at emotionally. We all go through this post-Idol depression, where it’s the come down from the craziness of being on national television every week.

Wyatt is the most insane guitar player I’ve ever seen. He can pick up anything. He’s a guitar genius. Wyatt wrote all the guitar parts on “Burn This All Down”, and Francisco and I co-wrote the song together. Wyatt also helped with the bridge. We saw what we all individually added to make this really, really cool song. It wouldn’t have been what it is without Francisco’s production ideas and Wyatt’s guitar. It was special to be able to collaborate with such great friends.

PC: You also dropped a really cinematic music video for this. How did you come up with the concept behind the music video?
Louis: I worked with my director Danny Gevirtz, whom I made my first ever music video with when I was a sophomore in high school. He was just getting into film. It was really special to be able to come back together to make this. We were trying to brainstorm ideas on what we should do for the video. We were like, “Obviously, something needs to be burned. Something needs to be lit on fire, but how do we do that without permits? How do we do that and not make it a hundred-grand video shoot?”

He found a friend of his who had this vineyard that had an open field. We were like, “Okay, maybe we can go there. We can use that as a safety ground where we have a controlled environment if something lights on fire.” I thought, what if we did it with a piano as a metaphor for everything that I had been going through? I didn’t know if it was too cheesy or not, but it represented everything that I’d been going through and my struggles with music and navigating this industry.

I thought we should light it on fire. and that it would be cool because it’s also the thing that was keeping me warm during the cold, which is what music has always been for me. It’s helped me through a lot. I thought there were a couple of cool little metaphors in it.

PC: A couple of years ago, you were delivering pizzas, and now you’ve racked up millions of streams worldwide. What has it meant to you to know that your music is connecting with audiences around the world? Has anything surprised you about this journey thus far?
Louis: It’s weird to think about that. I’m still really good friends with my boss from the pizza shop. It’s funny. I’ll stop in and chat whenever I’m home. I was just talking to my dad about this. I never expected this. Things have moved really quickly. It’s like Idol came around and that was insane, then I’ve been putting out music and trying to work on my craft, and now I’m here in LA. Things have been very stationary for the last year with the pandemic. I left my old management. I’ve been out here trying to hustle and make things happen.

I finally feel like things are starting to kick off, which is so exciting and so validating. I realize I’m out here for a reason. The fact that people have been streaming my music means so much. I’m excited to show everyone this next chapter because this is such a different chapter. It’s the most artistic my music has ever been. It feels like a mini-album. It feels like an album, but it’s a six-song EP. I’m excited to continue to grow with this next batch of songs.

PC: How does this body of work differentiate itself from your previous EP?
Louis: I made my debut EP when I was an eighteen-year-old coming out of high school. I was trying to navigate that world and all my friends going off to college. I’m at home, living in my parents’ basement, working on writing and my music, and now I’m here. Like I was saying, it feels like what’s the truest to me at the moment. I feel like I’m pushing boundaries experimenting with different production elements while also trying to keep the music very organic. I write on the piano and guitar. I love keeping the core of the song organic because I hope it adds an element of timelessness. That’s my goal. I hope to write music that people will be listening to in twenty years.

PC: Of all the music that you’ve released and are set to release, if you had to pick one of your songs that best encompasses who you are as an artist, which would it be and why?
Louis: Wow, that’s really hard. I kind of don’t want to say “Change”, but I want to say “Change”. [laughs] I don’t want to say that because that was part of the reason why I didn’t write for six months: because I was in my head. I was like, every single song has to be this massive emotional release like “Change” was. That was weirdly mentally setting the bar of what my songs needed to be.

I realize that is not healthy and that’s just not how songwriting is. You’re always going to write songs, and they will have different levels of meaning for you. That’s totally fine. But I’ve got to say “Change” because I’m always going to be vulnerable in my music. That’s all I know how to do and how to be. I’m always going to advocate for mental health awareness. I’m always going to be talking about where my head is at on a good or bad day.

I’m generally a happy person, but all I write is sad songs. [laughs] On this next body of work, it’s a super sad song called “When the Words Start Running Out.” You can guess what that has to do with and what I was going through for the last year or so. I have to say that one for right now.

PC: Outside of the EP, can fans expect to see you on the road later this year? Is there a tour in the works?
Louis: We are planning one. It feels so weird to say that. This will be my first tour. I’ve never gone on tour before, but we’re planning a tour right now for the summer. We’re looking at late June and July and sometime later in the year. The dates are still in the works, but there will be a couple of dates on the East Coast, a few dates on the West Coast, and maybe a date in London. I need to convince my manager to move it to Brighton in England because I think we’d have a really, really good show out there. I’ve been able to play shows on the East coast, which has been so much fun, but I’ve never played a show in England. I’ve never gone back and played a show. If we’re able to make that happen that will be crazy.

I mean I haven’t even been back to England since the pandemic. I used to go back once or twice a year, so I haven’t seen my family and friends in years now. I hope to have a show and hopefully get everyone together. That would be really, really special. I’m holding out for that.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Louis: Off the top of my head, Sam Fender. I’m more of a pop artist. I’ve been listening to his album on repeat for the last six months, every single day. My girlfriend is sick of it. [laughs] She’s like, “Please don’t put it on in the car”. It’s all I listen to. I’m such a big fan of his. He’s inspired so much of my music. I don’t know if people would necessarily know that because he’s very Springsteeny, alternative pop-rock. He’s been one of my biggest influences since I found him two years ago.

PC: First album you bought?
Louis: That’s a funny one because back in the day when I was a kid we had CDs. One of the first albums that I remember buying was the Arctic Monkeys album with “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor.” That or Green Day’s American Idiot. I was obsessed with that CD growing up. I can picture the CD right now in my bedroom.

PC: First concert you attended?
Louis: It wasn’t really a concert, but I remember my parents took me to see We Will Rock You: The Musical at the West End when I was six years old. Apparently, I wore a pinstripe suit. [laughs] I stood up in the chair the entire time because I was enamored with what was going on. I grew up listening to Queen. Freddy Mercury is one of the best vocalists, performers, and songwriters ever. Period.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Louis: In America, I’d love to play Madison Square Garden. I feel like everybody says that. But in England, I want to headline Glastonbury Music Festival. I want to play at Wembley.

PC: A must-have on the road?
Louis: I’m going to have to let you know when I get back from touring. But I feel like taking a pillow from home is always nice. Or maybe a Vicks vaporizer to keep my vocal chords in good shape. That’s probably going to be a necessity because I burn my voice out from talking.

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Louis: I’d say it’s a tie between Lewis Capaldi’s Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent—that’s such a sick album name—and Sam Fender. But the more that I think about it, I would say x (multiply) by Ed Sheeran. I remember listening to that album when I was going through the ups and downs of my first ever relationship. That album was exactly what I wanted to make. I listened to it and I was like, “This is what I want to do”. That came out at a very pivotal age for me.

To keep up with Louis, follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Spotify, and Apple Music. Pick up and stream “Burn This All Down” today.

Photo Credit: Cami Liberty