PLOTTING CAPALDI'S RETURN

Lewis Capaldi looks ready to secure another U.K. Top 5 entry with his latest single, “Pointless” (EMI), sitting at #5 midweek. His British label team details what’s to come in the lead-up to the release of his second album.

Broken by Desire To Be Heavenly Sent, which Capitol will release in the U.S. in May, was launched with the huge comeback single “Forget Me,” which topped the British chart in September. The track has since been certified gold with more than 400k in sales; it's shifted over 1m globally. At today’s halfway point, follow-up “Pointless”—an Ed Sheeran co-write–looks set to score Capaldi yet another high number.

“We want to give fans more context ahead of the album, and there is so much amazing new music in this project that we have to get more of it out there in the world,” says EMI Senior Marketing Manager Jess Morton, who promises a “packed” rollout ahead of the album’s arrival.

She points to “big U.K. moments,” from performances on BBC Hogmanay—New Year’s Eve to you yanks—to some exciting, as-yet-unannounced promo appearances. In January, Capaldi—who's managed by Ryan Walter at Interlude Artists—will embark on a U.K./U.S. tour, which sold out in record time.

Capaldi’s 2019 debut, Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent, has tallied 25b global streams and 11m in sales (and counting). EMI Director of Commercial & Streaming Andy Knox nonetheless avers, “That being said, basing an artist’s success on album sales/streams alone can be dangerous. You have to measure every area of an artist’s business. I’d love to see Lewis in bigger venues all around the world. Most importantly, I’d like to see him continue to do it with a big smile on his face and feeling great about himself.”

Previous Capaldi collaborators include TMS and Plested, and Knox promises some “utter gems” as a result, elaborating, “These are magical combinations of talented people working together. There are some truly personal songs that have come out of Lewis that are very honest and special.” There’s also a Max Martin collab.

“In my opinion, this album is even stronger than album one," Knox concludes, "and that excites me massively."