Lew Apollo is a rejuvenating force in modern soul music—an artist whose deeply personal songwriting and genre-bending sound reflect introspection, resilience, and unrelenting passion. Born and raised in the quiet woods of rural Northern Minnesota, Lew grew up steeped in the music of legends. His parents played Bob Dylan and The Beatles on acoustic guitars around the house, and it wasn’t long before Lew started chasing melodies of his own.
Growing up in a blue-collar household, Lew wrestled silently with his mental health. Working in his grandparents’ forest alongside his dad became a kind of unspoken therapy—something sacred they shared. His father was a strong, tough-love man, and also Lew’s best friend. For years, Lew struggled to feel seen in a family full of big personalities and loud achievements, often feeling overshadowed by his older brother, a hometown sports hero. But at fifteen, everything changed. Lew picked up the guitar again, dug into his dad’s CD collection, and discovered Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The blues became a lifeline—an outlet, a mirror, and a voice.
That passion led Lew through various bands and, eventually, to Austin, Texas, where he and his wife Mello Jaxn moved to pursue music full-time. Immersing himself in the city’s rich musical culture, Lew sharpened his craft playing in rock, soul, and zydeco bands across the state—sometimes 20 nights a month. But it wasn’t until the stillness of 2020 that Lew turned inward and began writing his own music. He taught himself how to sing and produce, and began performing blues shows as a trio, slowly introducing his original songs.
In 2022, Lew experienced a life-altering loss when his father died by suicide. The grief was shattering—but also galvanizing. His dad had always been the one cheering him on, the one sitting by the stairs to say his guitar sounded amazing, even when Lew couldn’t believe it himself. In the months that followed, Lew began writing with even greater urgency and vulnerability. His music became not just a creative outlet, but a space to grieve, honor, and connect. He now writes openly about mental health, isolation, and anxiety—not as a solution, but as a way to remind listeners that they aren’t alone.
In 2023, Lew released his debut EP JUNGLE, produced by neo-soul artist Blk Odyssy. The EP amassed 150,000 streams in under two months and introduced audiences to Lew’s cinematic soul sound. His music draws from a wide range of influences—Hozier’s poetic depth, Leon Bridges’ vintage warmth, and the raw urgency of Arctic Monkeys—all wrapped in lush, hypnotic production. The title JUNGLE became a metaphor for the mind itself: tangled, wild, and beautiful.
Now, Lew is preparing to release his full-length debut album, Fool’s Gold, on August 8, 2025—a record that deepens the emotional terrain he first explored in JUNGLE. If JUNGLE was about stepping into the wild, Fool’s Gold is about realizing that not everything that glitters is healing. It begins with “No Room In Hell,” a sepia and rose-tinted dreamscape that sets the album’s tone. The lead single, drenched in energetic, ear-candy production inspired by the band Jungle, captures the feeling of floating through a fantasy—rosy on the surface, but layered with longing. It’s a sonic embodiment of how beauty and pain can blur together.
From there, the album journeys through the highs and lows of love and life. “Sweeter” tells the story of pure, upmost love. “Let The Light In” explores relationship tension, the emotional push and pull that defines so many human connections. Tracks like “Lost In You”, “Diamonds & Gold”, and “Addicted” dive further into those shifting emotional landscapes—where desire, uncertainty, and vulnerability all intertwine.
As the album progresses, the rose-tint begins to fade. The songs spiral deeper into the complexities of the mind, peeling back layers of illusion until only raw emotion remains. On the final two tracks, “Die For You” and “Feeling OK”, the album lands in its most honest, exposed place. “Die For You” is especially haunting—a track Lew wrote and produced just one month before his father passed. With a chilling music and dark, aching lyrics, the song feels like foreshadowing. Written from the perspective of longing to get someone back, it speaks to a universally painful experience and has become one of the most emotionally charged pieces in Lew’s catalog. It was also one of the first songs he ever produced—a full-circle moment in more ways than one.
Fool’s Gold is a concept album in disguise: a sonic arc that starts in a lush, rose-colored jungle and ends with bare ground and open sky. It’s a metaphor for the mental journey Lew has walked—one of beauty, disillusionment, self-exploration, and ultimately, acceptance.
Since his debut, Lew Apollo has sold out shows at iconic Austin venues like The Pershing and Antone’s Nightclub, known for his electrifying live presence and soulful five-piece band. With Fool’s Gold on the horizon, Lew is stepping fully into his artistry—not just as a musician, but as a storyteller using music to reflect the most vulnerable parts of being human. Lew’s a voice for those searching for meaning in the chaos, and proof that beauty can bloom in the wildest parts of the soul.
