Dean Lewis and Universal Music Group have parted ways after a decade-long partnership, Rolling Stone AU/NZ can reveal.
The news comes just months after Lewis was hit with misconduct allegations, which led to the Sydney songwriter issuing a public statement and withdrawing from last year’s ARIA and TikTok Awards.
“We can confirm that Dean Lewis is no longer signed to Universal Music Australia or any Universal Music Group label,” a Universal Music Australia (UMA) spokesperson told Rolling Stone AU/NZ. A separate statement from Lewis reads: “UMA and I have parted ways. I am no longer signed to Universal Music Australia.”
Lewis first signed to Island Records and UMA in April 2016, before securing representation in the US and UK with Island the next year.
All three of his studio albums, including his latest, 2024’s The Epilogue, were released via Island, as well as his debut 2017 EP, Same Kind of Different.
During his time with UMA, Lewis won a number of APRA and ARIA Awards, including the Album of the Year ARIA for 2019’s A Place We Knew and the APRA for Most Performed Australian Work (“How Do I Say Goodbye”) in 2024.
A spokesperson for Lewis said that while there are no immediate plans to talk to other music labels, he is excited to work as an independent artist and intends to release new music this year.
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In October, Rolling Stone AU/NZ reported on Lewis’ public apology after leaked private messages and videos fuelled claims he’d behaved inappropriately with fans online.
“I understand why people are angry and disappointed after learning embarrassing details of intimate, private conversations and relationships I’ve had with consenting adults over the past decade, but I want to emphasise that none of this is illegal… The individuals leading the campaign against me have repeatedly acknowledged this, and I’m hurt by any suggestion that I’ve done things that have crossed into illegality. At the same time, I realise I’ve made an incredible mess, people are genuinely hurt, and I need to make changes,” Lewis said in a statement at the time.
“In the past few days, social media has made public a decade-plus of private conversations with a number of women, all of adult age. I don’t fault these individuals for having hard feelings, and I don’t want anyone defending me. I was breathtakingly dumb texting and flirting in the manner I have over many years. I should have been more sensitive that not everyone might look at our interactions the way I often did. From the bottom of my heart, I want to sincerely apologise to those I’ve hurt. This is not only an apology to the women who have spoken up, but those who haven’t and felt hurt by my words or behavior. I also need to apologise to my family and fans who I’ve gravely disappointed.”
Lewis has this week kicked off US shows as part of his Epilogue world tour, which were rescheduled after he suffered a vocal haemorrhage last year.
