Louis Knight
20-year-old singer-songwriter and American Idol contestant Louis Knight discusses his struggles with mental health as well as his song "Change," which was written about the suicide of his close friend. Louis and Lily swap experiences with mental health, suicidal ideation, and losing a close friend to suicide. Louis also speaks to the power of music for our wellbeing as a partner of The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).
For more information, guest bios, and resources, go to www.mindwideopenproject.com
Find Lily on Instagram @lilycornellsilver
Originally aired SEPTEMBER 21, 2020
Louis Knight is a British-born, Philadelphia-based pop singer-songwriter. With a writing style that reflects his raw emotion, Louis’ music unabashedly speaks plainly about his own deeply personal experiences about love, loss, and hope.
Louis (pronounced “Louie”) knew early that he wanted to write and sing music. Louis has a close relationship with his father John Surie – a marketing executive. Louis attributes his musical ability as coming from his father John who fronted a band in London in the 70’s and 80’s. Both Louis and his father were featured prominently on American Idol during the 2020 season.
His first official single was released in July 2019. “Just Kiss Me” became an instant Summer anthem that garnered significant praise from listeners. Following the release of the music video, Popdust stated, “This music video marks the beginning of an era for Knight.”
Louis released his first EP, titled “Small Victories”, gained critical praise and validated his ability to connect with his audience.
From that EP, his song “Change” is regarded as his most influential song to-date. About “Change”, Philadelphia Weekly wrote “…it’s a stunning example of Knight’s ability to translate his emotions and experiences into meaningful pop songs for the masses.”
Louis’ philanthropic efforts include partnering with The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to help carry the message of hope to those that continue to suffer.
The podcast Mind Wide Open is embedded on this page from an open RSS feed. All files, descriptions, artwork and other metadata from the RSS-feed is the property of the podcast owner and not affiliated with or validated by Podplay.