Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi is blowing up in the U.K.
The 23-year-old musician released his debut album, Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent, in mid-May. It quickly rose to the top of the U.K. Albums Chart and remained there for a full six weeks. His single “Someone You Loved,” released in March, topped the U.K. Singles Chart and remained there for seven weeks. The newcomer recently dove headfirst into massive, global popularity, but because his music is still new to most people, it can be hard to track down. If you’re looking to stream Capaldi’s music online, here are the best platforms to visit.
The best ways to stream Lewis Capaldi
If you’ve never heard of him, let me be the first to recommend Lewis Capaldi‘s music. The young musician bleeds emotion and experience into every track, balancing rolling rhythms with his silky, baritone vocals. You can enjoy his music on a number of streaming platforms, but a few rise above the rest.
1) TIDAL
Cost: $9.99 per month for premium, $19.99 per month for High Fidelity sound quality (HiFi), $14.99 per month for family premium with up to six members, and $29.99 per month for Family HiFi.
Discounts: $4.99 per month for student premium, $9.99 per month for student HiFi, $5.99 per month for Military or first responder premium, and $11.99 per month for Military or first responder HiFi.
TIDAL, owned by artists including Jay Z, Beyonce, Calvin Harris, and Madonna, offers several subscription options and a 30-day free trial. For people willing to shell out a few extra bucks for an enhanced listening experience, TIDAL is very much worthwhile. TIDAL HiFi uses FLAC-based audio files, which offer a fuller and more realistic sound than mp3 files, which are compressed and cut out much of the nuances of a sound recording. But TIDAL HiFi’s real secret weapon is Tidal Masters, which utilizes Master Quality Authenticated technology to allow users to stream digital music in the highest possible resolution. These files have the quality of original master recordings—in other words, you’re hearing the closest version of these songs to the ones that came out of the studio.
Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent is Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) on TIDAL, which provides an even higher-quality listening experience than HiFi. Albums and tracks that have the MQA stamp on them are labeled with a clear M on TIDAL.
An extra bonus to listening to Capaldi’s music on TIDAL is the exclusively curated playlist the artist created just for the streaming platform. The playlist provides the “Lewis Capaldi Essentials,” including acoustic tracks, remixes, and singles from his early career.
2) Spotify
Cost: Free with ads, $9.99 per month for Spotify Premium, and $14.99 per month for a family plan with up to six members.
Discounts: $4.99 per month for college students, bundled with Hulu and Showtime.
Spotify was recently ranked as the best streaming service and the “pioneer in the music-streaming space” by Cnet. It offers free listening with ads and three options for purchasing Spotify Premium. Users can also try Spotify Premium free for three months. Spotify offers Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent, as well as several of Capaldi’s singles and remixes. On Capaldi’s Spotify page, you can find a specially curated playlist and even a link back to his merchandise. The playlist, “Lewis Capaldi Complete,” compiles all of Capaldi’s songs, and is worth a listen if only for its description: “Stick this on and have yourself a big fat sexy cry.”
3) Apple Music
Cost: $9.99 per month for individuals or $14.99 per month for a family plan with up to six members.
Discounts: $4.99 per month for college students.
Apple Music can be streamed from your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and all other iOS devices. If you have an Android device, you can also download Apple Music from the Google Play Store. Apple offers a free three-month trial and three different plans for this ad-free service. Apple Music offers Capaldi’s album, as well as several music videos and a “Lewis Capaldi Essentials” playlist, collecting 13 of his most popular tracks.
4) YouTube Music
Cost: Free with ads, $12.99 per month for Music Premium, and $14.99 per month for a family plan with up to five members.
Discounts: $4.99 per month for students.
For those who didn’t know that YouTube offers more than just makeup tutorials, prank videos, and vlogging: You can also stream music on YouTube Music. This service has its own app and can also be streamed directly from your desktop. You can also download the app on your mobile device, and enjoy it on the go. YouTube Music offers Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent in its entirety, along with Capaldi’s singles, remixes, and a station that combines his tracks with similar music.
5) Pandora
Cost: Free with ads, $4.99 per month for Pandora Plus (ad-free music and limited offline listening), and $9.99 per month for Pandora Premium (ad-free music, unlimited offline listening).
Discounts: $4.99 per month for Pandora Premium Student, $14.99 per month for Pandora Premium Family for up to 6 members, and $7.99 per month for Pandora Premium Military.
Pandora offers free listening with ads or premium ad-free subscriptions. You can get a 30-day free trial for Pandora Plus and a 60-day free trial for Pandora Premium. Pandora can also be streamed through SiriusXM. Pandora has all of Capaldi’s singles, remixes, and his album, as well as the option to buy tickets to Capaldi’s upcoming concert. The service also provides a playlist combining Capaldi’s top tracks with other, similar artists.
6) iHeartRadio
Cost: Free with ads, $4.99 per month for iHeartRadio Plus (unlimited skips, save songs and replay tracks) on web or Google Play Store or $5.99 on iOS. $9.99 for iHeartRadio All Access (Plus benefits in addition to offline listening and unlimited playlists) on web or Google Play Store and $12.99 on iOS.
Discounts: $14.99 for iHeartRadio Family Plan, which provides All Access for up to five family members.
iHeartRadio provides free music with ads to listeners either on desktop or through the iHeartRadio app. The service offers a 30-day free trial for both its Plus and All Access plans. iHeartRadio has Capaldi’s top five tracks and several singles available for free users, and his full discography for All Access plan holders.
READ MORE:
- TIDAL HiFi is an audiophile’s dream come true
- 5 music streaming services that give Spotify a run for its money
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