Finn Askew on playing his first-ever international gigs: “To be shown love in a country that is not mine is so beautiful”

Last week, Finn Askew ticked off a major achievement that had long occupied a hallowed spot on his bucket list. The Somerset-born vocalist/rapper and producer played his first shows overseas at Jakamo in Brussels, Belgium and Le Pop Up Du Label in Paris, France before returning home to the UK for Brighton’s The Great Escape festival.

“The fans were singing the lyrics back to me. To be shown love in a country that is not mine is so beautiful,” he recalls of the gigs. “It was a crazy experience to be able to go abroad and play – it’s all part of this job, which is absolutely my dream job.”

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The 20-year-old’s international success has been flourishing since he released his lo-fi R&B hit ‘Roses’ in summer 2020, which has since gone on to top the charts in Thailand and caused Askew’s name to trend on Twitter in Korea for over 24 hours. The catalyst for the latter was BTS’ Jungkook, who shared the song to his Instagram story earlier this year.

Askew reveals to NME that, as a result of ‘Roses’s continued popularity across countries in Southeast Asia, he plans to perform a number of soon to be announced shows later this year. There’ll be plenty of new music to play, too, as Askew is working on new material, including “a little disco, The Weeknd-style song”, he says.

Of the support he’s received from BTS fans, known as ARMY, Askew says: “You’re changing my life. I can’t thank you enough. [ARMY] are so supportive, and the craziest fanbase you’ll ever meet. They’re just so involved and they show so much love. It’s just crazy and I wouldn’t change [the situation] for the world. Thank you very much to all of the BTS fans for coming through.”

Watch our full interview with Finn Askew at The Great Escape 2022 above