“He’s actually quite small in person. I have a bigger shadow’ – Inhaler singer Elijah Hewson on his famous father and the ‘nepo baby’ debate

Elijah Hewson opened up about his famous dad in a newspaper interview.

After what he says was Bono’s not-so-great shadow, Elijah took on the music industry, with his four-piece indie-rock band.

The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Elijah, bassist Robert Keating, guitarist Josh Jenkinson and drummer Ryan McMahon.

Originally shunning the leadership position, Jenkinson told the Evening Standard, “Leadership came out very naturally” for Hewson.

“Your motivation came from the fact that you were good at songwriting,” adds McMahon. “Once you were writing songs, you were like, ‘I know how this should sound. “”

Now together for a decade, the Dublin quartet have had a few months of intense touring and are now heading straight into promotion for next month’s release, Cuts and bruises. This is the sequel to their 2021 debut album It won’t always be like thisa major success in the UK and Ireland.

Hewson’s mother, Ali, initially expressed concern about another family member joining the musician lifestyle.

“She hated it,” he says. “Then when she saw how passionate I was about it and the guys, she had no choice but to jump on board. Our first time in London, our Airbnb was cancelled. I phoned him: “Any chance of getting a hotel? She said: ‘When me and your dad first went to London, we had to stay on a park bench one night. So do this.

Aware that they are in the shadow of the biggest four-man rock band in the world, Keating said: “But even with that, you don’t feel the shadow of U2. It’s just a fact. Of course, we are in the shadow of U2. Any Irish band is – Fountains [DC] are. Unfortunately, Eli’s fucking dad happens to be in the group with the big shadow!”

Hewson smiled. “He’s actually a very small boy himself. I have a bigger shadow!

As the discussion of ‘nepo babies’ – the successful kids of celebrities – is on the rise, Hewson adds, “I’m a very little nepo baby. I don’t mind, man. It doesn’t change the fact that I want to make music, and that’s what I love.

“You just have to wear your perks on your sleeve, because there are plenty of them,” he adds. “But that doesn’t mean people are going to listen to your music or come to your shows.”

Elijah’s sister, actress Eve Hewson, joked late last year about being left off a list of ‘baby nepotists’ in New York magazine.

“Actually pretty devastated I’m not featured in the baby nepo article like haven’t they seen my hit show Bad Sisters??? The NERF,” Hewson joked on Twitter.

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Later, she said, “2023 goals: achieve enough to be recognized as a nepo baby.”

However, when sent a diagram of musicians who raised children of actors, she replied, “HOLY FORK. I AM JUST NOTIFIED THAT I HAVE REACHED MY GOALS FOR 2023 AND IT’S STILL 2022.”