Dean LewisAfter a decade spent working together, Dean Lewis is no longer a member of the Universal Music Australia roster.
A spokesperson for the label confirmed the news in a statement shared to The Music today, noting; "We can confirm that Dean Lewis is no longer signed to Universal Music Australia or any Universal Music Group label."
Universal declined to confirm the reasons for the exit, however the timing coincides with Lewis' recent statement in response to allegations relating to inappropriate behaviour with fans. His last album with the label was also his first not to provide a charting single at home or abroad.
The Music approached Lewis' representatives to clarify circumstances around the departure but did not receive confirmation at the time of publication.
Lewis signed with Universal's Island Records label in March 2016, issuing his debut single Waves (which would eventually go 11x Platinum) six months later.
His relationship with the label was ultimately a fruitful one, resulting in three ARIA Awards, and a handful of appearances atop the local local charts alongside success in the US and UK.
2018 single Be Alright currently boasts over 2 billion streams on Spotify alone and has since gone 16x Platinum, while its accompanying album – A Place We Knew – has over 3.9 billion streams. 2022's The Hardest Love currently sits at over 1.05 billion streams on the service, while 2024's The Epilogue is just over 257 million.
Despite his exit from the label, Universal currently continues to control Lewis’ back catalogue.
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In late October, Lewis addressed allegations that had been circulating across TikTok over the previous week, with a number of female fans taking to the platform to allege inappropriate behaviour, including direct messages, sexting, and sexual encounters. It is alleged that the singer used social platforms to contact and in some cases arrange meet ups with fans.
There is no allegation of any criminal wrongdoing or illegality in Lewis’ actions.
In a post shared on social media, Lewis did however admit that, while the relationships were between consenting adults, that he “should have been more sensitive that not everyone might look at our interactions the way I often did”.
TikTok allegations have included screenshots of text messages and recordings of phone calls between Lewis and numerous fans, with him offering an apology to “not only the women who have spoken up, but those who haven’t and felt hurt by my words or behaviour”.
Lewis also addressed the TikTok pile-on, not excusing his behaviour, but noting that the platform also carries “fabricated accounts” and “gross misrepresentations” of things that occurred in the past. He also pledged to create a “new set of rules so there’s never confusion or questions about my intent when I’m engaging with fans or responding to messages in the future”.
Lewis' post did not address the power imbalance inherent in relationships between artists and fans, but he did note he has enrolled himself in “intense therapy” to make better choices and “dramatically shift” his approach to dating. Lewis claims that losing his private life as a celebrity creates a need for connection amid loneliness and isolation.
In early November, it was announced that Lewis would no longer be in contention for major awards that month, having withdrawn from the events following the previous allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
Both Lewis' nomination for Song Of The Year for With You at the 2025 ARIA Awards and Music Artist Of The Year at the TikTok Awards were withdrawn at his request.
“ARIA has been advised that the artist and his management have requested to withdraw from Song of the Year, which we have now actioned,” a spokesman for ARIA confirmed to The Daily Telegraph at the time.
"To present Dean with a genuine opportunity to step back and focus on his wellbeing, TikTok has agreed to remove Dean from nomination for their annual awards at our request," added a spokesperson for TikTok.
