Ahead of his Luxembourg show, Szmierek joined Lucy Genazzini on the Afternoon Session on RTL Today Radio to talk about his latest music, life on tour and why he still finds the whole thing slightly surreal.
While his music blends electronic beats, indie influences and spoken word, Szmierek revealed that almost every song starts the same way.
“I'll always have a concept,” he explained. “It'll always be a poem or a short story. They always exist as a thing first, and then I try and sort of cram them into a song.”
That approach has helped define his sound, particularly on tracks like The Heron, one of the standout songs from his recent work.
“The second album is a bit less invasive,” he joked. “It's less me just being like, ‘Listen to me. Stop listening to the song and listen to what I'm saying.’ It's a bit more songy this time.”
One of the highlights of the year ahead will be a run of dates supporting The Streets.
For Szmierek, who grew up listening to Mike Skinner, it's another unexpected full-circle moment.
“I always had this thing where I thought Mike Skinner probably hates me a bit,” he laughed. “And he doesn't. He likes the music and he was very kind.”
The opportunity came about after meeting Skinner and his management team in Manchester.
“It happened in quite an organic way,” he said. “We're really pleased.”
Despite spending much of the year travelling between shows, Szmierek admits he enjoys the rhythm of touring.
“I do like being on tour,” he said. “This suits my brain quite well.”
That said, he recently moved to Bristol and is still getting used to having somewhere to call home.
“I've been there six months, but I haven't really been there,” he joked. “Someone asked me what Bristol was like and I honestly didn't know.”
Many of Szmierek's songs focus on mindfulness, finding joy in everyday life and staying present. Ironically, he admits he's not always very good at it himself.
“I think I live a lot in my brain and very little in the real world sometimes,” he said. “And all of my songs are about living in the moment. So I'm a huge hypocrite.”
It's that combination of self-awareness, humour and honesty that has helped connect with audiences across the UK and beyond.
With new music arriving, major tours on the horizon and festival appearances already filling the calendar, Szmierek's momentum shows little sign of slowing down.
Asked to sum up his upcoming album in five words, he initially struggled before eventually settling on a description that felt perfectly fitting.
“Really, really good,” he laughed.
Sometimes that's all you need.
