Article by Jerbria Baker
A passionately talented UK artist that has grown tremendously throughout the last year, someone who has brought a new creative direction to the sounds of the pop music genre with his recent single “Hero.” This is Sam Tompkins. Straight from a recent press conference, we dive into his vision of music, life, and intimate styles that are amongst his new upcoming music career and so much more.
Jumping right into the start of the conference, Sam Tompkins explains his perspective on how music can “Humanize” the world. He says, “...there's something to be said about music that leans into the average human experience… making music for people that may feel as though they aren't represented as much…give people the actual human experience.” He then was asked about his feelings when his “Talking to the Moon” cover, originally by Bruno Mars, went viral. Tompkins claims, “At the time I was going through a break up and recorded it in my living room…I was so heartbroken, and at the same time, my career was kicking off…I was sad but at the same time excited.”
In the studio with Justin Bieber?! You heard that correctly. Sam Tompkins had his experience with Justin Bieber in the studio. “hanging out with him and seeing his work was really special…it was more like a testament of how far I got. We come from completely different places…I'm so lucky….” I would greatly agree with that! Especially adding in other artists, he would like to work with. “Usher, Chris Brown, Justin Timberlake…any artist within the R&B genre. I also really loved storytelling songs...like when you close your eyes and listen to music, you just can see everything happening.” I would agree; there is nothing like pretending to be in a music video while listening to a song!
New music, busking, and freeness! For his “It's about my brother and my whole family. The other. The concept is talking about like if you're not sure about what you believe in, what other thighs get you through hard times. A lot of people are able to lean on faith…” “...admitting that I need to seek that. I also appreciate what has gotten me this far and helped me to grow…a lot of it has to do with family… coping mechanisms…” Tompkins “a lot of my freeness as a whole comes from busking…the way I started busking, I couldn't afford a hat in a shop. My friends told me they wouldn't let me borrow their money, so they said you got to go perform in the street for it. When I did that for the first time, it totally made me more confident in myself, and when I made enough money for the hat, I was like, people care about what I'm doing. Confidence has a lot to do with feeling free….”
Relating to his song “Whole”, “A problem shared is a problem is a problem halved.” This is part of some advice Tompkins gives when asked for his listeners that may feel hopeless around the world and how they can cope. “My advice is like to try and connect to people on a human level as much as you can. Talk to your friends about how you're feeling…mental health struggles. Just talking about things are so good. Like a problem shared is a problem is a problem halved. You cant live your life on your own.” Now this is great advice.
Wrapping up, I bet all of Sam Tompkins' fans are ready to listen to his new song “who do you pray to?” on repeat. Well, you're in luck. The song is expected to be ready for your ears this month! So get ready to place on your suits, swing on that cape, and be the next hero to listen in!