It all started with a bet: when Sam Tompkins was challenged to perform on the streets of Brighton as a musician on his 16th birthday, a short time later he found himself there again - more and more often, and the dream of leaving the open road behind and playing actual shows was born.
"I want everyone in this room, no matter how small or big it is, to be captivated. I truly believe I deserve that reaction. I love playing music. Through and through. If it disappeared from my life for any reason, I wouldn't see the point in it anymore. It's my thing, it's my drive," Tompkins stated.
With a lot of practice, energy and focus, the 25-year-old songwriter fulfilled his wish and now regularly fills venues with thousands of fans and plays them his viral hits such as "To The Moon" and soulful tracks from his first project "who do you pray to?". The latter effortlessly made it into the top 10 of the UK charts in the week of its release.
The success is well deserved: his songs have the sound of someone who is at peace with himself and his art. They wrap complex feelings and themes in impressive songwriting that goes into depth and manages to pack experiences that everyone goes through, but can't always put into words, into three minutes of lyrics and sound. Mental health is just one of the topics that are important to the singer and that he himself dealt with, especially during lockdown.
During this time, Tompkins also came into contact with Justin Bieber - via an Instagram livestream - who is now a big supporter of the musician. The two recently performed together in Norway. But Bieber is not Tompkins' only celebrity fan: stars such as Elton John, Sam Smith and BebeRexha are also following the former street musician's steadily rising career with interest.
Sam Tompkins' debut album "hi, my name is insecure" will be released in July 2024.