SPOTLIGHT: Mr Tom Walker
Words - Tajinder Hayer
Photography - Edward Cooke
Scottish singer/ songwriter Tom Walker returns to form this week with the release of the first single from his new album Serotonin. The upbeat track, which is the perfect platform for Tom’s distinctive voice follows the success of the recent 8-date sold out UK tour. His second album, the follow up to the No.1 platinum album What A Time To Be Alive will be released later this year.
Tell us what the audience can expect from the live show?
Well its the last show on the tour today, which is really exciting because its an amazing tour so far. I had to postpone a few dates due a chest infection, but I feel great now and raring to go. We're packing quite a lot in the venue as there is five of us on stage.
Is there a set-up or routine to your days on tour?
I think it mostly depends on where we are. Like, we were in Swansea yesterday and the sun was out and we went for a walk on the beach and chilled at a cafe for a bit. After a game of pool and a couple of pints, we went and did the gig which was great.
Before you began performing live, were you at all apprehensive about being in front of an audience?
Yeah I think that I was, but I'm definitely more comfortable now. It can still be nerve-wracking for sure, especially if you think you might be heckled or something like that. I’d say that 90% of the time its pretty exhilarating and a great experience. It's been really special on the Underplay tour as we only sold a limited number of tickets which went to really big fans who were waiting up early to get hold of them. So it’s amazing to turn up and see them sing songs.
Was a career as a musician always the plan for you?
Well I worked in kitchens for a long time growing up. I wouldn’t say that I was a chef, as I was far from that. I knew that it wasn't for me and I knew that you had to be really passionate about the time and effort to commit those hours to it. With music, I had always absolutely adored it and was always happiest when in the studio. That experience of doing something I wasn't happy doing, really pushed me into doing something that I really wanted to do. I dabbled in some random things as well like working in a photo booth.
Tell us about what it was like to go to a stage school?
It was called the London Centre of Contemporary Music and I took a degree in songwriting, but they did offer lots of performance programmes. I mostly focused on things like writing and how to write a certain amount of songs a year, having production levels etc. For the most part, I thought it was really useful.
On your journey to becoming a performer, were there any artists that you were particularly inspired by?
Definitely Paulo Nutini was a big inspiration for me. Growing up I loved his music and found that every time that he released an album it was just as good or if not better than the last one.
As a Scot, can you tell us why all Glaswegians are so nice?
You’re right - its a really friendly city and the people are really, really nice. For those that don't know Scottish people well, the accent could be intimidating at first but Glaswegians are super lovely. It's remarkable considering that it rains almost every single day in Glasgow. It's definitely my favourite city in Scotland.
How did you react to your first single doing so well and how the speed of success came following it?
I could tell that things had been steadily growing before Leave The Light On was released. So I was surprised and also thankful that I had enough breathing space to make my first album. Because I had that, I do worry about acts that get signed following one big hit and how difficult that must be to deal with.
What was it like to be nominated for and then win a BRIT award?
Yeah it was amazing to win a BRIT award and what’s more it was from a public vote. It was such an unbelievable feeling and I was so grateful. I totally was not expecting it, and was buzzing.
Tell us about the release of the first single from your new album
It's called Serotonin and is quite different as its a fast-paced one. It's been doing really well at the gigs and people are buzzing about it. It came about after I recognised that I went through this stage of my career going from strength to strength and I felt like I was chasing a never-ending high, which I realised was unsustainable. You can only appreciate the highs if you have had low moments.
Is Serotonin a good indicator of what we can expect from the rest of the album?
The album varies and I have always liked to play around with different aspects of genres. Nothing is wildly different but every track does not sound the same. I’m really excited to release new music now. A great deal of thought has gone into track listing, artwork and concepts and stuff like that.
Serotonin is out now.
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