It all started with a bet: when Sam Tompkins was challenged on his 16th birthday to perform as a musician on the streets of Brighton, a short time later he found himself right there - and more and more often.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 large, to be captivated. I really believe I deserve that reaction. I love playing music. Through and through. If for some reason that disappeared from my life, I wouldn't see the point of 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 of fans and plays them his viral hits like "ToThe Moon" and soulful tracks from his first project "who do you pray to? The latter easily made it into the top 10 of the UK charts in its release week.
The success is deserved: His songs have the sound of someone who is at peace with himself and his art. They pack complex feelings and themes into impressive songwriting that goes into depth and manages to pack experiences that probably everyone goes through but can't always put into words into three minutes of text and sound. Mental health is only one of the topics that are important to the singer, and with which he also dealt with himself, especially in Lockdown times.
During that time, Tompkins also got in touch with Justin Bieber - via an Instagram livestream - who is now a big supporter of the musician. Just recently, the two performed together in Norway. But Bieber isn't the only celebrity fan of Tompkins: the likes of Elton John, Sam Smith and BebeRexha are also closely following the former street musician's steadily growing career.
In July 2024, Sam Tompkins will release its debut album "hi, my name is insecure".