8 minute read
Meet Tom Walker
Interview with Tom Walker
When you listen to Tom Walker, it is hard to think the young Scottish artist has only one EP -«Blessings» released in April 2017- in his discography. He inherited the love of music from his father, with who he listened to a massive amount of albums since he was a child. Eventually, the singer-songwriter rose to fame in 2016 with his very first single «Sun Goes Down», where he cleverly samples a classic from the 30’s. His hit-singles «Leave A Light On» and «You and I» have now more than 65 million plays on Spotify. A raspy and emotional voice, organic melodies combined with hip-hop touches and electronic beats is what characterize this impressive yet very humble talent.
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Tom Walker for On The Move by Nazym Hermouche
Tom Walker for On The Move by Nazym Hermouche
On The Move: Hello and thank you Tom for being here! At the end of last year, you were announced as part of the BBC Music’s « Sound Of 2018» list. Adele, Sam Smith or Frank Ocean were previously listed in it. How does it feel to be a part of this?
Tom Walker: It’s amazing and unexpected! I mean we found out a little bit before their actual announcement but still it’s really cool. We’ve got a few festivals off the back of it and BBC has always been good to us and we’ve done BBC Introducing so yeah, it’s really good.
On The Move: The success of your songs have been pretty huge and sudden. Where does your interest in music come from? How did you start?
Tom Walker: My dad is really into music, he’s got like a massive record collection and he used to take me to a lot of gigs. We went to see AC/DC together when I was like 9, in Paris actually which is amazing. And then I’ve seen Foo Fighters, Muse, Prodigy, B.B. King, you know the list goes on. So yeah he really got me into music and he pushed me – well both of my parents - my mom and my dad pushed me to do music because I really enjoyed it and to be honest I wasn’t really good at anything else.
On The Move: We read in another interview about your dad saying he heard you every night playing a different idea in your room. Where do these ideas come from, the ones that trigger your creation process?
Tom Walker: A bit of everything really. It’s mostly whatever is going on in my life. Up until two years ago, I was working really tough jobs and going to university and being poor and staying in on the weekends because I didn’t have money to go out, you know just like a proper everyday life. It’s a bit more difficult now to come up with inspiration because I’m always on the road and my life isn’t very normal. It’s awesome, don’t get me wrong, but I try to fit in as much time as I can to go back and see my friends and do different things with them because that’s where my inspiration comes from, just having a good time with my mates – either the bad things or the good things that happen.
On The Move: Your music is a blend of folk, soul, hip-hop and EDM. How do you define it?
Tom Walker: I wouldn’t class my music in one genre. I would say it’s got a pop style to it with influences of hip-hop, blues and a little bit of reggae, a tiny bit of folk. It’s quite singer-songwriter-y. But all at once. And my album is going to reflect that, it’s not going to sound like one thing. I think I’m in a quite lucky position where my style of singing, no matter what the music sounds like or the production, kind of stays the same so there is complementarity in the album but the production is different on a few tracks. If you do the same thing every day, it gets boring. Unless you’re AC/DC, they’ve managed to pull it off! Eight albums of doing the same thing but it still sounds amazing! (laughs)
On The Move: Your latest single « Leave A Light On » was co-written and produced by Steve Mac who worked with Clean Bandit, P!nk or Ed Sheeran. You are also working with Jim Abyss (Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, Adele) on your album. How did these collaborations happen? And what did each one of them bring to your sound?
Tom Walker: Yeah I’ve been lucky over the last two years! I mean working with Steve Mac, who has obviously made a ridiculous amount of hits but also with Jim Abyss who has made some of the most credible albums of all time... It is such a cool combination for the album and I think I’m very lucky to work with all of those people. Obviously I’ve worked with a lots of amazing producers but for me, they are the top that have been like super super special. The label Relentless Records, who looks after me in the UK, they put me together with each of those people and at first I didn’t want to collaborate with lots of people, I wanted to kind of do my own thing but you know they pushed me to meet new people and do lots of sessions and it was really cool. At the time, I resisted a bit, but looking back it’s amazing to have the opportunity to work with so many cool people.
On The Move: It developed your sound in a way maybe you didn’t expect?
Tom Walker: Yeah totally! And I like the unique message that each person brings to the project. It’s going to be a wicked album! (laughs).
On The Move: We believe your debut album is on the way. Is it in the continuity of your « Blessings » EP or is it going for different territories?
Tom Walker for On The Move by Nazym Hermouche
Tom Walker for On The Move by Nazym Hermouche
Tom Walker: It’s a mix of what I’ve been doing and how I’ve evolved over the last two and a half years but a lot people think that an artist signs a deal and then two years later there’s an album but actually I’ve been working on it my whole life since I was like 15 and wrote about things that I thought truly reflected how I feel about certain things in my life or friends, or family or politics. There’s a bit of everything in there, it’s my story, how I see the world. And it’s called “What a time to be alive” because everything is crazy at the moment! Like Brexit is really depressing, you know I might have to get a visa to come to France, Donald Trump, you know, it’s just a mad world at the moment and I think it reflects on the album.
On The Move: Tricky question... Do you prefer being on the road or in the studio?
Tom Walker: Neither and both! (laughs) When I’m on the road I want to be in the studio, when I’m in the studio I want to be on the road. I would say that I really enjoy the studio but it’s very intense. Like working with Jim Abyss, it’s like 11 in the morning until 2am, five days in a row. Like you’re eating your lunch while you’re still in the studio. But I get really creative in the studio, which is nice. And touring is amazing because you get to see so many countries but at the same time you don’t get to really see those countries. You see them out the window of a van. But yeah studio, there’s a magic in there.
On The Move: You supported a bunch of artists already ( Jake Bugg, Maverick Sabre, Gallant) and went on a massive tour with The Script. Which lesson do you draw from these experiences?
Tom Walker: Be nice to everybody that you’re working with ! The Script were so lovely and their team was lovely, and they treated us like family, and they’re quite famous, I mean they’re a big deal. They were leaving the door of their dressing room open and inviting us for a chat or beers. Not every band does that. I’ve been on tour with artists and I’ve never met them. Not for a long time, maybe three days but I’ve only seen them do their thing. So I think that is moving forward but what I’m going to try to do is, if we got a band or an artist on tour, treat them like they’re a part of the family.
On The Move: What can we expect from your show?
Tom Walker: The record is going to reflect on some of the lights and elements that we’ll do but I think when we do it live we do it for real. I play drums, bass, guitar, piano and I sing so I want real drums, I want a real kind of layout, I want it all to be real but with the digital side of it. We can’t afford a thirty-piece orchestral on stage with us (laughs). I just want to make a really good mix of organic and digital-produced sounds together to make one thing. So that’s what people can expect. Also I play guitar a lot, so there’s this stuff, I really enjoy it and you know when you go to a show, you want to see a show, so I want to make the most of it, and you know you want to show off a little bit (laughs). So people can expect it to be more exciting than on the album I would say.
On The Move: What would be the best compliment made on your music?
Tom Walker: People have compared me to Paolo Nutini before and he’s my favourite artist of all time. He’s amazing so if I could be like fifty percent as good as Paolo Nutini then I’ll be very happy about it because for me he’s like the pinnacle of artists, he’s really good.
On The Move: Which contemporary artists do you draw inspiration from?
Tom Walker: I’ve been listening to Sam Fender recently, he’s on the BBC Music’s “Sound of 2018” list and I met him recently very briefly when I was in the Netherlands, he’s got a really good album. His voice is nuts, like it sounds good on the record but live, it’s another level. The last song he does on stage on the piano is breathtaking.
On The Move: What can we wish you for 2018?
Tom Walker: I’d love to play a really big stage in Glastonbury, but it’s not on this year, unfortunately. I’m playing in Hyde Park on the same day as Bruno Mars this year, on the same stage, which is going to be unbelievable. I mean I’m playing during the day and he’s playing at night, but still, it’s really cool. But yeah I just hope this year just keeps going the way it’s going. I’m not going to sit here and say “I want to be really famous” because I don’t, I just want to keep making music that people connect with and tour and go to the studio and do the things that I love to do. I’m not bothered about the money or the fame, I just want to keep doing what I’m doing. It’s hard work! (laughs)
INTERVIEW BY CORALINE BLAISE WITH LUDIVINE DESUMEUR PHOTOS BY NAZYM H (NAZYMH.COM) FOR ON THE MOVE
Tom Walker for On The Move by Nazym Hermouche
