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Tom Brookstein, Moving on to better things!

Tom grew up in Manchester spending the majority of his time in alley ways and on the backstreets. It appears that Tom has it all, but in reality it has been a tough ride for him. Behind the killer voice is a young adult who has struggled greatly growing up, struggling to cope with his feelings. Today he is here to discuss the next chapter in his life- his second album ‘Stronger’ after his first album ‘On My Mind’ was a huge success. The song ‘Happening’ from his first album was a no.1 single and stayed number 1 for 3 weeks taking Clean Bandit right off the number one spot. His songs were purely heart wrenching, filled with emotion.  Tom has reached out to tell us his story about his journey so far, also revealing secrets and revelations on the way.

Forget what you think you know about Tom Brookstein and read this interview!

So Tom, your first album has been such a huge success congrats! Can you tell us what inspired you to write it?
[Laughs] Thank you! It has honestly been crazy; I’m so pleased with how it has turned out. I never, in a million years, expected it to be so successful! I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my songs; I’m so passionate about them. Nothing really inspired to me to write it, at the time when I first began writing songs for this album I was going through a pretty shit time. Writing songs helped me express how I felt, it was my way of coping with what I was going through.


What difficulties were you experiencing?
My father died when I was 15, it was horrific I have never experienced pain like it. I took my pain and grief out on anything and everything. School was a disaster, I didn’t want to be there, I made such crappy choices. I was always in detention or getting suspended for a few days, I was pretty much off the rails. I would skip school, find stashes of booze at home and just drink in an alley way.

I’m so sorry to hear that, what made you decide to write songs instead of lashing out?

I realised, after about a year that I couldn’t carry on acting this way. It was actually my music teacher who got through to me, I think. I can’t thank him enough for supporting me, if it wasn’t for him I don’t know what state or trouble I would be in today. My mum was obviously trying her best to help me but she had to worry about my two younger brothers too and she was also struggling with the grief of Dad.  I would just like to thank my mum for always being there for me, even when I was being a complete arse. Mr Thomas made me realise that I was doing wrong. I was not the only one suffering and I be helping my mum and be there for my younger brothers. He sat down with me and talked to me, he suggested that I should write songs to try and help how I felt and that’s exactly what I did.  That’s why my first album is called ‘On my mind’; it was about my dad.

Did the album really help with your emotions? The album is very close to your heart then.
Yes, most definitely. Writing the songs with pen and paper most definitely helped and completely clears your mind. All of my anger, frustration, and pain were injected into my songs. When I wrote the songs I was still in a pretty bad place but writing the lyrics down really did help me. I was never good at talking so writing them down and the fact it was so close to my heart really helped: it made my mind a lot clearer.

Were there any artist who influenced the way you wrote your songs?
Honestly, no. I wrote the songs on purely how I felt. Don’t get me wrong I love Ed Sheeran, Drake, Take That, Busted, Mcfly. I love loads of artists, old ones and also the newer ones but none really influenced the way I wrote my songs.

You’re very passionate about your music. What would you say was your favourite song from your first album?

Extremely! Not to blow my own trumpet or anything because it was number 1 for 3 weeks, but I’d say the song ‘Happening.’ It was the first song on the album and not only that it was actually the first song I wrote. I love all my songs but that one I just feel that although personally it was about my dad but really listeners could sing it or hear it and it fit something that has gone on/is going on in their life. The tempo changes which I love, I can’t quite describe it but it’s definitely my favourite.

What is your favourite song on your new album? When is it being released?

Probably ‘Moving on’ I think. It’s quite different, more upbeat but still has a lot of emotion and meaning behind it. It’s basically about me moving on with my life, there is a mix between good and bad emotions it is a good balance. I feel listeners will really enjoy this one as well, something most people can relate to.  You can really interpret it however you like. I’m really looking forward to releasing the whole album I am really thrilled. It’s being released June 20^th; I’ll be so nervous the night before! I’m also releasing merchandise not long after the album is released, it will be released on my website on 10^th August!

It’s been an absolute pleasure having you! Any comments you would like to say to the readers?

Thank you for having me! Yes, I would just like to thank everyone for the amount of support that you have given me. It really means the world to me; if you had told me ten years ago that this is where I would be right now I would have laughed and thought not in a million years!! I really appreciate everything so so much.

You can still purchase Tom’s first album ‘On My Mind’ on iTunes and in music stores. Follow him on twitter and facebook @TheTomBrookstein to keep up to date with everything that he’s up to. Visit his website TomBrooksteinMusic.co.uk to find more information about his merchandise and album.


Photo-shoot PlanShoot Date and Time- 28th January, 1:30 PM
Image Description- Main Image: Medium shot wearing fashionable clothing. Contents Page- Medium long shot of the duet, Long Shot of the 5 boys against a brick wall looking away from the camera. Long shot of individual female artist with a interesting pose. Double Page Spread- Medium shot with different facial expressions

Shoot Location- Against a white wall and a brick wall

Models- Kieran Dobbs, Chloe Neal, Cameron Vaughan, Nia Williams, Megan Taylor, Nathan Williams, Steffan Miles, Nye Phillips, Morgan Stark, Will Robinson

Permission details- They were all wiling to have their pictures taken

Props- No props were required