Growing up listening to vocal powerhouses including Luther Vandross and Whitney Houston, Tom Johnston began his musical journey alike many making his way across open mic nights at bars, pubs and clubs introducing original material into his set.

From pubs to local events, Tom caught the attention of producer Rees Broomfield and began working at SS2 Recording in Southend and it was here his talent was truly unlocked as he began collaborating with local musicians and cracked the scene in Southend.

As Tom prepares for his debut EP release ‘Bouquet’, he has unveiled two tracks from the release including latest soulful single ‘What Went Wrong’.

To give us an insight into the influence behind the release, Tom has shared the artists who helped shaped his new single.

Troye Sivan

After singing and writing songs for as long as I can remember, I really struggled to find a sound that I felt would represent me as an artist. When I first listened to Troye Sivan’s debut album ‘Blue Neighbourhood’ I remember immediately thinking that I wanted to be able to make music like that, with stand out tracks including ‘Wild’ and ‘Youth’. The album is beautifully crafted with emotive lyrics and abstract synth production, but still maintains conventions of great pop music, something I feel I have tried to emulate in ‘What Went Wrong’.

Jessie J

As soon as I heard Jessie J’s voice I fell in love her vocal prowess, old soul and raw power. Growing up I was always a loud singer and constantly felt that I needed to rein it in and hold back, but listening to Jessie J’s album ‘Who You Are’ and hearing how unapologetic she was about having a naturally loud voice, made me feel there was no need to hold back both vocally and emotionally. The stand out tracks for me on the release were ‘I Need This’ and ‘Big White Room’.

Sam Smith

Heartbreak and emotion permeates Sam Smith’s songwriting and that emotional honesty was something that was always in the back of my mind when constructing the lyrics for ‘What Went Wrong’.

HALSEY

I love how Halsey crafts these really emotive and atmospheric songs, which sets them apart from a standard pop song. I feel the production on her tracks is really refreshing and I wanted to do this in my own way.

Luther Vandross

I remember asking my parents for Luther Vandross’ greatest hits CD for Christmas when I was a kid. His vocal melodies and the way he commands his voice in his songs, inspired me to be more daring with the vocal melodies I write in my songs.

You can listen to ‘What Went Wrong’ via Spotify below: