“I Think We Made The Right Decisions”: Sam Tompkins On Grief, Making The Most of Tomorrow and His Soaring New Album

The Eastbourne-raised singer-songwriter went from busker-to-pop belter, gaining co-signs from the Biebers and a chart staple. Now, after a break from the spotlight to mourn one of the greatest loves of his life, he returns with a sophomore album that makes light of both the major and minor.

Sometimes, the embers of grief sparks the fires of beauty. For singer-songwriter Sam Tompkins, that mourning arrived first as an absence: his first Christmas without his father, just weeks after losing him, when the childlike excitement he had once associated with the festive season suddenly felt like it belonged to another version of himself. That feeling became “Little Boy”, the first song to emerge from what would eventually become ARE WE GONNA SING?, his second studio album out today via Island Records – a body of work that began as an attempt to understand loss, before becoming something much bigger than the feeling itself.

On ARE WE GONNA SING?, the 29-year-old moves through the  messy spectrum of grief, showing itisn’t always sonically conveyed through dour lyrics and minor chords. The 12-track record captures being alive through love, friendship, identity, memory, ambition, joy and the quiet realisation that everything can change without a warning.

And though the way in which he shows up in the physical is slightly different now, he is imprinted on the album. Even down to the record’s title which comes from an old home video of his father and appears at the very end of the record in “LIVE WHERE I DON’T LOSE YOU”. Fittingly, the phrase became its name almost by accident. So although it’s a project deeply rooted in the past, it’s one that ultimately asks what it means to keep moving forward.

Made alongside friends and fellow musicians, including singer-songwriter and producer Humble The Great, the album finds Tompkins leaning into a looser, more instinctive approach to songwriting. Jams were allowed to breathe, imperfections were left intact, emotion took precedence over polish. The influence of artists like mk.gee, Dijon, and Pinegrove float presently throughout, alongside flashes of country and folk, but the resulting record remains unmistakably his own – intimate without being overly precious; vulnerable without ever feeling like a spectacle.

After years of busking in Brighton, building a devoted listeners base and returning to the stage, making this album gave Tompkins the chance to survey his life from a distance and reconsider what actually matters. The answer, perhaps unsurprisingly, is music: playing it, sharing it and being in a room with people who have come to hear it.

Sitting down with Man About Town, Tompkins discusses how ARE WE GONNA SING? came to be, the father who remains at its emotional centre, learning to let songs be imperfect, and the simple truth he hopes listeners take away from the record: “Tomorrow isn’t promised…Tell people you love ‘em.”

This album was born from a period of self-reflection and evaluation of your life following your father's passing. Can you recall the moment(s) that these feelings began to materialise as songs? 

Definitely. It was my first Christmas without him about a month after he was gone. I wasn’t enjoying the festive period and felt like that child version of myself that used to love it was well and truly gone. I wrote a song called “Little Boy” in that time around that subject and that was the moment. 

You've described grief as "a big loop of emotions". Where do you currently find yourself in that loop, and how has this album helped you process it? 

To be honest, I’m not really sure. Sometimes I feel very much okay and sometimes I’m not. Today I woke up and felt grateful so I guess it’s a good day today, but they aren’t all this way. I think this album honestly just gave me the opportunity to talk about my dad and I think that’s one of the things I love doing the most. 

The title “ARE WE GONNA SING?” comes from a home video featuring your dad. Has that phrase always been the emotional centre of the project? 

Interestingly enough, the album had a totally different title until the last night of camp – me and my friends, who I made the project with, were together. It’s the last thing you hear on the record and my friend Jack asked me if that should be the title and it just clicked.

You say that when you started writing, you thought the album would be entirely about your father, but it ended up being more about where you were positioned at that point in life. What surprised you most about the topics and ‘stories’ that surfaced instead? 

That’s right. I think it was less of a surprise and more of an enlightening conversation with my friend Martin where he said “not all songs about grief need to be sad” and that’s when it hit me. It was more of a weight lifting off my shoulders than anything. Weirdly, the album is all about grief because it’s part of who I am now, but it only gets touched on a few times throughout.

This project is shaped by a more live, jam-led approach, which was helped by fellow singer-songwriter, producer Humble The Great. How did working together in that way change the kinds of songs you were able to write? 

Working with Humble was great because I got to learn another person's process. I’ve always jammed to write songs but never made those jam sessions really come to life on record. It was nice to not worry about everything being polished for once and just really service the emotion in the songs.

This record is undoubtedly Sam, but it’s hard not to hear the Dijon and Mk.gee influence, with some country and folk twangs sprinkled throughout it all, but still coming out in a way that is authentically you. Who and what were some of your musical and creative influences for this project? 

At this current time, it’s hard not to get inspired. Seeing mk.gee live was genuinely life changing. It made me realise that music is meant to be felt, not just the lyrics or the melody, but all of it. They were hugely inspirational – Pinegrove were also, and Michael Jackson, definitely, at points. 

Vulnerability has always been a defining trait of your craft. How did making this album challenge you in terms of being open, either as a songwriter or as a person? 

Weirdly making this album wasn’t challenging at all in terms of writing. It was more figuring out what songs we felt best serviced the message. That was tough but I think we made the right decisions. 

Across the tracklist, which song would you say was the most difficult to finish, and why? 

I think “Body to Body” was hard. We were trying to figure out for a while how to make those choruses pop. We got there in the end though and it ended up being one of my favourites.

Is there a track that is the emotional core of the whole record? 

Definitely “Heated Seats” or “Live Where I Don’t Lose You”. 

From busking in Brighton to selling out intimate comeback shows, you've built a career grounded by your intimate relationship with your fans and audience. Did the experience of making this album change how you think about relationships generally, but especially those with your fans? 

I definitely think taking the time out to make it was good for me. It let me look at my life from a birds eye view a bit and realise what’s truly important – that was being on stage and connecting with the crowds and my listeners.

You had a really beautiful relationship with your dad, saying that he was the person you most wanted to impress. Which song(s) do you think he'd play on repeat on this record? 

I think “Heated Seats”. I think he’d play that every day in his car. 

When listeners reach those final tender moments of “Live Where I Don’t Lose You” and hear that childhood recording, what’s the message you want them to take away? 

That tomorrow isn’t promised. Big birthdays and Christmases and cool events are good to look forward to but the every day is the most important. Tell people you love ‘em.

What has been the biggest learning curve, whether personally, professionally or creatively, in the process of making this album? 

That sometimes the creative process isn’t about making the biggest hit in the world and having people all over listen. Sometimes it’s about appealing to that very specific kind of person with a topic that’s real to you and helping that person feel less alone. 

In terms of what comes next, what are you most hopeful for? 

I want to tour and play music and do my job to the best of my ability for as long as possible!