Tom Walker

Biography

Thomas Alexander Walker (born 17 December 1991) is a Scottish singer-songwriter from Kilsyth, Scotland. He rose to fame after the release of his single "Leave a Light On×Leave a Light On13 October 2017 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Leave a Light On3:05", which peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart in June 2018.

Early life and education

Walker was born in Kilsyth. Despite relocating with his family to Chelford, England, when he was three, Walker claims his upbringing was still 'Glaswegian', due to his Scottish background. He speaks with a Glasgow accent when with family or in Scotland. His favourite artists while growing up included Ray Charles, Muddy Waters and Paolo Nutini. In 2014, prior to fame, Walker graduated from the London College of Creative Media.

2017–2019: What a Time to Be Alive and collaborations

In 2017, Walker released "Just You and I×Just You and I11 January 2019 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Just You and I2:54", which was picked as Elvis Duran's Artist of the Month appearing on NBC's Today show with Kathie Lee Gifford where he performed the song. His follow-up single was "Blessings×Blessings28 April 2017 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Blessings3:18", the title track from his debut EP Blessings. On 13 June 2017, Walker released the single "Heartland×Heartland13 June 2017 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Heartland", which was co-written and produced by Naughty Boy. On 22 August 2017, the single was added to the BBC Radio 1 playlist. Later in 2017, Walker was named as one of the new additions to the BBC Radio 1 Brit List. Walker has played support slots for artists such as George Ezra, Gallant and Jake Bugg. On 28 September, Walker began his US tour, in Connecticut, supporting The Script.
On 13 October 2017, Walker released his single "Leave a Light On×Leave a Light On13 October 2017 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Leave a Light On3:05" on Relentless Records. The single was co-written and produced by Steve Mac. The music video for "Leave a Light On" was produced by Charles Mehling, and filmed in Croatia. It impacted numerous international charts and was included in his debut studio album What a Time to Be Alive×What a Time to Be Alive1 March 2019 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Angels3:232Leave a Light On3:053Not Giving In3:494How Can You Sleep at Night?3:365Now You’re Gone3:326My Way3:577Blessings3:208Cry Out3:259Dominoes4:0410Fade Away4:4411Just You and I3:1812The Show5:5013Walk Alone3:25. In 2019, Walker won the Best Breakthrough Act at the 2019 Brit Awards. The song "Leave a Light On" was also nominated for "Best British Single".

2020–present: I Am

In November 2019, Walker confirmed he had begun working on his second studio album. Following this, in early 2020, What a Time to Be Alive achieved platinum accreditation by the British Phonographic Industry for sales of over 300,000 units in the UK.

As part of "Royal Carols: Together at Christmas" in December 2021, Tom Walker performed "For Those Who Can't Be Here×For Those Who Can't Be Here9 December 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1For Those Who Can't Be Here3:03" with Catherine, Princess of Wales (at the time styled the Duchess of Cambridge) playing piano.
Walker's single "The Best Is Yet to Come" was released on 13 October 2022, and peaked at number 23 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart and the UK Singles Sales Chart. It was then followed by the single "Burn", released on 22 September 2023. On 3 November 2023, Walker officially announced his sophomore studio album, I Am. That same day, he released his single "Freaking Out×Freaking Out3 November 2023 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Freaking Out2:252Burn2:23". The next single, "Head Underwater×Head Underwater2 February 2024 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Head Underwater3:16" was released on 2 February 2024, and peaked at number 95 on the UK Singles Chart. He then released two more songs: "Lifeline×Lifeline22 March 2024 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Lifeline2:562Head Underwater3:163Burn2:234Freaking Out2:25" on 29 March 2024, and "Holy Ghost×Holy Ghost19 July 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Holy Ghost2:382Holy Ghost (instrumental)2:383Holy Ghost (a cappella)2:38" on 19 July 2024. I Am was released on 20 September 2024 and peaked at number 4 on the UK Albums Chart.