With the release of his debut album ‘hi, my name is insecure’, acclaimed British singer songwriter Sam Tompkins speaks aloud his truth in the most pure and profound way.
Billed as being an accumulation of years of hard work, the deeply personal record finds Sam in a place of self-redemption, as he basks in the afterglow of wrestling some of the personal demons that once threatened to tear him apart.
Made up of 16 emotionally charged tracks, including the singles ‘someone else’, ‘time will fly’, ‘see me’, ‘lose it all’, ‘phones in heaven’ and ‘numb’, the album features noted writing credits from Pablo Bowman (Calvin Harris, James Arthur, Jonas Brothers), as well as writer and producer Danny Casio (Little Mix, Joy Crookes, Tom Grennan, Rudimental).
Praised by fans for producing searingly honest lyrics, that speak to both societal culture the current moment, and hailed by critics as being “one of the UK’s most exciting talents of the moment”, Tompkins is undoubtedly at his best when writing autobiographically about his own personal life experiences, and heartbreaks.
Commenting on his style of songwriting, and how he hopes to be something of a help to army of loyal followers, the ‘Talking To The Moon’ singer says: “Whenever I talk about my problems in my songs, I feel like a weight has been lifted, because I know that I don’t have to hide or be ashamed of that thing, and I want everyone else to feel that like there’s nothing in this world that you might feel sad about that is shameful. In terms of mental health, there isn’t anything you ought to shy away from, you should always let people know if you’re struggling.”
Between the 16 main tracks on ‘hi, my name is insecure’, Sam covers a lot of emotional ground, tackling themes of self-loathing, heartbreak, grief and loss – topics of which are sure to resonate with millions around the world.
Keep reading to see our pick of some of the records most thought-provoking, and powerful lyrics…
‘hi, my name is insecure.’
That, hi my name is insecure / And I don’t know if I wanna be here anymore / The only thing that’s making me stay here is your eyes, tonight
‘dead to me’
Just tell me why you stole my heart like a thief / Then buried it six feet deep / Take it all up with Jesus, he’s more forgiving than me
‘phones in heaven’
I wish I didn’t delete those texts / They were the one thing that I had left / ‘Cause maybe now I would miss you less / Maybe those conversations could fill the emptiness
I’m always waking up from my dream I can’t accept
‘lose it all’
I’d walk a million miles, to watch you walking down the aisle
I don’t wanna grow old, missing a piece of my heart that you hold
‘almost killed me’
Love was the thing that almost killed me
‘then there was one’
I’m embarrassed by the things that I said
I let my ego tell me how to love
‘die for someone’
Wiser, I should be wiser / Instead I’m too frightened to love again / Trying, I should be trying / To figure out why I am the way that I am
Nearly broke myself ‘cause I got too selfish
‘numb’
I feel the walls getting thicker / While my strengths’ getting thinner
I’d rather be numb to all the pain that has found me
‘all my everything’
I try my best to satisfy your every need / But I barely even seem to even know myself
‘someone else’
I don’t know if I can take another summer / Pretending that you and me we feel the same
You turned a boy into a man, now I hate the man I am
‘time will fly’
You may even find love a few times / Then you’re gonna break-up / But that’s life
Don’t try to give it up, that’s what they want you to do
Time will fly / Run away from you / And it’s alright / It’s what you’re made to do
I think it’s a shame that you can’t talk to your younger self / ‘Cause a lot of the time when I was younger I needed someone exactly like me to show up / And be there when I needed them, but I’m there for them now
‘see me’
Need to come to terms and be honest with / But I’m too scared of what people might say
I’m afraid of everyone judging me / Once they observe what I preserve / And stop loving me
I just can’t have you anywhere near me / ‘Cause what if you see me the way that I see me
I think I owe an apology / To the kid I was when I was young / ‘Cause, I promised him that I’ll figure all this out by the time that he’d gotten here / But that was a lie and I am still ashamed / ‘Cause I’m to blame
‘thanatophobia’
My heart it grew colder / Until the day we met
I don’t care ‘bout how I look here / As long as you’re looking at me
‘thank god you talked to me’
That night when I looked at you / I felt I could fly but I’ll fall any moment
I can’t speak / I get my words wrong
Now I’ve had the chance / To fall in love at last / I don’t wanna say goodbye
‘more than me’
I used to be ambitious / Got scared of bein’ destined / What a waste / I could’ve seen better days
I think I love you more than me / I think about you when I sleep
I’ll get my shit together / Go see the world, whatever
I think I lost myself in the process
‘alone at the party’
You’ve got to show face to some people you hate / So the ones you love stay close
Head down on my phone / I’m unapproachable so I don’t have to fake
Stream / download ‘hi, my name is insecure’ here