A Pulse interview with Nigerian singer Tomi Thomas

As part of the Loud On Sound (LOS) group, Tomi Thomas is one of the stars whose talent shaped the early days of the Alternative music scene in Nigeria.

The booming audience for Alte sounds who were drawn to his infectious melodies, heartfelt writing, and daring inventiveness to create beyond the familiar, formed the bulk of his hardcore followership.

A decade after making his mark on the scene, Tomi Thomas continues to stretch his talent and for his latest exploration, he chose to bring his stellar touch to Nigerian Pop music.

“It’s a blessing to be an artist,” he says in a recent interview with Pulse Nigeria.

"The fuel that keeps me going is my faith in God and the excitement and fulfillment that comes from creating music and art that impacts lives positively. I love what I do."

As part of the LOS group who scored era-defining hits like Bad Guy P, Tomi Thomas’s work with artists like Cruel Santino aka Santi, the iconic duo Show Dem Camp, and producers GMK and Spaxx restates his role as a prominent part of the Alternative movement. On whether he considers himself primarily an Alte artist, Tomi Thomas says that he doesn't restrict himself to tags.

"I would say I create freely and truly. I choose to be my higher self always," he says about his creative approach to music.

Tomi Thomas is an artist with feet in different sonic worlds. A Nigerian who has spent considerable time overseas, his music carries heavy influences of Pop, Jazz, Reggae, Hip Hop, and RnB which he blends with his Nigerian Afrobeats heritage. On carving a sonic niche for himself, Tomi Thomas says that he exposes himself to multiple art forms and lets his feelings determine the outcome.

"I’m always open to listening and digesting all sorts of art forms be it sonically or visually. It all boils down to how it makes me feel and I take that inspiration wherever I go and whenever I work," he says.

In a Nigerian mainstream market dominated by Pop cuts driven by familiar elements of language and party starting production, Tomi Thomas' avant-garde musicality makes him and others like him artists whose work feeds the sensibilities of listeners craving music outside the mainstream.

"I would say my music takes root in the hearts of those who love it and appreciate it and that’s all that matters to me."

Nigerian singer Tomi Thomas

His supercharged artistic frequency is now tuned to the era-dominating Amapiano sound which inspired his latest single Seeing Is Believing, which he describes as a desire to let loose and have fun.

"Seeing Is Believing is a more evolutionary sound. It’s House and Afrobeats with the log drums for the ride. It’s just time to have fun and let loose. It’s a record I love and felt was right to share with the world," he says on the new single which he adds would kick off what listeners should expect to be an "exciting one [with] lot of surprises in the works sonically".

With a new project on the way, Thomas Thomas is tight-lipped on the potential features in it. When asked if he will collaborate with more mainstream acts as he appears to favour working more with Alte creatives, he argues that his portfolio is diverse.

"I’ve created music with almost everyone at one point or the other and I’m excited to put out these collaborations soon".

On the mainstream artists he currently fancies and might be excited to work with, he lists new generation superstars Rema, Ayra Starr, Tems, and Victony.

Tomi Thomas

Tomi Thomas shares how his music and career reflect his state of mind and how he's learning to accept peace and tranquility.

"I’m learning ways of peace and tranquility and always choosing what’s best for my family and me. To be honest, there’s a lot to learn," he says.

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