Name: Tom Did It

Where He’s From: Hertfordshire

When He Started: “It was around 2016, when I was 13. That summer was when The Life Of Pablo by Kanye had come out, and I started to think that I could make music, so I started making beats and it all went from there.”

Genre: UK Rap/Grime/Indie/pop

File Next To: Nafe Smallz, The Kid LAROI, Post Malone

Sounds Like: “It’s difficult to say, but on my debut project, Did It, there’s a blend of indie-pop melodies mixed with my flow and raspy voice, sat on airy, cloudy hip-hop beats.”

First Music That Inspired Him: “People like Skepta, Lethal Bizzle, Chip, Devlin—all the early grime guys are who I gravitated to, as I loved the bars and the beats. I then started listening to American music, the likes of Kanye West and Jay-Z.”

Growing up in the outskirts of Hertfordshire, Tom was raised in a household that actively encouraged listening to a wide variety of music genres. “My parents gave me a really good palette of music to grow up on, ranging from the likes of Jay-Z, Oasis and Amy Winehouse, to The Chemical Brothers and The Specials,” he tells TRENCH. This had a huge impact on how he approaches music-making today: “My new, debut project, Did It, is about telling stories that I’ve been through and what so many other people I’m sure can relate to.” Not one to put himself in a box or limit himself in any capacity, Tom is all about making music and telling stories that are rooted in a level of truth and authenticity.

Prior to this mixtape, Tom had only been releasing singles. He is quick to credit his team in guiding him, as he “always wanted to be an album artist and share my thoughts and feelings in a cohesive body of work.” His first release was in 2020 with the song “Outside”, a strong introduction to the industry that combines the genres he loves: hip-hop, pop, indie and electronic. However, going through his catalogue up to his latest drop, Did It, it’s clear to see just how much Tom has grown as an artist, and how much knowledge he’s taken in from many of the artists who have come before him—some of them now his peers. Such as Luton-born hitmaker Nafe Smallz, who Tom credits as a massive inspiration in his career, someone who has given him advice, featured him on his album (2024’s Ticket To The Moon) and even brought him out to perform live on stage.

During his time in school, like a lot of children, Tom was feeling uninspired and didn’t have a clear direction on what his future was going to look like. But as an avid music lover, with friends around him who also made music, it wasn’t long until he had a switch in his mindset and decided that he could learn to create the music he loved himself. This switch spurred him to take music for GCSE and then went on to study it at college, which became the catalyst for his music career. “My music teachers were super inspiring throughout,” he says, “and I also saw it in myself and had a bit of delusion.”

That delusion clearly paid off as Tom is now a signed act with Sony Music imprint Since ‘93. For his debut project on the label, he wasn’t scared about showcasing a wide variety of genres within one project. His voice and lyrics are what creates a gripping narrative, tying everything together with a level of cohesion. “I’ve enjoyed being able to showcase different sides of me on this mixtape,” he explains. “I’ve got a couple of R&B tracks, some dance-orientated ones, but the thing that holds it all together is my voice and how I sit on the production. Doing music is all I ever wanted to do, and now I’m really doing this as an actual career—while it’s not all glitz and glamour, I’m doing what I love and Did It is a chance for me to acknowledge my growth.”

Looking forward to the future, Tom is looking to expand his audience, which is no doubt going to happen. But he’s also hoping to support some of the artists he looks up to on tour, such as Post Malone and The Kid LAROI. Whatever happens, it seems apparent that Tom Did It has a very bright future ahead of him with some of the industry’s biggest hitters on his side.