When I’m on stage and I hear the roar of people then I feel at home, says Tom Grennan on Glastonbury anxiety & album
“I’VE always been a person if there’s a door in a room that’s locked, I want to go through the door and see what’s behind it,” says Tom Grennan on his new album What Ifs And Maybes.
“In the run up to this record, a lot of things happened in my life where I was finally mentally and physically in a good place.
“I put myself in uneasy waters and I found a way to swim. And I wanted to really write a record that gave people the ambition, determination and free will of, ‘If I want something I’m going to get it’.”
And Tom’s new-found confidence is working as he’s on course for a second number one in today’s album charts with his third album. And tomorrow he plays at Glastonbury.
When we meet at his record label HQ, he’s still chirpy but tired following a weekend of gigs and promotional duties and suffering with hayfever.
He says: “I say to people, if you come to one of my shows, you’ll see I am up there with the best performers.
“And I’m not saying that in a boastful way or being big headed or bragging. I’m just saying, come to a show and I promise you’ll not leave unhappy.”
There’s been a change in Grennan’s mindset in recent years and he’s got the assurance in his abilities.
“I still get nervous, don’t get me wrong,” he smiles. “And I think nerves are good to have. Because if you’re not nervous, you don’t care. But when I’m up there on stage, it’s my happy place.
‘Roar of people’
“The hours beforehand are when I get nervous. The anxiety poos are real — the number of times I go to the loo is crazy,” he laughs.
“But as soon as I’m on stage and I hear the roar of people, then I feel at home.”
The Bedford-born singer says having counselling has allowed him to deal with his worry and he’s now able to “talk” to himself when he is struggling.
“Therapy’s been a massive help, and I think it works for me,” he tells me. “Just being able to navigate my thoughts which are a little bit like the ocean, they come in and they go out. And it’s just allowing them weird, crazy and frightening thoughts to come in and I love flipping things too. Oh my God, I can’t do that. Yeah, I can do that.”
And it’s still feeling like the underdog in music that spurs him on. He says: “People will say to me. ‘Oh, you’re doing all right at the moment,’
“And I’m like, hold on a minute. Fair enough. But I’m not just doing all right. I’m doing f***ing really well.
“And I’m not saying this in a way to feel sorry for me, because I enjoy being the underdog.
“I want this career to be a long one like Robbie Williams or Elton John. I don’t want to be here today and when I’m older, telling people I had that back in the day. I want to be like Coldplay.”
Footie fan Grennan, who played for Luton Town as a youngster, adds: “I think football taught me some life lessons like, you’ve got to work hard for something.
“You’ve also got to have respect for what you do and be a team player. If you want to be the best, you really have to knuckle down and watch your attitude and get on with it. Being a team player thing is what I’ve learnt the most from football.”
What Ifs And Maybes is a record that reflects Grennan’s positivity and spirit.
“I tried to just make it as energetic as possible — and nobody’s got time for listening to ballads at the moment,” he says.
“I’ve got one ballad on there because it’s one of the best songs I’ve ever written. But, gig wise, I just want people to have fun and not really have a minute to cry.”
‘Better with age’
Gorgeous piano track This Side Of The Room is another that Grennan is particularly proud of.
“I love all the songs on the record but the best one on there writing wise is This Side Of The Room. It’s a massive song. And, lyrically, it’s really visual. It tells the story of what actually happened in my life.”
Grennan says his new record shows his growth as a songwriter.
He says: “I’ve learnt and I’ve grown and I’ve just got better with age and experience.
“Psychedelic Kisses was a song that came quite later into the album. And it represents what’s been missing in my music before.
“I listened to my first and second albums again and I felt like Psychedelic Kisses was what was missing.
“I’ve grown up and been around a lot of amazing, talented people. I’ll never be perfect and I’ll never be somebody who can write hit after hit after hit easily.
“I’ll always have to work at it and work harder.
“It’s like a sailing ship. Sometimes the wind will blow one way and you’ve got to pull and pull to make it sail.
“I’ll always want to try and make my writing better, but being around so many amazing people, I’ve absorbed loads of things.
“All the people I worked with on this record inspire me every day.”
With 17 tracks, What Ifs And Maybes shows Grennan has plenty of music to offer.
He says: “I actually could have added more songs to be honest. But then it would be too long. It’s been over two years since I put out my last album (Evering Road) and I’ve not put a lot of music out other than a few singles here and there . . . so why not put a load of songs out on an album?”
There’s lots of great tracks on Grennan’s third album which boasts some of his best to date. You Are Not Alone, Problems and Sleeping Rough are all standouts.
He says: “Sleeping Rough is about how I’ll do what it takes. I’ll literally wait and wait and wait until I see an opening.
“I won’t rush things to get what I want, which is unusual for me. I’ve always been quite like a dog with a bone. I want, want, want but I’ve learnt that being slow and steady wins the race.”
And it’s the heart-rending Sleeping Rough that gave Grennan the album’s title.
He explains: “It is my favourite lyric in that song and it literally said everything that I was feeling.
“‘What if you don’t do something? Or what if you do something? Where’s it going to take you? Maybe it will be the dreamland that you’ve always thought of,’ which summed up the album for me.”
‘Hangers on’
Grennan turned 28 at the beginning of the month and says being in the spotlight from 21 to now, has seen a lot of changes in his life.
“A lot of people have come, a lot of people have gone,” he tells me.
“If I was to tell my younger self anything, it would be to trust myself and to be aware of those who love you for you, or who love you for this sh*t.
“I’ve found out that a lot of people are hangers-on. I found that out with one of my best mates.
“You see a lot of people change when they think you’ve got it all. I always try to be nice to everyone.”
The singer says his parents and close friends don’t treat him any differently since his career took off.
“My mum and my family don’t really talk about it,” he says. “They ask me what I’m doing but my mum’s got my diary so she tells me what I’m up to. They’re all proud.
“I’ve not really got loads of friends in this world. I’m cool with people and I don’t have loads of mates to call up apart from my solid crew at home.
“I’ve got a good circle of people there and my missus and my manager keep me grounded.”
Grennan popped the question to personal trainer girlfriend Danniella Carraturo last year and is hoping to get married as soon as his schedule allows.
“She’s great and she doesn’t, like, care about the fame side. She lets me get on with what I need to do. She is a huge support to me.
“I would love to have a family. But that’s a few years down the line. Now I’m focused on getting to the next level. I want to be up there with the best of the best.”
Grennan’s fiancée is also behind his new fitness regime, which includes regular ice baths, and has also seen him cut back on partying when he’s on tour.
He says: “She’s been a huge help but also, I am a believer that I work better when I’ve done exercise.
“I don’t want to be on stage and feel like I can’t do the job. I’ve seen that happen with so many people, but my brain and the way I am works better when I’m fully athletic. I just have to quit the vaping.
“When my first album came out I was only 21. So, I was a 21-year-old in this new world, and I could do whatever I wanted to do.
“London is a little bubble that there’s so much temptation to go out all the time. But partying isn’t for me. Since I moved out of London I live a quiet life and that suits me.”
Topping the charts today and playing Glastonbury’s Other Stage tomorrow means it will be a big weekend for Grennan.
“I am excited for Glastonbury, it’s going to be a good gig,” he says.
“The arena shows I recently played completely changed things for me. I upped a level. And the songs on this album are perfect for my live shows.
“I wanted to write songs that could communicate with anybody. I wanted them to fill a small room or a massive arena or field.
“I want people to come and see me and have a good time. Now the album is out, I can guarantee that.”
- What Ifs And Maybes is out now. Tom Grennan plays the Other Stage tomorrow afternoon.
