Rising Pop sensation Thomas Day talks about his music career and the story behind the new single “Softly“.
Thomas Day has gained over 5.2 million followers and 58 million likes on TikTok through videos of him singing a cappella to some of the biggest pop hits of today. Thomas day Softly has reached thousands of views and shares from his fans all over the world.
Tell us about your debut single ‘Softly’, how was it working on it, and what is the story behind it?
The idea came about suddenly. I wrote the entire song in one evening. It was about a serious relationship I was in that led to a breakup. The breakup inspired the song and it poured out of me. It was definitely a healing process from that breakup.
How did the last year change you as a musician and what did you learn about yourself during that time?
Last year was crazy and busy. I was wrapping up high school and went through the breakup at the same time. It was an emotional time in so many ways which really helped my writing grow.
I’ve written songs and played piano most of my life, but the last year was a really big growth period for me as a writer and musician.
That was mostly because of what I was experiencing, but also because of the opportunities that opened up to me on the music business side with Americas Got Talent and my current deal with Sony Music.
Tell us something that your fans do not know about you?
Not sure if people know, but I played high school football and was being recruited to play at the college level as a placekicker. My high school team went to the State championship last fall and that was a really fun experience.
Share with our fans how you got into the TikTok Scene and where you got all the ideas for your new videos?
I got into Tik Tok in late 2019. It started kind of accidentally in the bathroom at the local mall. I was singing in the restroom and it sounded great because of the acoustics. I recorded it as a joke for my friend, who was also there at the time and they convinced me to post it.
Before that, I had posted a couple covers, but for whatever reason, that video went semi-viral and really got me hooked into doing more.
Some claim that COVID has given other proportions about our lives, has the plague affected you in terms of creativity? Did you find yourself more time for writing and creating?
I’ve always written songs. However, the COVID pandemic has been a wild experience for me. I actually got COVID while I was in California during America’s Got Talent and they removed me from the show mid-way through because of it.
I was stuck in a hotel room for 10 days quarantined before I could leave to head back home to Tennessee. In those ten days I had nothing but me, a laptop, and a keyboard so I wrote non-stop. It definitely kick-started a period of writing for me.
Can you share any upcoming plans with us?
I’m planning to release my second song very soon through Sony. Look out for it and check it out on your favorite streaming service.
Your breakthrough into the TikTok industry was fast, do you remember the moment you realized you were a rising star in the field?
I don’t see myself that way or as a “star” but of course, I want my music to be exposed and to share my feelings through my music with fans. But yeah, I was definitely humbled when I saw how many people watched my videos and commented about my singing and my original songs.
Then opportunities started opening up for me to do music as a full-time career. I can’t say there was one moment that stood out, but this last year has really been amazing and I’m so grateful to all the fans that have supported me. I want to work hard to make more music and get it out there into the world.
Where will we find you in 5 years? We’d love to hear some of your aspirations, dreams, and goals that you have.
Now that I have this opportunity to make music full time and I have a relationship with a label like Sony I plan to make a lot more music. I hope that leads to me being able to play my music live on tour all over the globe.
Playing and singing live and feeling the reaction from people is such an amazing thing and I am so grateful for that.
You and many of the artists share their daily lives on social media, how important is exposure and connection to the audience for you?
It’s extremely important to me. The fans helped me get here. I love the fact that I can connect with them and take this journey with them. It’s like we are doing it all together.
As an artist, you are influenced by other artists you value and admire, who are the artists who have influenced you over the years, and is there anyone special?
There are so many artists I love, but as I write songs I feel like my influences come through in some way because they are the artists I played on piano at a young age…specifically a few are The Beatles, Harry Styles, Daniel Caesar, and Lewis Capaldi.
Give our audience the best tip of how to make the perfect TikTok Video
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Without a doubt you are very creative, how involved are you in the whole process of creating the music videos and production of your songs?
I was extremely involved. I wrote the song by myself. It was the song that got the most attention on TikTok so it was the obvious choice to release first. I played piano on the actual recording and was there through the entire process of production and recording.
As a media star and social influencer, what advice would you like to give young people at the beginning of their careers as new influencers or rising artists?
It sounds cliche, but work hard and stay with it. I still have a long way to go, but I’m excited about my opportunities and I’m going to work hard to keep everything growing and find more fans that dig my music.
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