Known for his soulful vocals and emotive lyrics, Sam Tompkins has gone from busking on the busy street to selling out arenas. His captivating R&B sound is at the heart of his success

What you need to know about Sam Tompkins

Raised in the seaside town of Eastbourne, Sam Tompkins's musical awakening came after listening to artists like Justin Timberlake, Ray Charles, and, later, hip-hop artists like Drake.

It’s no surprise, then, that when he began to write his own music, it was to take on a distinctive R&B-pop flavour. With his wide-ranging vocal abilities and impressive high tenor, Sam Tompkins’ voice was ideally suited for covering contemporary pop/R&B songs. He is probably one of the few artists in the entire world who could do proper justice to a cover of The Weeknd’s song ‘Earned It’.

Sam earned a reputation for himself by busking alongside fellow street performer Ren Gill in cities like Brighton. In their prime - circa 2017/2018 - the duo had Lennon and McCarthy levels of musical chemistry.

Sam Tompkins’ covers began to steadily pick up steam from 2017 onwards, with many of them becoming viral hits. But it was his cover of Bebe Rexha’s ‘I Got You’ which changed everything, winning him an international contest for MTV’s ‘Cover of the Month’.

This brought Sam international attention, as well as a music deal with Island Records and studio time with none other than Justin Bieber. He was reaching dizzying heights, but he took it all in his stride. Sharpened by his time as a street performer, Sam focused on music and performance above all else.

It’s worked out well for him. He has released over a dozen singles to date. Among them is the track ‘To The Moon’, which currently has almost 300,000,000 streams on Spotify…

Sam Tompkins is one of the best R&B/pop artists that the UK has to offer right now. His lyrics are pure, his voice is exceptional, and his live performances are immersive and unforgettable.

Unlike many R&B artists on both sides of the Atlantic - who have the songs, the videos, and the slick production - Sam Tompkins’ unique selling point is that he feels like a street performer first, meaning these songs have heart and soul where many others simply do not.

Where you can hear Sam Tompkins perform

Sam has shifted gears in terms of his career. With his recent successes, the artist has understandably had less time to busk on the streets.

Despite all this, Sam frequently tours throughout the UK and Europe. He sold out the Hammersmith Apollo in November 2023, playing to over 5,000 people. With the type of artist that Sam Tompkins is, you can expect that he’ll be sharing plenty more tour dates in the near future.

What else you should know about the artist

Sam Tompkins released his debut EP, titled Who Do You Pray To, in September 2023. It debuted at number 7 on the official UK Album Chart. He has teased that his long-awaited debut album will also be released in the near future.