Talk
about making your dreams come true. Singer/songwriter Sandi
Thom, 24, had the innovative idea to stage a world tour from
her home in South London. Early this year, Thom brought a tour
to her fans via live webcast. News spread quickly, and soon
her audience skyrocketed to 70,000 viewers, ranging from Russia
to New Zealand.
“None of us really thought it would take off that much–it
was just a bit of a laugh,” says Thom. But the payoff
has been huge. Two weeks after the tour, she signed a record
deal with RCA, which was also broadcast live by webcam, naturally.
Her first album, Smile...It Confuses People, with its
catchy single “I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker”, debuted
on the UK chart at #1 in June.
Thom describes her music as “folk/soul/pop” and
explains that she’s interested in a nostalgic “turning
back to when artists played live [and] stuck around for 25 years”,
much like her musical influences, which range from Stevie Wonder
to Stevie Nicks. Here’s hoping that Thom will be around
for a long, long time.
The artist: Sandi Thom, whose modern pop/folk
songs capture an
era gone by.
Right now: Thom spent this summer touring the U.K.
and the U.S.,
and will continue throughout the fall.
Coming up: No slacker, she’s already
at work on her second album.
