Sam Tompkins has never been an artist who does things for effect. From busking on the streets of Brighton — terrified at first, unstoppable within months — to selling out the Hammersmith Apollo and racking up over 300 million global streams, everything about his rise has felt earned rather than engineered. So when he says that new single ‘Beauty Queen’ is about his partner and the way he doesn’t always feel like he measures up to her, you believe him completely.
“There’s a little bit of insecurity in there,” he explains, “but mostly it’s about how grateful I am that I get to spend time with her.” It’s a disarmingly simple thing to say, and the song is disarmingly simple in the best possible way — a rhythmic, guitar-driven track that feels warm and immediate, with the kind of hook that lodges itself in your head without you quite noticing. After 18 months away, it’s a confident and quietly joyful way to come back.
The track also signals a fresh sonic direction for Tompkins, shaped by a new creative partnership with producer Humble The Great. It sits apart from the tender piano balladry of ‘Lose It All’ — the breakthrough track that challenged outdated ideas around masculinity and vulnerability — and the unexpected viral chaos of ‘To The Moon’ with Jnr Choi, which dominated TikTok and amassed hundreds of millions of streams. ‘Beauty Queen’ feels like the sound of an artist who has taken stock, found some peace, and made music from that place.
His story is worth knowing if you don’t already. He uploaded bedroom covers on YouTube, took himself busking to conquer his fear of performing, and built an audience entirely from the ground up before landing two UK Top 10 albums — his 2022 EP Who Do You Pray To and 2024 debut Hi, My Name Is Insecure. He’s supported Justin Bieber, achieved Platinum certification in the US and Gold in Germany and Italy. He’s done all of this on his own terms, with a consistency of character that is increasingly rare.
‘Beauty Queen’ is out now. This new chapter is off to a very good start.
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