Sam Tompkins announces debut album hi, my name is insecure: "I'm a sensitive person"

British singer-songwriter Sam Tompkins has just announced the release of his debut album, hi, my name is insecure.

Set to drop May 24 via Island Records, is the culmination of years of hard graft and discovery, with writer Pablo Bowman (who helped write Tiësto and Ava Max's The Motto) and producer Danny Casio (who has worked with the likes of Little Mix and Rudimental) along for the ride. 

Today also sees the debut of the album's lead single, phones in heaven, one of the most hones and emotionally affecting songs of Sam's career.

Read our exclusive Q&A with Sam Tompkins about the release of his debut album below.

You’ve been working up to the release of your debut album for years now, did your vision for it change over time, or was this always going to be the finished product?

It's no secret that everyone’s first album is a long process and mine definitely hasn’t been an easy one, either, but I've loved it! A lot of things changed as time went on in terms of track listings, but hi, my name is insecure. was a song written first before everything was made.

I liked the concept of entering a party with the classic 'hi my name is' sticker on my chest stumbling over my words. It's close to my heart because I have always dealt with insecurities in my childhood and adult life. Something about that song started a chain of events. So many ideas have hit the cutting room floor, but I'm glad we landed here.

What have you learnt about yourself as a human and artist during the making of this record?

Great question. I feel as an artist, you start writing for your debut album the moment you pick up a pen to write your first-ever lyric. It's almost as if I’ve been writing this album and preparing for this moment for the decade that I've actually been making music for. In that time, I've gone through a lot of experiences. some happy, some sad.

The main thing I’ve learned about myself is that I like to share my feelings, I’m a sensitive person who as an artist wants people to feel less alone with my music. I'd say learning that is the biggest thing I've learnt about myself. I have this horrible fear that if I didn't find music, I'd be a lot less open with my feelings. Thankfully I did though!

Are there any songs that you’re looking forward to fans hearing for the first time?

There’s loads. Some I sadly can’t mention because I haven't revealed the tracklist yet. However!

I am super excited for people to hear phones in heaven in its entirety. that song is a real piece of my heart and I'm so proud of it. I'm also super excited for people to hear the title track, hi, my name is insecure.

It has such a lovely warm guitar on it, it’s stripped back and just feels super peaceful. Super excited for people to hear the whole album though. So much work went into it and it’s cool that it’s finally getting its time.

phones in heaven is the single you’re choosing to launch everything with – it’s such a personal song too, why did you choose this track to lead into the campaign?

Although phones in heaven was always [going to be] a single, it wasn’t originally going to be this first single of the campaign. It was gonna be another song, but at the end of last year my dad sadly took his own life and it changed the trajectory of everything.

The song after that was gonna be something else, but it just didn’t feel right. I wanted to go into this year remembering my dad and paying homage to him knowing just how instrumental in my life he has been. phones in heaven was actually not originally about him, it was more coming from a general perspective of losing people too soon.

Something to give people especially who have lost friends prematurely or suddenly to suicide and other things, a little bit of solace, but when my lovely dad left us, it all changed and now it’s about him too.

Can you give us a hint about what we can expect from the album in three words?

emotional, personal, comforting.

Sam Tompkins' debut album, hi, my name is insecure, drops May 24 via Island.