Inspired #296 - Tom Tripp
North London’s Tom Tripp returns to reassure those who feel alone, with his brand new single ‘Running’ - a slow burning brooding track with dashes of modern r&b thrown in for good measure. He took a moment to talk to us about the inspirations behind his music.
Who are your top three musical inspirations and why?
My top three musical inspirations are Kanye West, Timbaland and Kid Cudi.
Kanye because his music is like musical theatre. It’s like you’re watching a movie. He takes you on a cinematic journey where anything can happen. Whether it’s an abrupt horror scream or violent crushing drums. He doesn’t approach music in a normal or accepted way. He does what the fuck he wants. Timbaland because when I was a lot younger I had never heard drums like his. He would have these random Indian backing vocals In his beats and then bring in some crazy synths on the chorus. Then his drums always and a foreign swing to them. I don’t know what it was but he really was one with the beats he made. I still watch all those old YouTube videos of him in the studio making beats. Kid Cudi because he puts his soul on display for all to see and judge. He’s like everyone’s dad. He puts his struggles, addictions and defeats into his songs and it's beautiful. He is probably the most vulnerable musician out there and I love him for it! Protect Cudi at all costs!. That man has saved many young lost souls.
Is there a certain film that inspires you and why?
I don’t have a specific film that inspires me but usually the soundtrack of a film is what grabs my attention and inspires me to get in the studio. Any film that Hans Zimmer does the score for does that for me. His use of orchestra ensembles and aggressive brasses always go crazy!
What city do you find the most inspiring and why?
I travel quite a bit. I don’t like staying in one place for too long. I need to keep moving. But if there's one place that never ceases to inspire me…Its Lisbon. I've spent a lot of time out there in the past 2 years. The beauty of that place never leaves my mind. Whether I’m at a viewpoint or a praca, there is always someone with an acoustic guitar singing. They sing everywhere. Old or young. The weather is beautiful. The people are beautiful. It charges my soul honestly. I can just be myself out there.
Who is the most inspiring person to you and why?
My mother is the strongest person I know. She has been through the toughest battles in life and still comes through at the other side. She doesn’t see doubt. She is aware she is God’s child and whatever is meant for someone in life will be theirs. She’s my biggest supporter too.
What were your inspirations when writing your new track?
I wrote running in the peak of lockdown and the only thing I could do was go to the studio. I spent a lot of time alone in my flat. I didn’t see anyone for months. Because of the lockdown I fell out of communication with a special person. As the months went by, things happened in life that meant I couldn’t be as close to that person as I once was. But I still want them to know I’m there for them. So Running is just that. It’s a song about supporting someone from a distance even if you want to be closer. It’s quite deep to be honest.
How would you like to inspire people?
I want to inspire people to be themselves. To really be honest about how you feel inside and express that in whatever way you feel. Because there's no point having regrets about the things you wanted to do but never did. Or things you wanted to say but never did. There's so much noise in the world we don’t really know who we are anymore. Are the thoughts in your head even yours? With the amount of information we take in everyday on social media it's hard to even know what is real and what isn’t. So I want the pain and truths I put into my music, show others that it's okay to just be raw. We’re human. Shit isn’t perfect and I will never be.