YOU might not have heard of London singer-songwriter Tom Baxter.
But fans of Simon Pegg’s film Run, Fat Boy, Run, will have heard his song Better, which features on the movie soundtrack.
Better is taken from Tom’s new album, Skybound, which came out on January 7.
It has been released on Tom’s on label, Sylvan, which he set up after releasing his debut album Feather And Stone in 2004.
We caught up with Tom while he was relaxing at home...
HOW LONG HAD YOU BEEN THINKING ABOUT SETTING UP YOUR OWN LABEL? I was trying to get out of my deal with Sony for a good year or so. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I knew I just had to wait to get my next album out. They invested a lot of money in me and were looking to make it back. I learned a lot from the whole experience though, so I definitely knew what it was going to take to make another record, especially the expense.
THE ALBUM WAS ON iTUNES LAST YEAR WASN’T IT?Yes, it was. We got a load of money together, recorded the album and got it on there. I was lucky that Better was used in Run, Fat Boy, Run and then Johnnie Walker from Radio 2 was a fan of that song. That helped massively.
YOU WERE IN CHARGE OF THE ARTWORK FOR SKYBOUND TOO? Yes, I did all that, and painted a canvas to represent each of the songs on the album. We sold those off to raise some money to put the album out and the marketing. It was an idea I’d had for ages. When I was on my own, I got my freedom back and realised I had to get back to doing what I loved doing, which was painting and writing songs.
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE ABLE TO COMBINE BOTH YOUR PASSIONS? It’s amazing. I just look back to the artists I loved when I was growing up and remember how much I loved getting into their whole world, record covers, sleeve notes and of course the music. That’s what I want to give to people.
WHEN WAS ‘BETTER’ WRITTEN? It was written Christmas 2006 for my best mate. He rang me and said he’d proposed to his girlfriend, so we got together a few weeks after and decided to sit down and write a song. I’d just moved in to a new house with my girlfriend too, so we just wrote about what was going on. It’s just about how certain people make your life better. I think it resonates with people because it’s so simple.
WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE ALBUM?Well, there’s Tragic, which is a social comment, and Miracle, which is about being scared of getting involved with someone. Skybound, the title track, is about pulling yourself up after you’ve been through a bad patch. Last Shot is about getting really heartbroken and really knowing what it’s like to lose someone. Icarus Wings is about how we all have these grand visions when we’re young and then your ego gets the better of you and you crash and tumble to earth.
