The Playground Meets: TOME
Written by: Chris Udoeyop
Interview by: Virginia ‘Steph’ Donald
Recently, The Playground sat down with the singer for a candid conversation on Instagram Live to discuss her growth and recent experiences as a rising star out of Toronto.
If you would’ve asked Tome three years ago, “Do you see yourself singing in front of thousands of people anytime soon?” She would’ve probably laughed and given an answer affirming her dreams and ambitions. Fast-forward to present day and ask the talented songstress the same question, and she will have stories to tell you about her recent reality of performing in front of sold-out shows all over the world.
Born in Montreal to a Nigerian father and French-Canadian mother, Tome embodies her multicultural essence into her music - resulting in a refreshing and unique sound. When asked by The Playground to describe her music, the Canadian singer expressed, “I don’t like to be boxed in, because there’s so many different layers to Afrofusion. If I were to put a name on the sound, it would be that. My music is a blend of Afrobeats combined with my own tone and flavor of R&B, resulting in my own rendition of Afrofusion.”
Tome’s journey as an artist has been a nonlinear one, and atypical to say the least. Even though she has only been making music seriously for two years, Tome has developed a significant presence domestically and internationally - equipped with an aura of supreme confidence and assurance, the attitude and energy of a seasoned industry veteran.
The multi-hyphenated artist grew up in a musical household, as her father has been well versed and connected in the Afrobeat industry and culture for 30 years plus. Tome tested the waters, as she publicly released music on SoundCloud in 2015 with her One With Self EP. The body of work consisted of six tracks, all raw and unmixed - but from one just listen anyone could recognize Tome’s supreme pen as a songwriter, natural musicality as she plays guitar, and mature tone and control with her voice. In 2019, Tome continued to hone her skills and proved her artistry to her family and friends. Her father, and now manager, took notice of her artistic progression and asked her if she wanted to perform at Wizkid’s 2019 show in Toronto, as he was involved in the production.
After delivering an exhilarating opening-set for Wizkid at Toronto’s popular venu, REBEL - Tome ignited her live performance streak and opened for Mr. Eazi on the Canadian leg of his world tour, and for Burna Boy at his 2019 African Giant Toronto stop. After Tome’s killer performance ahead of Mr.Eazi at Toronto’s historic venue, The Opera House - Eazi’s team was impressed by her stage presence and energy. After delivering such a charged set, Eazi and his team extended an invite to Tome, asking her to join them on the rest of his global tour. While being on tour with Mr. Eazi, Tome also slotted in performances at Burna Boy’s UK stops at the prominent Wembley Arena venue and in Manchester. “The most amazing thing about being in Europe, was the people. Everyone there was welcoming to me, a total stranger more or less. The vibrant, electric, and receiving energy I got from people who knew nothing about my music is something I’ll never forget.”
After cementing herself as an electrifying live performer, she released her first album Tomesroom: Chapter 1. When asked about her first project Tome stated, “Tomesroom was me in a box, in my feelings, and sort of still in an amateur stage in my career.”
By contrast, according to Tome, her latest project Bigger Than Four Walls (BT4W), was the epitome of her growth. Tome explained, “I made a lot of that album on the road. As I was travelling, and on tour for most of 2019 - I was surrounded by so many talented artists, great sounds, and new producers and people. My whole environment was filled with tons of brilliant individuals who had been established in music so much longer than me. It was inevitable that I absorbed so much of that energy, and placed it into that body of work. That project was definitely bigger than me.”
Tome’s genre-blending capabilities and unique essence was on full display on B4TW. The talented singer acquired features naturally from being on tour, with other rising Nigerian superstars, RunTown and Zlatan. “It’s still kind of surreal that I got to work with some of the best at this stage in my career, it’s still mind baffling that I can text RunTown right now...everything that’s happened to me just means i’m on the right path and supposed to be doing this for real.”
Tome’s work ethic is quickly noticeable. Shortly, after dropping her sophomore album, the multidimensional artist created a song on IG live with another producer - which ended up garnering a Sean Kingston feature. On “I Pray”, Tome was impacted by energy she and the rest of the world felt during the beginning stages of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Along with the lows and uncertainty of COVID, the racial injustice festering from the death of George Floyd and other racialized tension - the inspiration of the track was loud and clear to Tome. “I Pray is an ode to remember, that through the chaos and unpredictability of the world, we have to remember to pray.”
Sean Kingston became a topic of conversation after her verse was finished, and after being connected through mutual contacts he decided to jump on the song. Tome explained, “Sean loved the message of the song and how I attacked the instrumental, it was unique...I’ve never talked to him personally, but his team said he was super happy to jump on it.”
When asked by The Playground’s Virginia ‘Steph Donald’ how she feels about having Sean on her song, Tome enthusiastically expressed, “ I still get a little shocked about that...I mean Sean Kingston has become sort of a “legacy” act, where he doesn’t drop music frequently, and has tons of people asking him for features. We all grew up listening to his music, so it’s still surreal.”
With the world going through so much turmoil in 2020 due to the global pandemic, recording artists have been affected severely - with tour cancellations, studio closures, and holds on live events making the whole music industry highly unpredictable. For Tome, COVID has impacted her career extensively. There were a lot of shows and full circle moments that were unfortunately cancelled, of course which hurt her spirits initially.
However, if it wasn’t for COVID, Tome would have never had the inclination to build her own studio - now her and the KIZA music team have cultivated their own space where there able to work and create in their own space. As a result of having her own studio and given the slow period in the industry, Tome energetically revealed that she has learnt how to produce her own music. “My musicality has definitely expanded through COVID, with learning how to produce - everyone is going to feel my full flavor and essence, I can’t wait to share the new music coming.”
The Toronto singer is set for a big 2021 and year beyond. At the end of our interview, Tom was excited to reveal, “I have another project coming closer to the middle of the year! But I’ll still be very active with music, content, live shows, and my team and I are monitoring when it’s safe to be outside again.”
All in all, it’s clear that Tome is a rising global sensation - who’s unique take on Afrofusion music caters to and resonates with audiences and sub-genres around the world. If you’re not familiar yet, you need to be.
Go checkout Tome’s earlier projects, BT4W (Bigger Than Four Walls) and Tomesroom: Chapter 1 as well as her hit track featuring Sean Kingston, “I Pray” - and be on the lookout for a new project from Tome as summer 2021 approaches.