From John Lewis to the Union, Tom Odell chats to Varsity about self-care, chaos, and a desire for a better world
There’s a buzz in the Cambridge Union from the dozens of eager students filling the benches as Tom Odell finally arrives. 35 minutes late to his own Union event, he breezes into the chamber, all floppy hair and trench coat, and apologises to the crowd. Charmed by his easy, friendly smile, and painfully acquainted with the struggle of parking in Cambridge, we all instantly forgive him.
The 28-year-old was born and raised in Chichester, but moved to Brighton aged 18 to study at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. Lugging his keyboard relentlessly around open mic nights, he was eventually noticed by Lily Allen, and signed to her record label in 2012. His first EP, Songs From Another Love, was released the same year. Though he claims to have mellowed, Tom tells us he’s shocked by just how determined he used to be: “I look back at my 18 and 19 year old self, and I think to myself, ‘you were a psychopath’. Every breath that I drew was used to try and make an album, get a record deal and write those songs.” It seems his hard work paid off: 3 albums later, he’s performed at Glastonbury, shared the stage with his idol Elton John, and even beaten him to a John Lewis Christmas Advert (2014 – the penguin one), while last year’s Jubilee Road peaked at No. 5 on the UK charts.
Having spent the best part of his twenties in the spotlight, he’s pretty well acquainted with the highs and lows of the industry, and the pressures that face young hopefuls starting out in music. “The music industry is behind with regards to mental health,” Tom states candidly. His own experiences have taught him that the hard way – he admits that he himself has suffered from some “stuff to do with that”. Now, he says, a significant proportion of his day is spent engaged in self-care – he’s been meditating everyday for two years. Being in the public eye has forced him to learn to take care of his mental wellbeing: “the pressure on us all these days to have a perfect life is terrifyingly heavy – it’s no wonder so many of us are having panic attacks.”
