Thomas Cameron has been dubbed as “The Shining light of classical music”. This charismatic young English tenor, whose powerful voice has been described as having velvet-like qualities, is making waves in the world of classical music. He recently joined our new contributor and crossover artist Paul Tabone about his journey so far.
Paul Ettore Tabone: You are hailed as “the shining light of classical music.” Tell our readers a little bit about the special moments of your childhood.
Thomas Cameron: One of the biggest moments of my childhood had to be when I got the role of Joseph in the school play. At school I was a little bit distracted – that is how I like to describe it! I did struggle to concentrate and you could say I was a little bit of a fidget. I discovered that the reason for that was because I wanted to be doing music. I wanted to be out there performing. That really special moment was when Mrs. Jones approached me, she was the lady that put together the school plays, and she told me she wanted to give me the part of Joseph in the play Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat. That was such a huge thing for me; it gave me something to work towards, something to focus on and I knuckled down, I gave it everything and I got the part! That is where I discovered my love for music, my love of acting. From that moment I embraced music, studying it and performing as often as I can. That probably has to be the biggest special moment of my childhood.
The other of those was when I went to see Paloma Faith as a thirteen-year-old, it was my first ever live concert. I had never been to a gig before and I had never done any kind of performing myself. I went down to Plymouth, here in Devon, and I wasn’t very keen. I didn’t really want to be there but my mother insisted I would love it and that it would inspire me. She was right. From the very moment Paloma came out, through the curtains, I was mesmerised. Completely hooked. The very next day I went and bought myself my own microphone and a PA system and started to perform in public. This was such a special moment and is the reason I do what I do today.
Paul Ettore Tabone: Were you ever inspired by great classical singers? If so, who, and why?
Thomas Cameron: Being inspired by great classical singers was something that happened later in my career because early on I wasn’t singing classical music or musical theatre either. These had not been discovered by me yet. I was singing pop music, especially having seen Paloma Faith, so that was very much the world that I was in. As I got older, my voice matured and I discovered classical music and musical theatre and that is when I started to be inspired by some of the greats in that field. One of those has to be Andrea Bocelli. I went to the Classical Brit Awards and he was performing live, that was the night I had been nominated, and I remember everybody that I met, everybody that performed, I was soaking up the atmosphere. Andrea performed his latest single and I remember thinking “Oh my goodness me, this is something else, this is stunning!” I realised this was the style I wanted to follow. He inspired me so much by the way he can tell a story when he sings; it is magnificent. He inspires me to this day.
Paul Ettore Tabone: What are some of the things you’d like to leave as your own legacy?
Thomas Cameron: Something I would like to leave as my own legacy, and this is very appropriate for Classical Crossover Magazine, has to be that merging of genres; pushing the boundaries and not just thinking that because I’m a classical singer I have to sing classical music. I like to push boundaries and try to make classical music, musical theatre, classical crossover accessible for all ages. I own music schools myself, accessibility to music is a huge passion of mine. Within my performing and classical singing, I wanted to be able to make these genres accessible to young people by doing classical crossover, by singing songs by Coldplay and Paloma Faith (great link there to the early stages of my career!), and by singing songs from all sorts of different bands (Ed Sheeran, George Ezra etc) that you wouldn’t be expecting my style of artist to be singing, I hope I am introducing children to broader musical horizons and pushing those boundaries for them. That is definitely a legacy I would love to leave behind.
Paul Ettore Tabone: You were nominated for a Classical Brit Award. What did this early validation mean for you as an artist? Are you disappointed that these awards no longer exist? Do you think they were important for our industry and why?
Thomas Cameron: Yes, being nominated for a Classic Brit Award, what an early validation for me. It was very early on in my career, I had released my first single, Bring Him Home, and within a matter of weeks I was nominated for this award and I had only that one single out. That year I was also in the studio recording my first ever album so to receive that kind of accolade, that amazing early validation gave me such a drive that I am so grateful for. I think it has helped me achieve a lot of the things I have managed to achieve to this day. As well as that, not just the nomination but being able to attend the ceremony at The Royal Albert Hall, and seeing singers such as Andrea Bocelli, Michael Ball, Alfie Boe, and all of those incredible artists was such an amazing inspiration and a huge drive to push me to what I do today.
I think it is a huge disappointment that these awards no longer exist. The atmosphere during that awards evening, all those artists getting together celebrating the classical music, musical theatre, classical crossover was incredible. This is something that is not widely promoted anymore; we have our Brit Awards and others for pop or rock music and other genres so I think it is a huge shame that it no longer exists for the classical genres. The evening shone a light on such an incredible area of musical performance that was so important for our industry.
Paul Ettore Tabone: What is the proudest moment of your life so far and why?
Thomas Cameron: That is a really tricky question but I think two of the proudest moments for me so far are recording my debut album at the Peter Gabriel Real World studios and finishing it at Abbey Road studios. I still haven’t recovered from the experience of being in those legendary establishments, working with incredible professionals in the industry, and hearing my music in these studios. It was just phenomenal and gave me a real feeling of belonging in that world. Getting that picture on the famous Abbey Road steps was a huge moment!
Another proud moment, if I’m allowed two, would have to be opening the first of my music schools. It had been a dream of mine since I was about ten years old to have a music school. I wanted to give children access to music, give them the possibility of learning together and performing together. Giving these children the opportunity to perform on a stage has been incredible and a hugely proud moment for me.
Paul Ettore Tabone: What is something our readers don’t know about you? A secret pastime, hobby, or passion?
Thomas Cameron: A secret passion of mine, that I am trying to incorporate into my career more and more that a lot of people don’t know about, is probably what I mentioned in my proudest moment answer; owning eight music schools and working with children on a regular basis to provide music opportunities for them. That is my biggest passion and is probably not well known, not even by my fans. I would probably have to say that because I love doing it so much it would be a hobby too!
Paul Ettore Tabone: In your recording career, you focus a lot on West End and Broadway in your repertoire. Is performing in a musical on the West End/Broadway a dream of yours? If so, what is your dream role?
Thomas Cameron: Yes, Broadway and the West End is something that I am hugely passionate about. Of course, performing on a stage in a musical is a dream. It is something I would love to do. I can’t imagine how incredible it would be to work alongside such talented people like Sam Hiller, a director in the West End as well as the performers on stage. I think a dream role for me would have to be Javert from Les Miserables because I love the songs he sings and have such a connection with them. These songs and that musical are basically what has given me my career to date so it would be an absolute dream to appear in that show.
Paul Ettore Tabone: Do you plan on releasing any new music? A possible other studio album?
Thomas Cameron: I am absolutely planning to release new music, it is on the agenda for 2022. I have been asked so many times whether I am releasing a new album and can confirm that I will be. I am very excited about it and hope my fans will love it too. Over the past 2 years, during the various lockdowns, I have loved collaborating with other musicians; singing and writing with incredible artists. This new album is going to be something that reflects that and I hope to work with a host of different people on the album to celebrate after the tough time we have had globally.
Paul Ettore Tabone: Are you drawn to certain character types or moods of music?
Thomas Cameron: I would say that I am not drawn to a character so much, I am drawn to the music. The music always draws me in. I am one of those awkward people that would love to sing songs from many different moods and characters. I am drawn to the music and the meaning of the song because that is how I can really display emotion and passion.
Paul Ettore Tabone: Given your resume, classical crossover seems a perfect fit, and your recent single “Nothing Lasts Forever” combines the two worlds beautifully. Tell us a little bit about the behind-the-scenes of creating this single.
Thomas Cameron: Thank you so much for those kind words about my single Nothing Lasts Forever. That was one of the turning points for me to start pursuing classical crossover as a genre. I was singing very traditional musical, classical songs at the time and when it came to recording the album my manager, Rob MacLeod, suggested working with an original artist that could write with me so that I could explore classical crossover and push those boundaries a little more. I worked with the fantastic Pat Fagan who is an amazing guitarist based in Dublin. I remember him handing me a cd and telling me this was the song he wanted to work with me on. I took that cd back to the hotel room and played it and was blown away. I knew instantly that this song was made for me, I was drawn to the lyrics and the melody straight away. We went into the studio and rehearsed and then recorded it at Peter Gabriel’s Real World studio with the incredible Scott Barnett. We created the single you can hear today. It combines the two worlds beautifully; the original vocals were very poppy and to put that classical feel to it, to fusion the two styles was an amazing experience.
Paul Ettore Tabone: What are some of the things you would like to accomplish with your music?
Thomas Cameron: I would love to create memories for people with my music, whether that be via a recording or by performing live I don’t mind! I would also love to take my music across the world; I love performing live and seeing people react to the songs I’m singing. I can see people are taken back to a place or they are remembering an emotion due to the connection to the song which I don’t believe anything else can compare to. I would love to be able to go around the world making memories for people.
I would also love to continue promoting classical crossover and show that you do not have to stick to particular genres. It is possible for a classical artist to sing with a pop artist, or sing a song written previously for pop and create some really exciting music and I would love to continue to do that.
www.thomascamerontenor.com
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