Tom Grennan has stopped chasing hits.
The 31-year-old singer – who has had three UK number one albums and five top 10 singles – admitted he lost sight of why he was making music because of his drive for chart success, but he’s been more focused on writing the songs that he wants to for his upcoming new album without worrying about how they will fare commercially.
He told The Sun newspaper: “To be honest with you, beforehand, I was really writing for hits.
“I was like, ‘I need a hit. I need a hit’.
“I needed to take it back to why I loved playing music. I wasn’t really playing music anymore.
“I listened to all my albums consecutively and I was like, ‘F*** me, why did I get into this?’
“I was listening to a lot of my music and I was trying to relate to it and I did, of course — I think I have put out some really good music.
“But I was like, ‘What and who am I?’ ‘What am I drawn to?’
“I tried to understand who I have been, where I have got to and where I am at.
“If I have been a p*** or been nice. It took me to my roots.”
The Little Bit of Love singer – whose wife Danniella gave birth to their daughter Dottie last year – got sober last year and he thinks he’s finally found contentment with the person he is, which is reflected in his new music.
He said: “I’m just very proud of what I’ve done.
“I feel like I put pressure on myself to do well, but not from those around me.
“I’ve done exactly what I needed to do, and that’s write from within.
“What I was looking for was peace of mind, so I went and got it.
“Lyrically, it’s a big journey in it, man.
“You know, I’ve had a lot of learning to do about myself recently.
“I’ve been searching a lot and I’ve been understanding a lot about the person I have been since the day I was born, really. It’s an emotional journey, it’s a fun journey. It’s a looking back journey.
“There’s a lot of stuff that runs through this album from sobriety to understanding, like, who I am, and what I am, and what I want to be.”