Tom Odell says touring with Billie Eilish gave him a new appreciation for both fame and dogs.
The 34-year-old British singer joined Billie, 23, as a support act on her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour earlier this year, marking the first time Tom had played as a back-up artist since 2012, having spent the past decade headlining in his own right.
But The pair bonded backstage before shows, where they shared quiet moments away from the spotlight.
Tom told the Daily Star about their bond: “They do this thing sometimes where they bring rescue dogs into a pen backstage, all these puppies.
“Billie and I were sat there amongst eight dogs just chatting, dogs jumping all over us. That was really sweet. She’s so lovely and it was a joy to do the tour.”
The experience, he added, allowed him to step away from the intense pressure of carrying a major show. He said: “It’s nice to be the support act – there’s something so unnatural about walking into a venue and seeing your name in giant letters on the front that I don’t think I ever feel completely comfortable with it. “And so to be on a tour where Billie’s doing all the heavy lifting takes the pressure off.”
Since his debut album, Tom has been positioned by the industry as a mainstream pop star, but he has deliberately avoided embracing celebrity.
Reflecting on his choice, the performer said: “I fear that. I fear I would be a bag of nerves were I to get any more face recognition than I have.
“In the first six or seven years of my career you just wanted to keep the party going. Which is fine for a bit, but it’s better to kind of come down. Now I do quite a lot of meditation and stuff like that. I’m like a monk.”
Despite his preference for a quieter life, Tom has enjoyed global success, with his music amassing more than 14 billion streams.
His latest album, A Wonderful Life, is set for release this year and has already been hailed as a major new chapter in his career.
He added: “I started writing the album on tour and a lot of the words were written on planes in a notebook.
“The album is unpolished and it’s much more live. I always like to feel slightly uncomfortable with sharing the songs. Not in a strange way, but it has to reveal something.
“I want my music to be an invitation for others to feel. To not be afraid to feel anything, to feel sadness, to feel joy, anxiety at times, pain and fear. More and more, I feel like my duty is that.”