Getting to Know Tommy Bravos
Chicago based pop musician Tommy Bravos has released his latest single Divination, a synth anthem that looks at the cycle of gay relationships. With a recent album release earlier this year in Different Kind of Light, Tommy has made a switch into the world of camp electro pop. We got to chat with this emerging artist to talk influences, Pride and his creative process.
Hey Tommy, you've just released your new single 'Divination' so it's a really great time for new listeners to get to know more about you. So, who is Tommy Bravos as an artist?
Tommy is an expression of femininity; a flamboyant superhero with magical powers. The more active I've become with performing, the more I've realized that my artistry is where I express an energy that I've repressed since childhood. The boy who played dress up and pretended to be an opera star became closed off, and becoming Tommy, my nickname as kid, has been me embracing that over the top, colorful energy once again.
Who are your musical influences? Where do you draw inspiration from?
My musical influences come across a myriad of genres, having grown up on ABBA and the Beatles, and began writing due to my love of Florence + the Machine. Currently I'm inspired by the campiness of pop artists like Allie X and Kim Petras. I view my wide interests as inspiration, being able to create a pop sound that isn't exactly like another musician's.
There's a real Jack's Manequinn/Andrew McMahon feel to your music. Even some touches of Panic at the Disco. Is it safe to assume that the piano is a big starting point for you during the writing process?
I definitely start most of my writing at the piano, unless a melody comes to me with lyrics when I'm not at a keyboard. My debut record represents a sort of teenage phase that many gay people experience after coming out. I wrote the album over the span of 2.5 years while I was at school. I started writing my own lyrics right after I left the closet at age 18, so I was making music about my first real romantic encounters. There's a lot of angst, a lot of unrequited feeling, and definitely a sense of first heartbreak on the record, but it's framed in this sort of boyish light, because first love is always pure. I wrote most of the music and lyrics on my own, with just two songs having other lyric credits, and I tracked a bulk of the record at a studio in my college town before finishing it in my friend's bedroom studio.
You released your debut album this year "Different Kind of Night". It's a real 10 track storyteller that has some very distinct light and shade. What does the album represent for you and what was the process of creating it?
Divination was written right after production of Different Kind of Night finished, so it was my first song in a sort of new era. It has elements of the same writing, being melody driven in almost all aspects, but it didn't quite fit the subject material. The self awareness felt a little more mature to me than DKoN. It was around this time that I really started getting more interested in synth pop. I began listening to more Troye Sivan and Kim Petras, and I wanted this song to reflect what was becoming my favorite genre.
"Different Kind of Night" was released this year but 'Divination' is not from that album. Where did 'Divination' evolve out of and what is the song about?
This single, which reflects my magical persona, is about the quick life cycle of gay relationships. Right when you feel yourself falling for someone, they quickly change their mind and don't want to be in anything serious. It was a feeling I had become too acquainted with, as I'm sure many gay men do, so it's about how draining it is to think you've magically found someone only for the relationship to end as quickly as it started. It's definitely a start of a new direction for me, as my next album is going be on a more electronic and dance pop route. Alongside the original track is a spacey cover of La Vie en Rose, my favorite cabaret song. I studied classical music in college, so I wanted to reflect that in a way with this next release.
Hey Tommy, you've just released your new single 'Divination' so it's a really great time for new listeners to get to know more about you. So, who is Tommy Bravos as an artist?
Tommy is an expression of femininity; a flamboyant superhero with magical powers. The more active I've become with performing, the more I've realized that my artistry is where I express an energy that I've repressed since childhood. The boy who played dress up and pretended to be an opera star became closed off, and becoming Tommy, my nickname as kid, has been me embracing that over the top, colorful energy once again.
Who are your musical influences? Where do you draw inspiration from?
My musical influences come across a myriad of genres, having grown up on ABBA and the Beatles, and began writing due to my love of Florence + the Machine. Currently I'm inspired by the campiness of pop artists like Allie X and Kim Petras. I view my wide interests as inspiration, being able to create a pop sound that isn't exactly like another musician's.
There's a real Jack's Manequinn/Andrew McMahon feel to your music. Even some touches of Panic at the Disco. Is it safe to assume that the piano is a big starting point for you during the writing process?
I definitely start most of my writing at the piano, unless a melody comes to me with lyrics when I'm not at a keyboard. My debut record represents a sort of teenage phase that many gay people experience after coming out. I wrote the album over the span of 2.5 years while I was at school. I started writing my own lyrics right after I left the closet at age 18, so I was making music about my first real romantic encounters. There's a lot of angst, a lot of unrequited feeling, and definitely a sense of first heartbreak on the record, but it's framed in this sort of boyish light, because first love is always pure. I wrote most of the music and lyrics on my own, with just two songs having other lyric credits, and I tracked a bulk of the record at a studio in my college town before finishing it in my friend's bedroom studio.
You released your debut album this year "Different Kind of Night". It's a real 10 track storyteller that has some very distinct light and shade. What does the album represent for you and what was the process of creating it?
Divination was written right after production of Different Kind of Night finished, so it was my first song in a sort of new era. It has elements of the same writing, being melody driven in almost all aspects, but it didn't quite fit the subject material. The self awareness felt a little more mature to me than DKoN. It was around this time that I really started getting more interested in synth pop. I began listening to more Troye Sivan and Kim Petras, and I wanted this song to reflect what was becoming my favorite genre.
"Different Kind of Night" was released this year but 'Divination' is not from that album. Where did 'Divination' evolve out of and what is the song about?
This single, which reflects my magical persona, is about the quick life cycle of gay relationships. Right when you feel yourself falling for someone, they quickly change their mind and don't want to be in anything serious. It was a feeling I had become too acquainted with, as I'm sure many gay men do, so it's about how draining it is to think you've magically found someone only for the relationship to end as quickly as it started. It's definitely a start of a new direction for me, as my next album is going be on a more electronic and dance pop route. Alongside the original track is a spacey cover of La Vie en Rose, my favorite cabaret song. I studied classical music in college, so I wanted to reflect that in a way with this next release.
This being Pride season how have you spent your time this Pride?
I've spent this Pride really embracing my queerness. Outside of attending a parade and wearing your standard rainbow fabric, I've got to experience queer art outside of the lens of mainstream culture. Attending Chicago Queen The Vixen's Black Girl Magic show was probably the highlight; being able to support queer people of color, during a month we celebrate because of them, was important to me. I also got to perform at an LGBTQ Prom themed show, to openly showcase queer Chicago talent with the class that many of us didn't get to exhibit in high school.
The world of LGBTQ artists has really opened up in the past year with many new artists becoming major players in the music industry. As an LGBTQ artist yourself, how do you view the state of LGBTQ inclusion in music?
It's definitely growing, as society becomes more embracing of us. We're carving our own path in the industry, and it makes any success even more worth it, because our queerness is now a strength and not something to hold back. I think we have a long way to go though, in our community especially. The majority of white gay men don't listen to many queer musicians, but hail straight and cis artists like Kacey Musgraves, Carly Rae and Ariana as LGBT icons.
Have you listened to many LGBTQ artists and if so who has stood out for you?
Troye Sivan is definitely a favorite of mine, but I'm getting really in to Dorian Electra! I can't stop listening to their debut album.
Who is your go to artist right now? Who do you have on repeat?
My artist on repeat changes between Kimbra and Allie X. I can never decide if I want some mellow R&B inspired pop or something campy to make me feel glamorous
I've spent this Pride really embracing my queerness. Outside of attending a parade and wearing your standard rainbow fabric, I've got to experience queer art outside of the lens of mainstream culture. Attending Chicago Queen The Vixen's Black Girl Magic show was probably the highlight; being able to support queer people of color, during a month we celebrate because of them, was important to me. I also got to perform at an LGBTQ Prom themed show, to openly showcase queer Chicago talent with the class that many of us didn't get to exhibit in high school.
The world of LGBTQ artists has really opened up in the past year with many new artists becoming major players in the music industry. As an LGBTQ artist yourself, how do you view the state of LGBTQ inclusion in music?
It's definitely growing, as society becomes more embracing of us. We're carving our own path in the industry, and it makes any success even more worth it, because our queerness is now a strength and not something to hold back. I think we have a long way to go though, in our community especially. The majority of white gay men don't listen to many queer musicians, but hail straight and cis artists like Kacey Musgraves, Carly Rae and Ariana as LGBT icons.
Have you listened to many LGBTQ artists and if so who has stood out for you?
Troye Sivan is definitely a favorite of mine, but I'm getting really in to Dorian Electra! I can't stop listening to their debut album.
Who is your go to artist right now? Who do you have on repeat?
My artist on repeat changes between Kimbra and Allie X. I can never decide if I want some mellow R&B inspired pop or something campy to make me feel glamorous
Ok, rapid fire time...
Ultimate breakfast meal?
Eggs benedict with breakfast potatoes!
Item you can't travel without?
Headphones :)
The last great book you've read or movie you've seen?
Midsommar for sure
Slippers or socks?
Socks!
If you could have written one song of someone elses yourself, what song would it be?
Settle Down by Kimbra
Finally, what's one last thing you'd like listeners to know about you?
I'm 100% Greek! My dad is off the boat, and my maternal great-grandparents came right before the depression. I've always embraced my ethnicity and now I get to do the same with my queerness. There aren't many openly gay Greek men, so I've found some confidence getting to pave my way in that sense as well.
Ultimate breakfast meal?
Eggs benedict with breakfast potatoes!
Item you can't travel without?
Headphones :)
The last great book you've read or movie you've seen?
Midsommar for sure
Slippers or socks?
Socks!
If you could have written one song of someone elses yourself, what song would it be?
Settle Down by Kimbra
Finally, what's one last thing you'd like listeners to know about you?
I'm 100% Greek! My dad is off the boat, and my maternal great-grandparents came right before the depression. I've always embraced my ethnicity and now I get to do the same with my queerness. There aren't many openly gay Greek men, so I've found some confidence getting to pave my way in that sense as well.