Tom Albrecht:

Thomas Alexander Albrecht was born on June 9th, 1980 in the small town of Gruiten near Dusseldorf (Western Gemany). His upbringing was enriched with music, his father being a professional saxophonist (playing Jazz and Swing) and he himself an accomplished pianist (starting at the age of 6). As a child, he wasn't exactly the No. 1 student in class (What kid was anyways?) but had an interest in creative writing. He first started writing his own songs at age 8 and at the age of 14 he was lead singer, songwriter, and frontman of a relatively unknown rap group called "Wise Economicxs". However, Tom never quite seemed to fit in this category, so he decided to branch off from this independant project.

His road to stardom started with a chance meeting with Sven Hansen (drummer) who got him in contact with Fredrick Lubitz (bass guitarist). Along with Frank Herbort, they formed the band "Geminee" and recorded English songs like "Why so Shy", "Superstar", and "Funeral Oration". Eventually these songs earned him and his band a contract with Germany's Polydor Island Records and on July 18th, 2003, the music video for "Wir sind eins" was released. Following the video on August 4th was the release of this first single. The single scored 58 (Pretty good for a newcomer!) at the Charts. The inspiration behind this song is that of his good friend, who has been sentenced to 5 years in prison for defending himself against a gang attack. Tom also states that this song is about friendships that can never be the way they were. It was also around this time that Tom toured with one of Germany's biggest groups, PUR, as a side act and was praised by the group for his musical abilities.

Following this release was "Sing", a beautiful ballad, released on October 20th of the same year. This song did not gain so many reviews at the chart, but it nonetheless demonstrates Tom's musical talent. However, his debut album by the same name, earned many high ratings from critics and fans a like. The album is well rounded and deep in thought compared to many contemporary pop albums in Germany (And might I be so bold to say in the world too!). It ranges from pop/rock roots like "Dass du lebst" to beautiful piano ballads like "Hoher mit mir" (a favorite among die-hard fans).

In February of 2004, Tom launched a personal and interactive CLUBTOUR that travelled from Hamburg to Berlin to perform for small groups of 200 people. His latest single is "Heinspiel" a single that he claims "No one expected of me to release". This song is a reflection and ode to his hometowm, Gruiten (I can't even find this on the map!) and how time kinda slows down for this place.

As to why Tom writes his songs in German as opposed to many other artists who perform in English, his reason is simple and clear. It is his mother tongue, and he just simply finds it hard to write in English. When you speak and live the language, it is easier to write. In a country where some individuals worry about the influx of "Denglish"* over the traditional language, Tom's music is almost a counterculture of the Americanization of music and lyrics in Germany and other parts of the world.

As for personal tidbits, the only one I am aware of is that he has a girlfriend (damn she's lucky!) and that they have been dating for 2 years (neh, I've been dating my boyfriend for 4 years! lol!).

Currently, Tom is about to embark on the Sommerfestival tour with PUR and Laith Al-Deen (Two big names in the Deutsch music scene) and is working on his 2nd album. We all wish the best for him!

*Denglish is a slang term for a lingo that increasingly combines English words into regular German life. Some see this as a threat to the German language in that it is being "Americanized".

More at:

• Official
• Tom Albrecht 360