“Love is the only thing to live for – it’s one of the main reasons I’m inspired to write songs,” declares singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, TOMI. “I feel it’s the medicine for everyone’s pain. And you can hear a lot of love and pain in these songs.”
The songs in question are the R&B jams on his debut album, “Love Is What I Found” (Rosehip Records), a collection of deeply felt, sensual tunes reflecting this versatile Chicago-based artist’s determination and struggle. TOMI, who played all the instruments and composed and produced the tracks, considers the album the distillation of his odyssey, driven by love and fueled by pain, to find his own sound.
TOMI left his hometown on Bratislava, Slovakia at the tender age of 18 to come to Chicago to pursue his dream of being a musician.
TOMI had a few conversations with Goran Rajsic, CEO of Chicago-based label Rosehip Records; despite his initial reservations about hooking up with an indie label, he ultimately realized that it was a remarkably good fit.
It’s been a long, magical, often trying path for TOMI, but he believes that even the most challenging parts of his journey were essential. “It’s about following your heart and soul without compromise – that’s the pinnacle of success,” the artist proclaims. “I’m already internally successful. I’ve made a record that reflects the sound I’d been hearing in my head. And I’ve accomplished things that people from my part of the world have never conquered.”
