'The manliest thing is talking' - Sam Tompkins

Sam Tompkins started his career busking on the streets of Brighton

From busking on the streets of Brighton to hanging out with Justin Bieber, Sam Tompkins' rise to fame has been meteoric.

But it has not been without adversity.

Tompkins - originally from Eastbourne - lost his father to suicide last year and has since encouraged men to be more open about their mental health.

"The manliest thing you can do as a man is be honest about your feelings," he said.

I wish more people, my dad included, knew that everything they're feeling is natural," Tompkins added.

Tompkins' father was the first person to inspire him to get into music.

As he sang along to the car radio, his father said: "You know, you can really sing."

"My dad never minced his words, and he would never lie to me. I took it seriously and thought maybe I could do something with this."

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Tompkins' emotional lyrics reflect his life experiences, like Phones in Heaven, which deals with loss.

"I realised that many young people I knew had lost someone to suicide. It shocked me that it's almost normal, though it's not normal," he said.

Despite the pressures of social media, Tompkins finds solace in the support of his online community and said it felt like he had "a community checking in on me".

Tompkins believes it is vital that men share their feelings.

He said: "What I do with my friends now is play football or go for a pint. We don’t just have surface-level chat - we talk about things."

Tompkins says that being open about emotions is essential.

His debut album, Hi, My Name is Insecure, has been a labour of love.

"I'm so proud of the process that went into it," he said.

"It’s been really helpful for my mental health - I'm excited for it to come out.’’