INTERVIEW: TOMI Breaks Free
TOMI’s style is characterized by ferocious guitar and resounding vocals—an unfettered, urgent, and emotionally supercharged sound that was forged from a ruthless determination to sing, play, and do things her own way, even in the face of life’s obstacles. For Autuori, music has been a sanctuary since coming out at age 12 in suburban Connecticut. A few short years later she moved straight to New York City as soon as she found a car…and a drummer. She started a band in Brooklyn and played the shittiest bars you can imagine — anywhere that would let me wail on guitar and scream into a microphone…and serve an underage band.
After a few years of hustling and getting scammed by “music producers” she decided to take matters into her own hands and created TOMI, named after her dead pet lizard Tommy, which became a space where she had full creative control and could write. The first song she released was called “Carry You.” She posted it to Soundcloud and two weeks later signed her first record deal with RCA. TOMI has now come full circle, back to being independent in an effort to retain creative control. These new songs are a reflection on growing up, coming out, and that grey area of leaving your adolescents behind but not quite ready for the leap into adulthood, written while listening to a lot of PJ Harvey.
On her new song “If You Tried,” TOMI channels New York punk fury with the seething resentment of LA’s sunny valleys into a country-inflected kiss-off song. It’s not just about a bad lover, though. As we’ll see in this interview, TOMI is ready to take on the world with a newfound sense of pride.
What is your vision for a more just music industry?
I’m so happy to see more and more queer artists at the center of the music industry. Aside from this amazing mainstream queer breakthrough, it’s important to understand the business side of things. All artists should own a majority of their master even if they are signed to a label. Aside from touring, it is the most financially stable income.
Where are some places you’ve found joy within the country/Americana world?
The Country/Americana festivals are incredible. The audience is the most attentive I’ve ever seen, they show up fully – and that is what keeps musicians on their feet! I can’t wait to tour my new record (supporting KT Tunstall) this summer!
How do you feel your queer identity ties into your performance style or music?
I grew up watching videos of Prince and Jimmy Hendrix and trying to learn their songs and guitar parts. I admired the way they brought sexuality into their performances and played with gender stylistically. That is something I strive for – to tell my story (both in my music and in my performances) about the experience growing up as a lesbian in a heteronormative suburban town.
The live performance is even gayer than the record! Times have changed but there is still a lot of work to be done and visibility remains as important as ever.
How do you feel your coming out journey plays into your music?
A lot of the songs off my new album Late Bloomer are about letting go of shame. I came out at a young age (12) and it took many years to learn how to let go of shame, it all came to a head in my 20s and now it’s a daily practice – to love oneself fully. “If You Tried” – the first single off my new record – is about letting go of blame. In this case it’s about looking back at the end of a relationship and letting go of blaming yourself for its demise.
I had a lot of fun creating the concept behind the music video (a lesbian mannequin love affair!) with my partner Haile Lidow. It’s the first time I’ve explored sexuality on camera and playing out the woes of dating in LA (one of the biggest queer scenes I’ve ever been a part of). Coming out is empowering, every song I write has a hint of remembering that.
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