Thomas Peter Odell was born on 24 November 1990 in Chichester, West Sussex. He grew up there with an older sister; their mother was a primary-school teacher and their father an airline pilot. Because of his father’s job, the family spent much of Odell’s childhood living in New Zealand.
Odell attended Seaford College, a private school in West Sussex. He began learning piano around age seven (inspired by his sister’s lessons) and was already composing music by age nine. He continued practicing piano through childhood, eventually reaching Grade 7 level, and by age 13 was writing his own songs.
He grew up listening to singer-songwriters such as Tom Waits and Bruce Springsteen. He has also cited Elton John as an early influence, in fact, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was the first album he ever owned.
After secondary school, Odell pursued formal music studies by attending the British and Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM) in Brighton.
| Full Name & Birth | Born 24 Nov 1990 in Chichester. |
| Family Background | Grew up with one sister; lived in New Zealand. |
| Early Music Training | Started piano at seven; writing songs by nine. |
| Education | Studied music at BIMM Brighton. |
| Breakthrough Moment | First male BRIT Critics’ Choice winner (2013). |
| Debut Album Impact | Long Way Down hit UK No.1. |
| Songwriting Strength | Won 2014 Ivor Novello Award. |
| Global Hit | “Another Love” passed 1B streams. |
| Recent Releases | Black Friday and A Wonderful Life charted top ten. |
| Net Worth (2026) | Not publicly disclosed |
Tom Odell began writing songs as a child and trained formally in music. He attended the Brighton Institute of Modern Music (BIMM) in his late teens and immersed himself in Brighton’s live scene.
At 18 he performed open-mic nights around town and later formed a band called Tom & The Tides. Lily Allen saw him perform live and signed him to her Columbia imprint In the Name Of. In 2011–2012 he moved to London, finished recording and prepared to launch his first releases.
Odell’s debut EP Songs from Another Lovewas released digitally in late October 2012. The four-track EP introduced the single “Another Love,” a piano ballad that became his signature song.
“Another Love” later reached the UK Top 10 on the Official Singles Chart and was featured in high-profile media (for example, it was used in a Burberry fashion show).
Around this time he supported larger acts on tour including Jake Bugg and Mystery Jets which helped build his profile. By year’s end, the critical buzz from the EP earned Odell the BRITs 2013 Critics’ Choice Award (see below).
Odell’s first full-length album, Long Way Down, was released on 24 June 2013 and debuted at No.1 on the UK Albums Chart. It eventually went Platinum in the UK, selling over 300,000 copies there and more than one million worldwide.
The album’s singles further fueled its success: “Another Love” peaked at No.10, and follow-up single “Hold Me” reached No.44.
In all, Long Way Downsolidified Odell’s status; he became known as a platinum-selling singer-songwriter with powerful, piano-driven ballads and deeply felt lyrics.
Odell’s early achievements were recognized with major UK industry awards. In December 2012 he was announced as the winner of the BRITs Critics’ Choice Award for 2013 notably the first male artist to receive that honor.
This award spotlights new British acts poised for success. The following year he also earned nominations for the 2014 BRIT Awards including British Breakthrough Act and British Male Solo but the most significant win came at the 59th Ivor Novello Awards in May 2014.
There he was named Songwriter of the Year, an award juried by industry professionals. The Ivor Novello citation specifically noted his 2013 album Long Way Downhaving topped the UK chart, underscoring Odell’s commercial and artistic impact.
Odell continued to release albums every few years, each followed by extensive touring. His second album, Wrong Crowd(2016), marked a more band-oriented sound and debuted at No.2 in the UK.
That album featured singles like “Magnetised,” which reached No.40 in the UK. In 2018 he released Jubilee Road, a concept album inspired by his local neighborhood; it peaked at No.5.
His fourth studio album, Monsters(2021), blended his piano-pop style with synths and beat-driven elements and reached No.4.
Each album was supported by headline tours for example, the 2016–17 “No Bad Days” tour and the 2018–19 “Jubilee Road” tour bringing Odell to venues across Europe and North America.
More recently he mounted the Black Friday Tour (2024) after his sixth album of that name. Overall, Odell has completed multiple international headline tours Long Way Down Tour, No Bad Days Tour, Jubilee Road Tour, establishing him as a prolific live performer.
Tom Odell is known for emotionally raw, piano-led songs and confessional lyrics. He has described his songwriting as deeply autobiographical for example, “all my songs are about personal experiences” which gives his music a sense of honesty and vulnerability.
His musical influences range widely: as a child he grew up on classic singer-songwriters Elton John, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel and later discovered indie and folk artists Cat Power, Beach House, Tom Waits.
Early in his career he modeled himself after great piano pop writers, while in recent years he has embraced experimentation. Critics note that Monsters(2021) introduced “a flurry of synths and beats” into his sound, showing Odell’s willingness to evolve beyond solo piano ballads.
Notably, Odell himself has expressed a minimalist approach on his latest work he said, “I’ve always thought it’d be really interesting to record with just piano and voice”.
This philosophy underpinned albums like Best Day of My Life, where he intentionally limited arrangements to piano and vocals to capture intimacy. His style today blends classic songwriting craft with modern sonic touches, reflecting both his heroes and his personal storytelling.
In the past few years Odell has become fully independent and explored new creative directions. After fulfilling his major-label contract in 2021, he released Best Day of My Life(2022) as an independent artist.
That album, arranged almost entirely around solo piano and voice, was described as “minimalist” and very intimate. His sixth album, Black Friday(2024), continued this personal focus and its title single earned an Ivor Novello nomination.
In 2025 Odell released A Wonderful Life, an album confronting modern anxieties. He has said he wrote many of its songs “as a reaction to the news cycle” and the feeling that, on the global stage, it sometimes seems “the world is ending”.
Throughout these recent projects, Odell’s lyrics have remained introspective often addressing mental health and existential themes while his arrangements span from stripped-back piano to subtle orchestration.
He has supported these releases with arena tours and high-profile performances including TV appearances on shows like CBS Saturday Morning, and he remains a prominent figure in contemporary British songwriting.
As of 2026, his net worth is not publicly disclosed, and no figure has been officially verified by major financial authorities. Instead, Tom Odell’s earnings come from his music career. He generates income through album and single sales, streaming royalties (for example, his hit “Another Love” has amassed over 3.4 billion Spotify streams), songwriting and publishing royalties, and revenue from live performances such as concert tours.
Tom Odell is an English singer-songwriter and pianist born on 24 November 1990 in Chichester, West Sussex. He gained international recognition with his 2012 single “Another Love” and his debut album Long Way Down(2013), which topped the UK Albums Chart.
Odell rose to prominence after the release of his debut EP Songs from Another Lovein 2012. The single “Another Love” became a UK Top 10 hit and helped him win the BRITs Critics’ Choice Award in 2013.
Tom Odell’s most widely recognized song is “Another Love.” The track has accumulated billions of streams globally and remains his signature release.
Yes. He won the BRITs Critics’ Choice Award in 2013 and was named Songwriter of the Year at the Ivor Novello Awards in 2014.
Tom Odell studied at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM) in Brighton. During this time, he performed at open-mic nights and developed his early career.
After fulfilling his major-label contract in 2021, Odell began releasing music independently. His 2022 album Best Day of My Lifewas released outside the traditional major-label system.