'I wanna Be Your James Dean' - Tomi Saario

Finnish singer-songwriter Tomi Saario today drops his latest single ‘I Wanna Be Your James Dean’, out now on Four Music (Sony Music). The new music follows Tomi being announced to perform at The Great Escape Festival next month and is the latest release from his debut EP I Think We Need To Talk, the details of which are also unveiled today, due out on 14th May.

This newest track sees the rising Scandi pop star yearning for an era of dating that was less about swiping right and more about real human connection, all punctuated by soulful, bass driven melodies. About the single, Tomi says “I get nostalgic for a time when this fast paced dating culture wasn’t really a thing and people gave each other time and effort. Nowadays everybody is so concerned about getting hurt that they actually never open up at all and instead end up playing unnecessary games with each other. I’m hoping we’ll still remember how to love one another in the end and stop idolising toxic traits. We should all be able to have that movie-like romance in our lives that we so desire, without the worry of getting ghosted or used.”

It’s an infectious pop energy that permeates throughout I Think We Need To Talk. With soaring choruses and flirty love songs, this debut release plays as the perfect introduction to Saario as both a compelling storyteller and an artist with an innate knack for writing pop hooks. As Tomi puts it himself, “I’ve gone through enough heartache and happiness to really have something to say and I feel comfortable creating stories for decades now.”

Having fallen in love with blues music aged seven listening to Stevie Ray Vaughan, it wasn’t until he was 17 that Tomi wrote his first song, citing John Mayer and D’Angelo as major influences. After turning down a promising career in football to fully commit to music, he first had to complete military service, which is mandatory in Finland. Following a year in the urban warfare squad, an experience he describes as rewarding and life-enriching, he moved to one of the music capitals of the world: London. Gigging relentlessly, he played over 1,000 shows in four years, turning up at any open mic night that would have him in order to hone his performance skills.

Since releasing his debut single ‘Just A Little’ back in 2020, Tomi has garnered support from the likes of Rollacoaster, CLASH, Dork, Wonderland and The BRITs, as well as major radio and tv stations across Europe. His Spandau Ballet-sampling single ‘Coconut Water’ with French production duo We Are Gold topped the most played list on Virgin Radio, as well as grabbing over 154k Shazams, becoming the second most discovered song on Shazam in France. The latest exciting Scandinavian taking the globe by storm, I Think We Need To Talk sees Tomi Saario ready to take things to the next level.

I Think We Need To Talk EP Tracklist: