Today (23rd of April), Finnish singer-songwriter, Tomi Saario, released his brand-new single “I Wanna Be Your James Dean.” The track is now available to stream via all major streaming platforms!
“I Wanna Be Your James Dean” is an extremely catchy and fun track that will make you crave for the summer. The infectious bass lines can be felt pounding deep in your chest throughout the whole song. The track is all about wanting a dating scene that is less about swiping left and right, and more about having a deep, personal connection with someone. Tomi Saario has a way of storytelling that makes you think as well making you get up and dance. “I Wanna Be Your James Dean” is the perfect single for a festival as the memorable beats will want to get everyone up and moving.
As Spring gradually trandforms into Summer, you’ll need to update your playlists and this is the perfect one for you. However, it’s not the only Tomi track that you’ll fall in love with. This single was released ahead of the singers’ upcoming, debut EP “I Think We Need To Talk,” – which is due to come out just next month! The 5-track EP will also see Tomi’s previous single “Someone Like You.” If both of these singles are anything to go by, then “I Think We Need To Talk” is going to be a complete success.
We had a chat with Toni Saario to talk about his incredible new music, how he got into the industry, and what advice he would give to an upcoming musician!
Hey there Tomi! We hope you’re doing well?
Yes I’m doing well thank you! The weather has been incredibly summery in Finland for the past few days so I’ve been enjoying that a lot.
So, your new single “I Wanna Be Your James Dean” sounds incredible! Could you tell us the meaning behind that song? How did it come about?
Thank you very much! One day I found myself getting quite nostalgic, remembering a time when this fast paced dating culture wasn’t really a thing and people put in and 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. That’s why I wanted to put those moments of romance in a song. You know, the ones that you see in your head like a black & white movie. I wanted this song to feel like an antidote to all the toxicity out there today.
The instrumentation on the track sounds insane – that bassline is to die for! Put that with your vocals and the lyrics and it makes a killer single. Could you describe the creative process you went through when putting this single together?
I started writing the first verse a while back, but I never did anything with it. Suddenly the idea came back flooding back into my mind so I finished it with my friend Axel Ehnström in Helsinki. Later on while working on the production in Stockholm, I wrote the middle eight to the song with Gustav Nyström. That bassline took some time to finish though. We tried so many different variations but none of them felt right. When we finally found the right one we both freaked out. It just felt so good!
“I Wanna Be Your James Dean” and your previous single “Someone Like You” will both feature on your upcoming EP “i think we need to talk” – which you have announced will be released on the 14 th of May. Congratulations! How would you describe the general sound of the EP?
I think the EP is instrumentally very guitar driven. I love to start a song with a guitar riff that has a clear pulse and rhythm even without any drums. Then add some big scandi-pop melodies, lyrics about love or lack there of and you have a great introduction to who I am as an artist. Or at least to 10% of who I am as an artist. There is so much more to come!
What would you say is your personal favourite track on the EP? Why does this one stand out to you?
“I think we need to talk” has some of my favourite lyrics I’ve ever written. However I think overall my favourite track on the EP would have to be “I Wanna Be Your James Dean”. It just has that retro vibe and I absolutely loved working on the visuals as well for that song.
If you could add a feature onto any track on the EP, which song would you choose and who would feature on it? Why do you think that would make a good collaboration?
Having Anderson .Paak feature on “I Wanna Be Your James Dean” would be epic. I just love the soul, energy and character of his voice. I feel like our voices would also blend together really well.
We want to know more about you as an artist. How did you start out? What would you say is the best part about being a musician? Share your story with us!
I started playing guitar at the age of 5 and fell in love with blues music after watching Stevie Ray Vaughan play Austin City Limits on VHS. I didn’t start writing songs and singing until I was 16 though. When I sang for the first time to an audience it became clear to me that this is what I wanted to do.
The best part about being a musician is the ability to be able to express myself creatively. That’s honestly all I look for in art. I just want to express who I am in different ways.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a musician? If I told you to write a song based on what you are feeling right now, what would it be about, and what would it be called?
Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Overthinking usually leads to procrastination and doubt. Don’t fear the failure and don’t overthink it. Just put a lot of music out and try to be as authentic as you possibly can. All that other stuff will fall into place once you start figuring out who you really are as an artist and as a person. That’s what I’m feeling right now so I think I’ll write about it! Let’s name the song “Overthinking”. Revolutionary name!
Finally, can you tell our reader of any other future plans that you may have?
I have a lot of things planned for the future but let’s just say there’s definitely a lot more music coming from me soon. And if allowed, I will start touring again later this year! Couldn’t be more excited about that!!
“I Think We Need To Talk” is definitely an EP you need to get behind. The full track listing can be found below. To keep up to date with Tomi Saario, be sure to follow him on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram!
I Think We Need To Talk EP Tracklist:
- Just A Little
- Don’t Hurt Yourself
- Someone Like You
- I Wanna Be Your James Dean
- I Think We Need To Talk
So, what did you think of “I Wanna Be Your James Dean”? Are you excited for the new EP? Let us know over on our Twitter! – @AboutThe_Noise