A singer has gone from busking on the streets of Brighton for money to releasing his debut album.

Sam Tompkins shot to stardom in recent years, playing sell-out tour dates and even performing on stage with international pop star Justin Bieber.

Sam announced that his album, ‘hi, my name is insecure’ fulfilled a dream he has had since he was a child.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, he said: “I have gone through so much to be here especially recently and it’s finally happening.

“I’ve put my heart and soul into every single piece of this album from the writing, to the production, to the artwork, mixing, mastering, everything.

“I’m so grateful for all the amazing support that has facilitated this dream I have had since I was a child.”

He also said that his album is dedicated to his dad, John, who killed himself in November last year.

Sam said: “I so wish he could have seen this, but I am so glad he got to see what he did. Hope I’m doing him proud up there.”

Sam’s music career started after being short of cash to buy a hat that he wanted and was “dared” into trying to raise enough money to buy it, leading him to busk on the streets in Brighton.

He used to perform on Bond Street and Ship Street, drawing increasingly larger crowds as people came to see him play.

Since then, the 26-year-old singer has gained almost four million monthly listeners on Spotify and has had his music featured on TV shows, including ITV’s Love Island.

His album is released on May 24 and is available for pre-order now.

Sam is also performing a number of gigs across the UK and Europe in April, including in Stockholm, Warsaw, Dublin, Berlin and Alexandra Palace in London.