The divine, the eccentric, the inclusive Tom Rasmussen (they/them) is at a touching distance from the release of their debut album, Body Building, out on March 29th via Globe Town Records. Closing out the fifteen gems of star-studded musicality is focus track ‘Look At Me’, which brings that club kid confidence to all who hear it - and you can listen here.

While tracks like ‘Look At Me’ appear on the surface as an upbeat, piano house-infused pop banger, you only need to peel back the epidermis to discover a theme that runs throughout the album; that of the everyday struggles of gender non-conforming people. With Body Building, Tom challenges societal preconceptions of those who exist outside the binary to both highlight the ever-present issues and celebrates the diversity, beauty and power of their community.

Here, Tom Rasmussen provides an illuminating insight into the album - “Body Building is the culmination of a decade thinking about what it means to be different to other people, but in a way so many people have felt too. It’s about grieving a part of you that has been taken by others, it’s about escaping violence, it’s about accepting — and attempting to thrive in — reality and not simply fantasy. It is the last time I want to talk about all the violence I’ve experienced in my life as a queer femme person. But never say never. It is dedicated to queer people and trans people everywhere.”

With their debut album just around the corner, Tom will soon be performing their biggest headline show to date, at London’s ICA on March 29th. This show comes immediately after supporting Self Esteem on a run of her UK dates (full list below).

Key to Tom Rasmussen’s project is creating a safe, creative and inclusive space, and so they’ve invited close friends and important voices from the trans community to join them on the record as guest features. These include award-winning writer, performer and theatre maker Travis Alabanza; editor, journalist, presenter and Sunday Times-bestselling writer Shon Faye; and iconic DJ and Music Writer Princess Julia.

Presented to the listener as interwoven interludes in the record, these featured artists add moving declarations that celebrate and complicate ideas of radical self-acceptance and empowerment. These are perfect companions to Tom’s own narrative, which tackles deeply personal issues and simultaneously universal feelings on love, complex identity and where to find true freedom.

Body Building isn’t just an album, it’s a representation of all that Tom Rasmussen has learnt over a decade of working at the helm of their culture. It’s a self-rendered journey of exploring the (de)construction of an alter-ego; one that means always working to access the honesty and emotion of both the queer and the human experience. This debut brings together their writing, their taste, their politics, and most importantly, their voice.

Having worked across fashion, publishing, and television Tom’s first venture into solo music was debut single ‘Fantasy Island Obsession’. Soon to follow was a string of singles ranging from the beautifully stark piano ballad ‘Joy’ (Live) to the summery pop-smash ‘Fabulous Opera’. More recently, fans have been treated to ‘Dysphoria’, a shimmering cut of alternative, emotive, dance-pop incorporating Tom’s stunning vocal performance, on that was praised by the likes of NME and The Line Of Best Fit. They also recently joined Rina Sawayama on her UK & Ireland tour, sharing their intimate yet explosive live show to a wide array of new fans across the country, with Hot Press Magazine describing the show as “euphoric” with “soaring dance choruses and plenty of high art drama.”