Interview: Meet Tom Nethersole, Melbourne’s Sweet and Seductive Musician

Step into the vibrant world of Tom Nethersole, where the stroke of each lyric paints a different story. In one moment you’ll transcend to an alternate ethereal plain, in another, a seductive sweatbox where booty’s are nothing but popped. With his latest track, Baby I'm Sorry, aligning with the latter. 

Tom’s earlier track Kamikaze man can only be described in two words as a “passionate caress”. Mixing genres like a master chef blends spices, he creates a sound that's uniquely his own, sprinkled with hints of pop, dashes of soul, and a whole lot of authenticity.

But it's not just his music that's turning heads, it's his electric performances that leave audiences buzzing long after the lights come up. With his recent performance at his single launch, Midsumma and supporting Drax Project, Tom knows how to command the stage with a presence that's as mesmerising as it is magnetic.

Nethersole’s charm shines through like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. We caught up with this slice to chat through his music, his sporty side and played a cheeky game of Kill, Fuck or Marry.

Read all the feels below:

Tell us a little bit about your music journey so far!

So after years of almost hovering on the outside of the music sphere, I released my debut single, Build a Bear in February 2023, which coincided with the airing of my Australian Idol audition and it’s fair to say that while one of those things was not that successful, the other was really embraced and celebrated which felt so beautiful, especially with it being about body image and grieving for my mum. Since then, I’ve continued to release music that centres around navigating the brutal and beautiful moments of life which has seen me perform in Federation Square at Always Live GarageBand 2023, at the 2024 Vic Pride Street Party as well as my first ever headline show to kick off 2024 along with a number of other appearances.

Your sultry new track Baby I’m Sorry is out in the world! Tell us the story and process behind this track.

I feel like I always write sad songs, even if they’re upbeat and this was really about me having one of those songs that you put on when you’re getting ready to go out to make you feel sexy and really take back that power within yourself. It’s funny, I was reading this thing that someone had written the other day about my music and when they were talking about this new release, Baby I’m Sorry, they wrote something like ‘Tom is yet to disclose who or what the song is about’ which was not intentional but I think this song lends itself to being interpreted in whatever way makes you feel powerful and sure of yourself. When I was proposing ideas to Rémy Mégard, the director of the music video, I just kept saying that I see it as the first night out after a breakup where you get ready, you look incredible and you almost hope that they see you so that they witness the extent of what they once had. That’s the story I have in my head. The release of Baby I’m Sorry was also paired with it’s own music video as well as a single launch party at the Workers Club in Melbourne

Kamikaze Man does things to me, I need to know the inspiration behind it.

Aww I’m happy you like it because that song is so special to me and I continue to fall in love with it. It’s interesting though, I had gone back to my hometown in country Victoria for a couple weeks because I had been really going through it and felt like if I stayed in Melbourne, away from my family and the open air, that certain ideations were going to leave me in a really bad place. In saying that though, I hadn’t really told my family the extent of what was happening and one day I went to one of the bedrooms and picked up the first guitar I learned to play on and just started writing about this fictional person who has this ticking time bomb on their chest of how long they have left before it goes off. I ended up using this visual of having something physically strapped to the chest as a metaphor for talking about what’s going on inside someone’s mind and how if these things don’t get off their chest, the kamikaze man dies and the ticking time bomb finally stops. 

How was it performing at Midsumma recently?

Honestly, being a little queer kid from regional Victoria and having that as my first ever pride was truly so special and walking around the street party after my performance and just seeing the freedom and the joy and the kindness of everyone around did something to me. It felt like all the people who had been made to feel like outsiders were all in one place giving each other the love they wished they had been given in the past. I think there’s something so special about being part of an event that celebrates queer expression and the queer community so hugely.

We saw your sporty spice photos, is he a runner, is he a track star?

If by runner you mean running away from my problems, then for sure, I’m sporty spice and all things nice haha.

How do you find being a queer performer in Australia?

I mean I guess I don’t know the alternative haha but I think there’s something about being part of a community that, for the most part, is all about acceptance and love and expression. I feel that since moving to Melbourne it’s been something I’ve thought about less and less but I definitely think that performing or even just growing up as a queer person in country Australia I felt like there were eyes on me to be a role model or to be a certain ‘type of gay’. I think growing up and even when I go back to perform, I’m much more aware of the fact that I’m more likely to be perceived as a ‘queer performer’ and not just a performer

How much has TikTok helped or hindered the music industry?

To me it’s so interesting and I have such a weird relationship with TikTok because, on one hand, it’s skit videos that I made on TikTok that led to the people who are cry-singing my songs at shows discovering me but, on the other hand, majority of the time I feel disingenuous for posting about my music, even though it means so much to me and is arguably much more of who I am, because it’s not what I initially grew my following from.

However, in the wider conversation of TikTok and the music industry, I think that it’s incredible that it has launched the careers of so many independent artists that we would otherwise most likely would not have heard of. In saying that, like any social media platform, the effects of virality and momentary fame has created a pool of musicians and creators that either have a large amount of followers and no community or artists with such strong and niche fanbases that are so specific and tailored that it’s not accessible to a wider community

Kill, Fuck, Marry. Troy Sivan, Omar Apollo and Ncuti Gatwa?

Oh c’mon. Marry Ncuti, Fuck Troye and (sorry) politely allow Omar to drift away in his sleep xx

What would be your outrageous superpower? Something that wouldn’t be typical.

I would love to be able to just shoot straight up in the air and be able to see where everything is or how far away something is. It’s not flying or teleportation, I just envision my legs growing really really long and me being up in the sky having a look around but maybe this is stemming from a short king insecurity.

How would your best friends describe you?

That’s so funny you ask that because I played a knock-off version of ‘We Aren’t Really Strangers’ with my friends for Valentine’s Day the other night and one of the questions was similar to this and they said that they find that I’m very inviting and put a lot of effort to making sure that everyone feels good and feels included. Apart from that, they also said I’m a good listener and know when to just listen, when to pull them up on things and when to give other perspectives. I left that night feeling very loved and appreciative.

If you were an item you’d typically find in a bathroom what would it be and why?

I think I’d be a mirror because I love looking at myself which is interesting because I have such a contradictory relationship with my appearance. I also feel though that my music is kind of like a mirror for people because it reflects what they are going through and puts words to their unique and deeply personal experiences

What’s your party trick?

I think my party trick is doing my own rendition of this squat jump that is commonly done in Russian Dances. There’s something about it that really gets the crowd going haha nah I’m kidding

What’s on the bingo card for 2024?

Well at the start of the year I made 2 specific goals; 1. I wanted to book/perform an interstate show which was ticked off at the start of Feb and 2. That I want to build my presence as a queer pop artist in Naarm/ Melbourne this year which I think I started off well with a headline show and performing at Vic Pride. Other than that, there’s some projects in the works which I’m really keen for people to see and experience.

If you're ready to dance, laugh, and maybe even shed a tear or two, dive into Tom’s world. Check out Tom’s song Kamikaze Man below or head to our Chill Music Mix playlist to hear more songs like this one.