Tommy Richman talks about his incredible musical journey

Tommy Richman nearly had a million reasons to quit music — until “ Million Dollar Baby ” became one of the year’s most popular songs. Now, the singer is eyeing Grammy nominations next week. Two years ago, Richman was living in his parents’ basement in Virginia, before moving to Los Angeles to crash on his best friend’s air mattress and sometimes finding a spot on friends’ couches or floors. But his fortunes changed in April when he posted “Million Dollar Baby” on TikTok, lifting him from obscurity into a viral sensation. The song peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and later became the longest-running No. 1 song on the R&B Songs chart, spanning 22 weeks, and topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart as well. His songs “ Devil Is a Lie ” and “ Thought You Were the One,” a single from his recently released debut album “Coyote,” both cracked the top 10 on the R&B Songs chart. While Richman ultimately clarified his stance, he declined to comment further on his Grammy submissions. In a recent interview, Richman spoke about the reason he left “Million Dollar Baby” off his debut album, handling criticism and his thoughts heading into Grammy nominations on Nov. 8.

How do you feel about possibly being Grammy nominated?

It’s a childhood dream. I don’t care about winning. In the grand scheme of things, we had the biggest song numbers-wise. Who else had a Kidz Bop Kids song? I don’t feel like I deserve anything. I pray it happens. I feel like this is how we get the nomination. If I don’t get nominated, I guess it gives me a reason to go harder. But I think we’ll get nominated.

You faced some criticism about your not-being-a-hip-hop-artist claim. How would you classify yourself?

I’m a singer. When I say things, I just be tweeting things saying how I feel. I forgot about the way I say things and people taking it a certain way. I saw discussion videos about what I said. I appreciate people who saw that I wasn’t coming from a place of malice.

I was coming from a place of “Hey, this is my sound, and I make a lot of types of vibes, and I don’t want to be boxed into a certain thing.” I definitely have to watch how I say things online. I forgot that I have a platform. People are going to find a reason to throw negativity towards my way. I know there’s a lot of negativity online, which is fine. It comes with it.

What was the strategy behind leaving “Million Dollar Baby” and “Devil is a Lie” off your debut album?

I wanted to take this artistic risk that was going against the industry quota. I’m really proud of this body of work. We made this album before we made those songs. In my mind, I’m feeling like “I’m going to give you these songs.” That’s how hard I think this project is. I was trying to stand on business. I’m proud. I don’t have any regrets. I know what me and my friends are destined for. When I look back 10 years from now, I really stuck to my guns and put out this beautiful body of art.

Your debut album has received some mixed reviews. How do you feel about the reception so far?

People who get it, get it. I try not to really read into reviews that much. I saw some reviews from publications that I really used to look up to. Like, “Wow, one day, when I put out my album, they’re going to review it.” I didn’t like the words they were saying about the album. But people are entitled to their own opinions. I can’t get too upset. No one is going to be on your same wavelength of thinking.

Associated Press