Tom Helsen

Tom Helsen is a Belgian artist from Keerbergen, born on July 19, 1976. He was discovered in 1996 at the Humo’s Rock Rally, where he achieved a remarkable second place, behind Novastar but ahead of An Pierlé and Arid. His performance included an impressive cover of the song Hotellounge. The jury at the time highlighted his ability to interpret touching songs without unnecessary frills.

Following this competition, he recorded his first single in the autumn of 1996, Like her vacation, and performed several concerts, either solo or during a small tour with the bands The Sands and Sheffield Wednesday. However, tired of being perceived as a rock troubadour and aware of the limitations of the solo format, he decided to form a band in March 1997 with Desmond van Weddingen on drums and Wim Janssens on bass.

This transition radically transformed his sound, moving away from comparisons with Billy Bragg in favor of a melodic, clear pop rock, sometimes likened to artists such as Buffalo Tom or The Counting Crows. The trio’s first album, later becoming a quartet with the arrival of Geert Peeters on bass, led to the singles All you broken homers and Great American Sex Scandal.

The second album, titled Tom is doing Great and released in the autumn of 2000 after several delays, marked a turning point. Its production benefited from the collaboration of Joost Zweegers from Novastar, who helped Tom Helsen restructure his approach to songwriting. The single When Marvin Calls from this album became the band’s true success. Tom Helsen explained that this collaboration taught him to better balance the narrative sensibility and musical structure of his compositions.

The album presents ten strong songs with a melancholic tone, further affirming the artist’s vocal identity. At that time, Tom Helsen’s ambition had evolved, favoring a more relaxed approach to music, supported by part-time employment, while aspiring to have a larger budget for his future sound projects.

The band members at that time were Tom Helsen (vocals, guitar, piano), Wim Janssens (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Geert Peeters (bass), and Desmond van Weddingen (drums).