Spotlight On: Thom Rylance

What made you want to pursue a music career, and did you have any early musical influences or inspirations growing up? 

I don’t think I ever had a choice. Music was the only thing I was even marginally good at. Before I found it, I thought I’d never achieve anything, that I was just stupid or broken somehow. I didn’t fit into the system, and I felt completely lost.
 
Then one teacher changed everything. Mr Asbury. He saw something in me that I didn’t. He practically forced a school guitar into my hands and told me to take it home and learn it. That moment completely altered the course of my life. Suddenly, I had something, and it made sense to me. So while I could name a hundred artists who inspired me musically, he was the biggest influence, the real reason I ever believed I could do this. A good teacher can save a life; in my case, he did. 

 

As the lead singer of The Lottery Winners, how has your experience in commercial music and performing live influenced you as a music producer behind the scenes? 

I’ve learned about what makes people connect with music. It’s all about feeling, whether you want to get someone dancing, give them goosebumps, or hit them right in the chest. Playing live shows teaches you that quickly. You can see straight away what works and what doesn’t, what gets a reaction and what falls flat.
 
That’s helped me loads when I’m producing. I’m always thinking about how a track will make someone feel when they hear it. I want it to have an impact, whether it’s something huge and anthemic or something subtle and emotional. Performing has given me a bit of an instinct for that. So, when I’m working behind the scenes, I try to bring that same energy and intention into everything I do.

 

How does your creative process differ between writing for the band vs writing music to a brief with production music?

Writing for the band is like a diary entry or therapy. It’s personal, messy, and autobiographical. Writing to a brief is like solving a puzzle; someone says, “We need a motivational pop banger with a hint of nostalgia,” and I go into musical chef mode. I still put heart into it, but it’s about servicing the vision rather than bleeding all over the mic. Both are satisfying in different ways, like cooking for your mates vs. doing MasterChef. Not that I can cook. Don’t even know why I went hard with the chef thing.
 

What has been one of your proudest moments throughout your career so far? 

Honestly, I’m most proud that I get to wake up and enjoy what I get to do. Surely that’s the meaning of life.
 

What would you say is one of your greatest strengths as a producer and an artist? 

No matter what project is in front of me, I will fully immerse myself and put everything into it. I throw myself into it completely. I became obsessed in a weird way. I live in that world until it feels real and means something. I care deeply about making something that connects, and I don’t stop until I feel like I’ve done it justice.
 
It’s not just about ticking boxes or finishing a track, it’s about feeling it and knowing I’ve squeezed everything out of the idea. I think that level of immersion and refusal to phone it in is one of my biggest strengths. I take every song personally, whether my names on it or not.
 

What tends to inspire you most when writing songs and producing music? What environment do you create when trying to initiate ideas? 

Being constantly on the road means I have to write in various environments. Tour buses, dressing rooms, the backs of vans, hotel beds. But when I’m in the zone, I could be anywhere anyway. There’s only me and the song in the world.
 
I have a lovely studio space, which I’m very lucky to have, and that’s my favourite place to write, but I find myself there less and less as the band’s success grows. 
 

Do you have any exciting future projects in the pipeline?

Always, I’m allergic to boredom.