Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and producer Tom Peyton steps into the spotlight with the release of his debut solo album, Thank You For My Name. Spanning 12 tracks and just over 31 minutes, the album is a deeply personal collection of songs that explores grief, growth, self-acceptance, and the often complicated journey of finding meaning in life’s transitions.
Drawing influence from artists such as Bo Burnham, Father John Misty, Randy Newman, Paul Simon, Harry Nilsson, and Rex Orange County, Peyton blends thoughtful singer-songwriter storytelling with touches of pop, jazz, and classical music. The result is a record that feels intimate and reflective while also carrying a sense of warmth, humor, and emotional honesty.
The album’s story begins with its title track, “Thank You For My Name.” Written in the days following the death of his mother, the song marked a turning point in Peyton’s life. Despite spending his entire life around music, he could barely play piano at the time. While staying in his childhood home, he sat at his mother’s piano and slowly worked out the chords by ear, using songwriting as a way to process his grief.
“When I wrote the first song that became part of this album, I had no idea I was ever going to make solo music at all,” Peyton explains. “I wrote ‘Thank You For My Name’ the week after my mom died to try and process what I was feeling.”
What started as a way of coping with loss soon became something much bigger. Peyton committed himself to learning piano and continued writing songs that explored adulthood, identity, relationships, and self-discovery. The isolation and creative freedom of the pandemic years allowed those ideas to flourish, leading to dozens of demos and the foundations of a complete artistic vision.
Although he was initially reluctant to release music under his own name, encouragement from close friends and collaborators inspired him to embrace the project. He teamed up with producer Ethan Shumaker and spent two years carefully shaping the album into its final form.
“We took our time and made sure that we weren’t done with any one song until we absolutely loved listening to it,” says Peyton.
That patience and care can be felt throughout Thank You For My Name. The album captures a period of profound change, from losing a parent and navigating evolving friendships to embracing greater self-acceptance and discovering a newfound love for the piano. Across the record, Peyton reflects on the strange experience of getting older and realizing that while the world around us may remain the same, our relationship with it is constantly changing.
“These songs started to show up in the wake of grief and growth,” Peyton says. “I’m trying to pay attention to feelings that maybe you don’t want to admit to yourself, and then say them in a song in a way that someone else might be able to hear. Laugh or cry. That’s what I’m going for.”
With songs like “Already Said Goodbye,” “A Little Depressing,” “Starting Now,” “Some Other Life,” and the closing track “Rejoice (Outro),” Thank You For My Name presents an artist willing to embrace vulnerability and turn life’s most difficult moments into something meaningful and relatable.
More than just a debut album, Thank You For My Name is an honest and beautifully crafted reflection on loss, healing, and learning to move forward while carrying the memories that shape who we are.
About Tom Peyton
Tom Peyton is a singer, songwriter, producer, and visual artist based in Los Angeles and originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. Over the past fifteen years, he has built an acclaimed career writing and producing music responsible for more than one billion streams.
His songwriting and production credits include work with Pitbull, Panic! At The Disco, Camila Cabello, Lizzo, Christina Aguilera, Icona Pop, Robin Schulz, Ashe, X Ambassadors, K. Flay, The Glorious Sons, and Arkells. He is also the vocalist of Fast Friends and has previously been a member of Wallpaper., Push to Talk, The Morning Benders, and The KGB.
Beyond music, Peyton is an accomplished visual artist, photographer, director, and creative producer. Thank You For My Name marks the culmination of years of personal growth, artistic exploration, and a lifelong relationship with music; his most personal work to date.
For fans of Bo Burnham, Father John Misty, Paul Simon, Dawes, Medium Build, Harry Nilsson, and Randy Newman, Thank You For My Name offers a poignant, funny, and deeply human reflection on loss, love, and the ongoing process of becoming yourself.
Find Tom Peyton: Instagram, TikTok, Spotify, Apple Music
