Henry Tozer

A composer, singer and pianist, based in London UK.

An honest troubadour, mining the depths of the heart, whose breath is music.

Firstly, a little of my background:

I grew up in the beautiful English countryside, studied at Cambridge, spent some time in New York playing Beatles songs at John Lennon's memorial and getting my music in a few Hollywood films, along with travelling to China to collaborate with leading instrumentalists.

I believe that music is a spiritual force. An energy of transformation. A power for helping us get in touch with what’s really going on within us, and around us – for waking us up from the apparently endless mundanity of ordinary life and taking us back into a state of true aliveness, where this very moment is felt as precious, and where our hearts no longer beat as two, but as one.

These days music is largely confined to the realm of background distraction – something to help us stay on the surface of our lives and not go within. Mass-produced, clone-like songs are a symptom of this. But I believe that this belies the true purpose and potential potency of music. It’s like using a diamond to play catch with. For when music is created and shared with the reverence and attention that it deserves, it is no longer a distraction, nor indeed even mere entertainment: it is a liberating force of transformation. This is the kind of music that I seek to create.

My songs are written and performed from this place of deep presence and sincerity. My influences span through the ages – these days I’m singing 4^th century medieval chants with the incredible Idrisi Ensemble – but I can share with you some of my main inspirations: Chopin, for his magical yet devastatingly intimate Romantic melodies; Frank Sinatra, not just for his jazz-inflected charisma, but in particular for the utter sincerity within his ballad interpretations; Charles Aznavour for his unmasked storytelling, capturing the details of life and love that no-one else would dare sing about; Nick Drake for his exposed introversion, painted on an ancient tapestry of music and lyrics; George Harrison for his open-hearted spiritual earnestness expressed in joy and longing; Leonard Cohen for his acerbic psychological honesty and marriage of the apparent sacred and profane; and… perhaps that’s enough for here.

We are each the apex of myriad interwoven influences, and thus my own music is born of my own heart’s synergy. My mission is to bring music back to the place where it should be – the place where it not only soundtracks our lives, but brings us deeper into our experiential, wondrous understanding of who we are. I seek to create a world where we can feel without reservation, and through this unite in our shared humanity.

I would love you to join me on my journey by having a listen and sharing what moves you, and even tipping if you really enjoy what you hear; your support enables me to keep creating.

And, finally, I invite you to become a part of my growing community by signing up to my newsletter, giving you updates on my latest songs, upcoming performances and philosophical musings.

Thank you so much for your interest in my music. I hope to see you at one of my shows soon!

Henry

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