Tommy Richman

Virginia-born singer Tommy Richman first captured widespread attention through the buoyant “Million Dollar Baby,” a 2024 single that entered the U.S. chart at number two. Over the early 2020s he cultivated a distinctive approach rooted in agile vocal phrasing, fluid genre shifts, and intricate melodic layering, establishing an independent path until pre-release clips of that track circulated widely and propelled him to sudden prominence. The song climbed to number two on the Hot 100, clearing the way for his debut full-length album, 2024’s COYOTE.

Raised in Woodbridge, Virginia, Richman turned his full focus toward music while in college and left school at 19 once the early singles “Pleasantville” and “Melba” began gaining notice. His initial work moved between bedroom pop and funk-tinged R&B, unified by an inventive vocal technique that stacked multiple takes, ad-libs, and contrasting timbres over varied melodies. During those years he refined his style across a series of standalone releases, among them the swinging “Uncle Pedro,” the wistful “Star Girl,” and the introspective “Chrono Trigger.”

In 2022 he began a close partnership with underground rapper mynameisntjmack, starting with the tense, anxious-themed “Bunker/Preroll” and continuing later that year on “Who U Foolin” and “Selfaware/2020.” After relocating to Los Angeles he released his first extended project, the seven-track Alligator. By mid-2023 R&B vocalist Brent Faiyaz had taken notice and signed him to the ISO Supremacy label; Richman’s debut single for the imprint was the lean “Last Nite,” followed by a joint appearance on “Upset” from Faiyaz’ 2023 album Larger Than Life. He wrapped the year with the EP The Rush and then issued “Soulcrusher” and “Selfish” in the opening months of 2024.

April 2024 brought the release of “Million Dollar Baby,” which carried him from underground recognition to global success. Although heavy TikTok promotion had already stirred anticipation, the track’s rapid ascent still exceeded expectations: the Southern hip-hop-inflected single landed at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and was quickly hailed as a “song of the summer.” Another release, “Devil is a Lie,” arrived that June and likewise reached the Top 40. In September Richman issued his first studio album, COYOTE, which bypassed his earlier hits in favor of new singles “Thought You Were the One” and “Whitney.”