Chichester-born musician Tom Odell caught the songwriting bug early - he's been penning original material since the age of 13. Now 22, Odell has built up a sizeable fanbase, making his TV debut in 2012 on Later… with Jools Holland.
As one of the three artists contending for the Brit Awards' Critics' Choice Category for 2013, it's clear that Odell is already making the right moves in front of the tastemakers that matter. Signed to Columbia, he's drawn attractive comparisons to the late Jeff Buckley; but his man-at-piano posture is also evocative of Chris Martin shorn of Coldplay's rousing roar.
Odell's material to date has veered from strikingly stripped-back troubadour tales to songs that are more work-in-progress than finished product. But given this is a man who signed a deal after just four gigs, a little room for growth is to be expected - as is a considerable blossoming of his popularity.
