The cover for the latest Tommy Richman single, “THOUGHT YOU WERE THE ONE.”
Tommy Richman is close to a household name simply off the back of his “MILLION DOLLAR BABY,” a breakout single in the truest sense that continues to bubble on the charts far past its “song of the summer” original run. However, as we all know, one song does not a career make. He circled back just this past week for his third single release since signing to Brent Faiyaz’s ISO Supremacy. Here’s everything you need to know about the latest Tommy Richman single, “THOUGHT YOU WERE THE ONE.”
Projecting The Future Of The Rising R&B Star
Many of the artists that catch TikTok traction in this new era will rush to put together an extended project to “capitalize on the moment.” It’s not an inherently bad or wrong strategy; there’s a slew of one or two-hit-wonders that are “I wonder what they’re up to” fodder in hindsight rather than fully stamped acts. However, Richman is a more particular case; it’s rare for an artist so early into their career to have a genuine #1 record. It thus afforded Brent Faiyaz and Tommy’s label higher-ups to play a longer game, only letting two singles loose since “MILLION DOLLAR BABY.”
To that end, both of the songs have captured a slightly different atmosphere, “DEVIL IS A LIE” stepping into a more romantic lane. “THOUGHT YOU WERE THE ONE,” as promised in the title, ventures further down that rabbit hole. Though nostalgic pop stylings are the default mode we’ve found Tommy Richman in so far in his burgeoning career, this capitalizes on a different sort of that aesthetic. Kitschy, campy pads define the song, where Richman’s falsetto vocals venture on Michael McDonald territory and the production creeps on turn-of-the-decade ’80s/’90s trappings.
Tommy Richman Expands His Range On “THOUGHT YOU WERE THE ONE”
Though the overall vibe is plenty tantalizing and captivating, picking through the song with a fine tooth comb reveals some shortcomings with “THOUGHT YOU WERE THE ONE” and potentially some that may hinder Tommy Richman moving forward. Due to verse sections that place a higher emphasis on delivery and cadence over true substance, a lot is staked on the hook. To be blunt, it’s simply not as infectious as “MILLION DOLLAR BABY” (perhaps an unreachable bar given its success), but nor does it reach the level of “DEVIL IS A LIE.” On a structural level, the slow jam composition of the track makes a refrain-heavy build a bit less compelling as well.
At the end of the day, “THOUGHT YOU WERE THE ONE” is just one small chapter in the Tommy Richman story, and with the impressive co-signs and collaborators he has in his corner, this won’t knock him off course by any means. If anything, it’s a reassuring sign that rather than trying to replicate the “DEVIL IS A LIE” moment, he and his team have their sights set on different ventures, expanding his wings beyond that singular track. You can catch “THOUGHT YOU WERE THE ONE” and the albeit brief Tommy Richman catalog wherever you stream your music.
Elsewhere in our coverage, Sabrina Carpenter & Travis Scott battle for #1 album on our latest tracks report.
