King’s fresher becomes internet sensation after singing duet with Jessie J

A humble King’s fresher has become an online hit after showing off his incredible singing skills on Facebook.

By now you’ve probably heard of Tom Bleasby, the first year International Politics student who has become world famous overnight after he managed to out-sing pop star Jessie J on the app “Sing!”.

After seeing that Jessie J had uploaded a video of herself singing her new single “Flashlight”, Tom, from Leeds, excitedly joined the app and uploaded his unbelievable duet to Facebook.

Just 12 hours later, Tom had become an internet hit, racking up thousands of views.

Speaking to The Tab about his newfound fame, Tom said: “I was incredibly overwhelmed. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect the video to go any further than my Facebook friends.

“The speed at which it all happened was thrilling, and the amount of  time I have to spend emailing, Skyping or replying to messages of support is incredible. I’m not sure my laptop has much more strength!”

He’s just one of us really

A couple of days later the video reached the one million mark.

And it’s not just the general public going crazy for Tom’s vocals. After Jessie J herself shared the video of the two of them singing, he’s been approached by several record companies, including Beyoncé’s, and says he’s “currently making choices” about what to do next.

When asked how this might affect his future at King’s, Tom reflected, “To be fairly honest, prior to coming to university, I planned on entering Politics in some way. All of that has been shifted on its head!”

“At the present time, it’s all about making choices, and deciding upon a direction. That [leaving university] is a very big decision that I’d need to make as soon as concrete decisions have been made. Perhaps I could balance both, or defer a year, but it will all depend on the schedule. I hope I can carry on studying, as I worked hard to get here and my education is very valuable to me”.

But there is no doubt that Tom’s passion for singing is a huge part of his life.

“For as long as I can remember I’ve taken part in school choirs and musical productions,” he said.

“I’ve always been singing, and I always had a yearning to be a singer. The prospect of actually being a singer only became a reality when I joined the app in October… I’ve always sang, but now it’s of more importance”.

The video now been watched by over seven million people. Meanwhile, Tom is currently being followed by over 48,000 people on Facebook, and has made massive television appearances including BBC News.

But speaking of his new fame, Tom simply said: “I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone for their support, it means so much and I’m eternally grateful.”