Here Are Six Things to Know About ‘Million Dollar Baby’ Singer Tommy Richman

Like his mentor Faiyaz, Richman hails from the DMV, most notably, Virginia. In an interview with the Miami New Times last year, Richman spoke on the difficulties of local artists from Virginia trying to break into the industry. 

“There’s a lot of passion through the scene back home, and I feel like it’s because a lot of people don’t get a fair shake,” Richman told the New Times. “It’s really hard to have your voice heard there. That’s probably why a lot of people from Virginia left, like Pharrell and Timbaland. It’s kind of key for an artist to leave their nest. That way, you can appreciate where you come from.”

In an interview with Lyrical Lemonade in 2022, Richman detailed his decision to pursue music before heading back to college. According to him, after receiving positive feedback from a song he made titled “Pleasantville,” he decided to go full-throttle and make it a career.  

“Going into my sophomore year, I made a song called ‘Pleasantville,’ and a lot of people liked it and I thought it could be something I could do,” he remembered. “Then I dropped ‘Melba,’ which was a breakup song about a girl, but it was really a breakup about leaving college. At that point I left college for music and started taking it seriously. I had to!”

Richman released his first EP, 2022’s Paycheck, which includes the project’s breakout song, “Star Girl.” Despite the bite-sized offering —the EP is four tracks — Richman displayed promise as a genre-bending artist with pop sensibilities who can flirt with rock as well, as proven on “Games.” Since then, Richman has released several other EPs, ALLIGATOR, his ISO Supremacy debut, THE RUSH and his recent two-pack SOULCRUSHER.

While Richman has pointed to artists like Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, and Motley Crue as musical influences, he also seeks inspiration outside of music, especially from a certain NBA Hall of Famer: Dennis Rodman. 

“He’s actually one of the most punk people ever,” Richman said to Lyrical Lemonade. “During his time, to be as metro, and athletic, and different, and fashionable and partying as hard as he did was ridiculous. I mean, he played on the best basketball team ever, was defensive player of the year, and was outside fucking Carmen Electra in Vegas every other night. I wanna interview Dennis Rodman one day. Say what you want, but the Kim Jong Un friendship is iconic!”

Last year, Billboard exclusively reported that PULSE Records partnered with Brent Faiyaz’s ISO Supremacy and formed a joint venture with the R&B singer-songwriter. Richman was the first artist under Brent’s wing and even opened up on the singer’s F*ck the World, It’s a Wasteland Tour. 

“I’m grateful and amazed at the support from Brent, ISO Supremacy, and the team at PULSE Records, which motivates me,” said Richman last year. “To have the opportunity to open for Brent on his sold-out tour is an absolute honor and to sign to PULSE Records, a creative community that really understands music and supports artists, I couldn’t ask for more.”

Shortly after signing to Faiyaz’s ISO Supremacy and appearing on the singer’s tour, Richman collaborated with his DMV brethren on “Upset.” Nestled inside the latter part of Faiyaz’s album, the earworm became a favorite, giving fans a glimpse of the duo’s potential. In retrospect, the song sonically shares the same funky elements that make “MILLION DOLLAR BABY” a home run.