As part of a year long campaign to celebrate British Airways’ 100th birthday, we curated a list of ten exceptional British individuals from ten different categories to add to their list of 100 Modern Britons.
Selected to represent the music category was award-winning singer-songwriter Tom Walker. As one of Britain's fastest-rising stars, Tom's ability to reflect on the multifaceted aspects of the U.K through his lyrics along with the versatility of his melodies - from folk to blues, R&B and reggae - made him the top choice for our client.
We wanted to celebrate Tom's dual English and Scottish upbringing, and his overwhelming pride for both. So we commissioned esteemed music photographer Dean Chalkley to shoot him for the cover and feature of The Sunday Times Culture Magazine in a bold split pose. We asked each of our Modern Britons to select one of their most cherished items and submit it as their official 'love letter' to Britain. For Tom it was his Fender Stratocaster guitar that his dad bought him when he was fourteen years old, because it summed up his love for British music.
These images ran in The Sunday Times Culture Magazine as part of a co-branded campaign with The Wall Street Journal and British Airways on the 30th June 2019.
Credits: Creative Direction - Sachini Imbuldeniya, Picture Editor - Marian Paterson, Photographer - Dean Chalkley, Interview - Matt Munday, Video - Jim Piercy