Tom Frager

Tom Frager is a French singer/songwriter with a reggae-infused style who broke through to mainstream success in 2009 with the chart-topping smash hit "Lady Melody." Born on July 1, 1977, in Dakar, Senegal, he grew up in Guadeloupe, where he cultivated a talent for surfing that won him numerous championship titles and took him around the world. From a musical standpoint, he cites influences that include reggae (e.g., Bob Marley) as well as alternative rock (e.g., Sublime) and pop (e.g., Jason Mraz). In 2002, Frager founded Gwayav', a band comprised of Henry Daurel (guitar), Thomas Renwick (guitar), Lionel Dubourdieu (bass), Stephane Garcia Tudela (drums), Jerome Gron (keyboards), Marc Closier (saxophone), Jane Terhoff (backup vocals), and Carolina Carmona (backup vocals), in addition to himself on vocals and guitar. Initially billed as simply Gwayav', the band made its full-length debut in 2006 with the independently released album Bloom Inside, which went little heard upon its initial release. A couple years later the band released its second album, Better Days (2008), billed this time to Tom Frager & Gwayav' and released on Gwayav' Records in association with Universal Music. Though it took a long time to catch on, the single "Lady Melody" was a chart-topping smash hit in France in September 2009, when it spent three straight weeks at number one, and it was also a hit single in neighboring Switzerland and Belgium. Better Days was also a hit, reaching the Top Five of the French albums chart. ~ Jason Birchmeier