British singer and songwriter Tom Chaplin – born in Hastings, East Sussex, England on March 8, 1979 – is best known as the lead singer for pop rock band Keane. The singer and future Keane keyboardist / songwriter Tim Rice-Oxley grew up together since their mothers were friends. While attending school, Rice-Oxley met drummer Richard Hughes and guitarist Dominic Scott and the three friends formed a covers band called The Lotus Eaters (not to be confused with several other bands using that name including the Liverpool-based pop band). Tom Chaplin joined the group in 1997 and encouraged them to change the name of the band to Cherry Keane, which they eventually changed to Keane. The group released their debut album, Hopes and Fears, in 2004 and became one of the biggest selling bands of the Britpop movement. After several years of success, Tom Chaplin became addicted to drugs, and, beginning in 2006, he entered rehab several times. Keane went on hiatus after the release of their 2012 album Strangeland and Tom Chaplin pursued a solo career. He released his debut album, The Wave, in 2016. The album, which included the hit single “Quicksand,” reached Number 3 on the UK Albums chart. His next solo album was the holiday themed Twelve Tales of Christmas (2017), which landed at Number 21 on the UK Albums chart. Keane ended their hiatus and released the album Cause and Effect and toured to promote the release. In January 2022, Tom Chaplin participated on the third season of the UK’s The Masked Singer as he prepped for the release of his next solo album. Produced by Ethan Johns, Tom Chaplin’s third solo album, Midpoint, was released in September 2022 and reached Number 1 on the UK’s Independent Albums chart.
