Signed to Lily Rose Cooper’s record label and set to open for the Rolling Stones in London’s Hyde Park this summer, Tom Odell lures us in with melodic piano and spare vocals in today’s Jonny Sanders-directed video for “Grow Old with Me.” Taken from the British singer-songwriter’s forthcoming album Long Way Down, the shoot took place last month just before Odell embarked on his current US tour, pit-stopping for a live session on the Late Show with David Letterman last night. “Touring America has always been a dream of mine,” enthuses Odell. “I grew up reading authors like Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and William Faulkner, then obsessing over films by Terrence Malick and Arthur Penn. It’s so vast and so much has been written about it—it’s nice to finally be here, understanding it a little more.” Since making his TV debut on the UK’s talent-anointing Later… with Jools Holland, Odell has gained much critical acclaim—including the coveted Critics’ Choice Brit Award this year, previously won by Florence and the Machine, Adele and Emeli Sandé. Here the bittersweet balladeer gives up a few more intimate details. 

What's one possession you have that you will always keep? 
Tom Odell: I have an old Yamaha Dictaphone that I bought when I was about 14. Every melody, lyric, chord, idea I've written has gone into it, and I take it everywhere I go. 

What book do you foresee yourself re-reading over and over again?
TO: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.

What record will you never stop listening to?
TO: Desire by Bob Dylan.

Is there a food you could never give up?
TO: I’m a sucker for a good English roast dinner. It kind of takes me back to my childhood. 

Where will you grow old?
TO: I’m not sure, but I really do love London—right now I can't see myself living anywhere else.