Tom Nethersole, meant to be alone | Beaming with Pride

In the first edition of Beaming with Pride (2026), we highlight “meant to be alone” performed by Melbourne pop singer-songwriter Tom Nethersole. 

Prepare to beam with P-R-I-D-E! Beaming with Pride celebrates, embraces, and spotlights songs by LGBTQ musicians or allies.  Here, we provide background and insight into musicians, analyze, plus go gaga over the decadent bops served up.  When songs dictate deeper and more transcendent discussion, we ensure the point is fully articulated.  All styles of music are welcome, whether the songs are classics or brand-new. So, without further ado, in the first edition of Beaming with Pride (2026), we highlight “meant to be alone” performed by Tom Nethersole.

Oh, Tom Nethersole, you handsome 😍 and talented Melbourne, Australia-based “TWINK” 😜 🤭, I agree wholeheartedly! “Meant to be alone,” the single at hand, released in 2023, predates Nethersole’s wishes to “Show me what it means to be your perfect little twink” 😈.  “Meant to be alone” marked his third release.  He wrote and produced the track himself.  Gotta love DIY!

There’s a lot to ❤️ about “meant to be alone.” Backed by light, warm musical accompaniment set in a major key that’s non troppo (not too much), Tom Nethersole delivers emotional yet gentle and tender vocals.  He sings with incredible ease and poise. Generally, he never gets too high or forces things; he remains cool, calm, and collected.  Still, you feel the gravity and impact of the lyrics he sings. “‘Cause I’ve been falling off and waiting here / Thinking that I’ll change next year,” he sings in the first verse, and continues, “But I’m still the mess I am / We don’t share an address or tram.” Ah, those matters of the heart, as well as not being where he wants to be as a person, rear their ugly head. Despite his loneliness and shortcomings, Nethersole shares plenty of clever, striking moments, asserting in the second verse, “I’m not one for chasing stars / But I’ve found myself on Mars / So, please / Stay in my orbit / If you need space then I’ll be here.”  The third verse is particularly emotional, particularly the end:

“But I’ll meet him at the airport

In the viewing area, I’ll wait

Watch planes I wish would take me off

With a man who’s not a mate

I wanna die

For just tonight

Just tonight.”

A meaningful, poetically penned, and thought-provoking record, a young Tom Nethersole does his big one on “meant to be alone”. Is it relatable? You bet it is!

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Tom Nethersole » “meant to be alone” » Tommy Boy » 2023

Tom Nethersole, alone: Beaming with Pride No. 1 (2026) [📷: Brent Faulkner/ The Musical Hype; Tommy Boy; Cristyan Bohn, Ketut Subiyanto, Luis Morales Torres, SHVETS production, Uriel Mont from Pexels; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Gordon Johnson, Wolfgang Eckert from Pixabay]

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