THOMAS SMITH

Thomas is the Editor of Billboard UK having joined the team in 2024. He has a decade’s worth of experience in music journalism, with a particular focus on emerging musicians and grassroots industry stories across pop, indie, rock, dance, jazz, rap and more. Thomas followed the journeys of superstars like Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish and Yungblud from their early days, capturing their stories from small London venues to the biggest stages on the planet. Thomas has written cover profiles of Billie Eilish, Coldplay, Dua Lipa, Yungblud, The Chemical Brothers, Disclosure, Beck and more for various outlets, alongside providing on-the-ground reports from pubs, clubs and festival fields in the U.K. and globally. Thomas leads Billboard's coverage of the U.K. music industry, spotlighting local stories on a global scale; in 2025, he oversaw the launch of Billboard's inaugural U.K. Power Players list which honors executives from across the sector.

Elsewhere Thomas is a frequent contributor to BBC Radio, Sky News and ITV News and has hosted industry events at prestigious venues like Abbey Road Studios. Thomas has been included on the voting panels for The BRITs and BBC’s Sound Of… awards and has played a key role in assembling commercially released mixtapes which included Teddy Swims, Laufey, Lola Young and more.