On this episode of Through the Fire, host Don Amero interviews fellow musician Theo Tams who is rediscovering his identity as an artist. The Canadian singer, songwriter, and performer has been playing since his teens and releasing music for the past 15 years. He has three albums and three EPs to his credit, along with a formidable collection of singles and...oh yeah, that championship run on the sixth season of Canadian Idol in 2008. Tams has put together a body of work that's substantial and diverse. It speaks of an artist whose mission is growth and adventure -- building upon his proverbial laurels, rather than sitting on them. With each step, Tams has made a stride forward, and sometimes even further. That's certainly been true of the past few years, particularly with the series of three-song Trilogy EPs he's embarked on, with the third just arriving and taking him into even more new sonic and lyrical terrain. Tams lives in Toronto with his partner and their 11-year-old daughter explains that to understand where he's going, it's important to know where Tams has been until now. Born and raised in the small town of Coaldale in southern Alberta, Tams was raised in a strict Christian household, learning to sing in church (two services on Sundays), with a family that was steeped in music. He began writing poetry and prose pieces as a teenager, gradually moving towards songwriting influenced by the likes of Jewel, as well as confessional Canadian storytellers such as Sarah McLachlan, Alanis Morissette, Sarah Harmer, and Sarah Slean. After a series of rock bottom moments, Theo says he took the plunge of "spontaneous sobriety" in 2020, declaring himself finished and embarking on therapy that made a world of difference in his healing, and in Tams' resolve.  Follow Theo Tams on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theotamsmusic Follow Theo Tams on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theotamsmusic Follow Theo Tams on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theotams/ Find out more about Theo Tams on his website: https://theotamsmusic.com/ Find Theo Tams on YouTube Some mental health resources: Talk Suicide – https://talksuicide.ca/ Canadian Suicide Crisis Support – https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/mental-health-services/mental-health-get-help.html Canadian Mental Health Association – https://cmha.ca Mood Disorders Society of Canada – https://mdsc.ca Centre for Addiction and Mental Health – https://www.camh.ca  Mental health and substance use support for people in Canada and Canadians abroad. Always free and virtual, 24/7: https://www.wellnesstogether.ca/en-CA https://www.wellnesstogether.ca/en-CA/service/talk Find out more about the Through the Fire Podcast: https://donamero.ca/through-the-fire-podcast/ https://www.instagram.com/throughthefirepod/ https://www.tiktok.com/@throughthefirepod https://www.instagram.com/donamero/ https://www.tiktok.com/@thedonamero https://twitter.com/donaldamero Listen to Don Amero's music: https://donamero.lnk.tt/ATLEM Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices