NYC-based R&B/Soul songwriter Tomás Doncker returns with powerful new single ‘Hard Is Hard’
NYC-based alternative-R&B producer, singer, songwriter and indie label CEO Tomás Doncker returns with the release of his new single ‘Hard Is Hard’, released today, March 7th 2025 via his label True Groove Records.
Tomás Doncker has long been a prime mover on the New York music, arts and culture scenes. From the early 1980s, as a member of groundbreaking No Wave and Punk Funk bands The Contortions and Defunkt, international touring, recording and songwriting collaborations with luminaries such as Bootsy Collins, Meshell Ndegeocello, Ivan Neville, The Specials and the legendary Ms. Patti Smith, to helming his own band, The True Groove All-Stars, Tomás has established himself as a cross-genre innovator without peer.
Doncker’s previous works have seen praise from the likes of BBC, CNN, Huff Post, MOJO, Spin, Brooklyn Vegan, NPR’s ‘All Songs Considered’, Guitar World, All About Jazz, Paste Magazine, Rolling Stone and Blues Matters Magazine where he was a recent main cover feature.
‘Hard Is Hard’ is hot on the heels of February’s single release ‘Wha-Gwaan!’ which featured guest drums and vocals from Fun Lovin’ Criminals / UB40’s Frank Benbini, and was celebrated by Wonderland Magazine, Fame Magazine and RTE.
Produced with James Dellatacoma (Bill Laswell, Herbie Hancock) and mastered by Michael Fossenkemper (Paul Weller, LL Cool J, Miles Davis), ‘Hard Is Hard’ fuses epic funk grooves with soulful vocals providing a powerful reminder to keep on keeping on; times are tough, but so are you.
Discussing the single, Doncker says, “We are living in a pivotal time in history…Things are tough for everyone, everywhere. Someone once asked me: “What’s the difference between being ‘The Champ’, and being a contender?” I had no idea…The answer was: “The Champion has the strength of character to get up off the canvas one more time.” Probably the most difficult thing to do. Hard is Hard. Stay strong, keep gettin’ up. One. More. Time!”
Doncker is fast becoming a mainstay in venues throughout the UK and was recently invited to support KillerStar at their upcoming two night stint at London’s The 100 Club, a band which features an array of David Bowie’s most trusted musical collaborators, and sees Doncker backed by his True Groove All-Stars band which inlcude members of The Specials.
MORE INFORMATION:
For over a decade, Doncker’s expansive creative endeavors have found a home with his label / production hub True Groove Records. Projects have included work with Ravid Kahalani, P-Funk alumni Michael ‘Kidd Funkadelic’ Hampton and Amp Fiddler, Hip Hop pioneer Keith Shocklee (Public Enemy/Bomb Squad), and iconic bassist / producer Bill Laswell.
His ongoing musical collaborations with New York Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Yusef Komunyakaa yielded the critically acclaimed albums Big Apple Blues, The Mercy Suite and The Black Magnolia Project. Most recently, Doncker and Komunyakaa joined forces with visual artist Floyd Tunson to create ‘ENDANGERED’ in June of 2022, an immersive multimedia experience which addresses the historical conundrum that black men in America are endangered. Inspired by Tunson’s Afro-Futuristic and politically charged artwork, and powered by lyrics from Komunyakaa, Doncker composed a sonic journey to freedom, a modern-day Revolution of the Mind, that has been hailed as “a socio-politically charged audio-visual soundtrack of 21st Century dissent, discomfort and reclamation.”
ONLINE:
Website: https://tomasdoncker.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TomasDonckerMusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomasdonckerofficial
LIVE DATES:
March 7th 2025 - The 100 Club, London (Supporting KillerStar)
March 8th 2025 - The 100 Club, London (Supporting KillerStar)
July 27th 2025 - High Tide Festival, Twickenham
FOR FANS OF:
Amp Fiddler
Sly and the Family Stone
Johnny "Guitar" Watson
Chuck Brown
"Wild, plunging into the night sky and shattering the darkness with each performance." - Essentially Pop
“A true force in the world of Global Soul - a genre the creation of Doncker himself." - Vinyl Me Please
"His masterful ability to craft intricate, multi-layered arrangements." - Wonderland Magazine
“Tomás Doncker unleashes a new track fusing funky beats with soulful vocals, as he ruminates on the shifting tide of current politics.” - The Telegraph
