An acclaimed Kent-born songwriter and musician has picked up his second Grammy in a row to add to his glittering collection of awards from the music industry.

Tom Hull, aka Kid Harpoon, from Rochester, co-wrote Flowers by Miley Cyrus, the smash hit that was voted Record of the Year.

The former Rochester Math pupil played most of the instruments in the recording and took to the stage with Miley at the star-studded LA ceremony at the weekend.

As a young lad, before moving to London and hitting the big time, Tom played acoustic guitar in bands Lick and Fuzz and was very much part of the live music scene in Medway.

The 41-year-old’s career has gone from strength to strength. He spends his time between London and the States and is regarded among the world’s biggest songwriters and producers.

A year ago he won a Brit Award for his part in co-writing and producing Harry Styles’ number one album, Harry’s House.

The Watermelon Sugar singer’s record was the biggest and fastest-selling UK album of 2022, not leaving the Top 10 since May of last year, while its lead single ‘As It Was’, co-written by Tom, was the UK’s biggest-selling single of 2022, achieving more than 2 billion global streams to date.

In September 2021 he scooped the prestigious Ivor Novello award working alongside the former One Direction singer to write the hit Adore You.

He’s also worked with Florence and the Machine, Years and Years, Lizzo, Mabel and Jessie Ware.

And as his reputation grew, so did the names he could count as colleagues and friends.

Within a few years, artists such as Calvin Harris, Jamie N Commons, Professor Green, Shakira, Skrillex, and Lily Allen had all benefited from his skills, although by this time he was as much an LA boy, having relocated to Laurel Canyon.

Tom’s parents still live in Rochester, a stone’s throw away from where he went to St Margaret’s at Troy Town Primary School.

It’s fair to say he’s come a long way since then.