GUITARIST, singer and songwriter Tom Murray is due to receive one of music's most prestigious awards.

The Access to Music (ATM) award has been a golden ticket for artists such as The Zutons, Pete Doherty, James Morrison, Toploader and Starsailor.

But Tom wasn't aware of the musical company he will be keeping. Sounding surprised, he said: "That's pretty amazing, I only knew that Edith Bowman, from BBC Radio 1, would be presenting me with the award."

Tom, 21, lives in Ivy Close, Harrow, and was a pupil at Rooksheath High School. He completed his A-levels at Harrow College.

He said: "Until I sat my A-levels, I didn't know that music was really going to be the thing I wanted to do, but I started a band while I was there and became cconvinced that music was what I wanted to do."

Tom then got a place to study music at Kensington and Chelsea college. It was here that he formed his latest band, acoustic duo Toute Sweet - which means "All Sweet", with Joanna Francois.

What resulted was a shift away from solo acoustic material towards something more rounded musically. Tom said: "With Joanna, she gave me freedom, we have a writing partnership that is very productive and allows me to focus more."

Listening to music published on the band's webpage - www.myspace.com/toutesweetuk - it's not diffcult to appreciate the massive change that Tom and Toute Sweet underwent while at the Kensington college.

On the track Rise Tom's vocals soar effortlessly over a comforting, lolloping guitar riff, that will definitely keep the winter blues away. It's a distinctly jaunty sound that will remind listeners of American John Mayer.

What Toute Sweet have achieved is perfect harmonisation between the reassuring vocal tones of Tom and the supporting riffs of Joanna on keyboard that result in a mesmerising acoustic experience.

Like any upcoming musician, Tom would like the security that a record deal brings but he admits: "I just want to get heard, my dream is to go on tour. For some reason, that has always held a fascination for me, you know, playing a gig in one town and then moving on."

And Tom really values playing live: "That's where the buzz is for me - on stage. We put a gig on at the Carling Academy, Islington, as part of my course this year. It was a real turning point.

"I hadn't been on stage for a while but, after it, I decided I wanted more of that feeling.

"You have to put 100 per cent into the performance and knowing that people are responding to it is amazing. It feels like our music is making a difference."

You can download Toute Sweet's music from their MySpace page, or buy their latest EP, Summer Evening Daydream, at their upcoming gigs across London.