The singer has always wondered about his family ethnicity due to his olive complexion and coarse, curly hair, and he now hopes to get to the bottom of the mystery by taking a test that will reveal more about his heritage.

"A lot of people still think I'm black," he said in an interview with The Times Magazine. "When I first came to America, people who had heard me sing on the radio would be surprised that I was white when they saw me. Because of my hair, a lot of black people still tell me that I'm just passing as white."

According to the Sex Bomb singer, his mother Freda developed "big dark patches" on her skin when she gave birth to him, prompting medical professionals to ask the same kinds of questions Tom is now posing.

"My mother came out in big dark patches all over her body," he revealed. "They asked if she had any black blood and she said she didn't know. I'm going to get my DNA tested. I want to find out."

According to MailOnline.com, the tests can cost as much as $480 (£300) and focus on "ancestral lineages" that help make up a person's DNA. It seems Tom is keen to clear up more than just his ancestry, as he also recently spoke about his fans, who have been known to hurl underwear at the stage in appreciation, and Tom isn't too taken with the gesture.

"That I love being a knickers magnet!" he answered MailOnline when asked for the biggest misconception about him. "I'd prefer that it stopped, but I wouldn't want to upset the fans. The first time it happened was very sexy, but then it lost its meaning."