Bridges (album)

## **Singles from *Bridges***

1. "Biblical"
Released: 10 June 2021
2. "Rise"
Released: 1 October 2021
3. "If You Ever Change Your Mind"
Released: 4 February 2022
4. "Heaven"
Released: 29 April 2022
5. "Boys in the Street"
Released: 1 June 2022

> It was terrifying writing a second album because I had set a bar and had no idea of how to raise that other than to do what came naturally. I did feel at times when writing and recording that I was working in the shadow of *Only Human* and its success, but I had to almost take that out of my periphery and work on this like it was my last album. I think that definitely helped me channel my focus and get this record done without feeling intimidated by my last one.
>
> Calum Scott to *Atwood Magazine*

***Bridges*** is the second studio album by Calum Scott, released through Capitol Records on 17 June 2022. In a press statement, he shared, "From touring all over the world and seeing how people have been affected by my music, I realised how important it is for me to keep writing from a very honest place. [...] For me this new album is about sharing things I've never shared before and taking leaps that sometimes feel terrifying, with the hope that it will bring some inspiration or reassurance to anyone who needs it".

## Synopsis

Calum Scott is something of a genre chameleon, so it's appropriate the UK-based singer-songwriter would call his sophomore album *Bridges*. Since debuting in 2018 with *Only Human*, Scott has written and performed songs that draw from pop, soul, R&B, and even country, with the *Britain's Got Talent* star finding his own sound in the intersections. Scott worked with a number of A-list producers across the LP, including Fraser T. Smith on standout "Heaven" and Greg Kurstin on hit single "If You Ever Change Your Mind." The album's centerpiece is Scott's cover of Greg Holden's "Boys in the Street," which tells painfully—but, ultimately, hopefully—of a father coming to terms with his son's homosexuality, with Scott's naturally emotive voice more than capable of telling the song's story with vulnerability and gravitas.[src]

## Background and release

To *Official Charts*, he shared that he wrote the songs for "two or three years", and initially planned to release the album in 2020, writing songs throughout 2019, though returned to his hometown in Yorkshire during early lockdown of COVID-19. He confessed, "When I saw how everything was unfolding across the world, I lost my motivation. I thought there were bigger things in the world going on than me finishing my album. [...] It wasn't until my producer, Jon Maguire, who I'd written "You Are the Reason" with, reignited the passion for me. He was like, 'Look, I've got a song idea that I'm writing with James Bay—see if this does anything for you'. Then I listened to their demo and I loved the way it was written and the poetry that they used. I just fell in love again with the writing". This led to finishing the writing of "Biblical" and the creation of "Rise", which helped "reignite the engines".

Scott described the record as an "elevation" to his previous studio album, where it was difficult to write. He explained, "The first album, you have a lifetime of inspiration for. The second, you have a year and a half. It was almost like a coming-of-age thing. I had to dig deeper this time". He stated to *Gay Times*, "The second album was very much me trying to figure out what it was I wanted to say as an artist and so I decided to be more personal and more honest [...] But then also on this album, I feel more so than the last, talks about confidence and motivation and you know, security and all those things that I think round off what I feel is my best work yet", and named his favourite tracks from the LP to be "Boys in the Street", "Biblical", and "Run with Me".

For the booklet of his album/vinyl, he included his favourite lyrics which were handwritten,

## Title

> Bridges signifies resilience: a journey from darkness to light. It also signifies a connection between myself and you…
>
> Official Website

To *Atwood Music*, he said of the title, "It was already such a huge conflict in my head of whether to include this song on the album. I was still all those years later embarrassed and ashamed that there was a time when I was questioning whether or not to carry on living with the pain I had in my life, but seeing how well received and life changing my music had become to people all over the world I knew I had to have it on this record. Not only that, but I had to make it the title of the album: I had to stand by this as a record that I hoped would help change or save someone's life. There are various interpretations of what *Bridges* means to people too, which I wanted to keep open. Bridges between myself and my fans, bridges built, bridges over troubled water.. I want it to be someone's story, and that means putting enough of myself into the music as I can to make it personal, but making sure that people can hear these songs and own them as their own stories".

## Track listing

**Notes**

* On physical editions, the song "Bridges" contains the hidden track "Father", which begins after several seconds of silence, making the track 6:06 in length and the album duration 50:43 overall.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mosk, Mitch (12 September 2022). ""Honest, Brave & Liberating": Building 'Bridges' with Calum Scott". *Atwood Magazine*.
2. ↑ Kawashima, Dale (23 June 2022). "Calum Scott, Rising Pop Star & Powerful Vocalist, Talks About His Excellent New Album, Bridges, And His Songwriting".
3. ↑ "Calum Scott on new album Bridges: "I had to give this much of myself away"". *Official Charts*. 21 June 2022.
4. ↑ Clark, Conor (17 June 2022). "Exclusive: Calum Scott says Bridges is his 'most vulnerable but also confident' work yet". *Gay Times*.
5. ↑ "Bridges | Calum Scott"