Calum Scott

**Calum Scott** (born 12 October 1988) is an English singer and songwriter. He competed on *Britain's Got Talent* in April 2015 and signed with Capitol Records the following year to release his rendition of Robyn's "Dancing on My Own" as his debut single that went viral. Scott released his debut studio album, *Only Human*, that met with critical acclaim.

## Early life and career

Scott was born on 12 October 1988 in Beverly, England, to Debbie Burton and Kevin Scott. He grew up in North Ferriby and Kingston Upon Hull. His parents separated when he was two years old, his father moving to Canada. He has a younger sister named Jade Scott. Before his musical career, he worked in human resources.

Initially he did not plan to compete on *Britian's Got Talent*, though his siter convinced him. He explained in an interview, "By this point, I had joined a tribute band and I wanted to get some live experience with my music, and I started to learn to write songs. And she was like, 'We should really go for the show, it might be cool....we'll get some life experience'". He chose to audition with Robyn's "Dancing on My Own", as he felt personally connected to the song, being a gay man and falling in love with a straight man. Prior to the competition, Scott had no experience in songwriting, though was heavily involved in penning his album, and reflected, "And very quickly, I became enamored by songwriting. I felt that it was something I was capable of doing, if I was to share my own stories…to share my own adventures and heartbreak and love and romance. I think songwriting then became a therapy for me".

## Personal life

Scott is open about his sexuality, vocalizing that he struggled growing up being gay, but is now confident. Music in particular helps to express his thoughts, becoming an emotioanl outlet. He told *Pride Source* back in 2018, "Growing up for me was really difficult. My sexuality … I went through the phases that I know a lot of gay people have gone through: "If I could take a straight pill, I'd take it." Sort of feeling ashamed and embarrassed, like I had to hide away. Feeling judgment. Those were all things that held me back from being my true self. That took me all the way through my teens, all the way through my 20s, really, until I got into songwriting. And when I got into songwriting, the penny dropped for me. I started writing about the fact that I was terrified of coming out to the press. [...] It terrified me to the core, to a point where I didn't want to talk about it. I felt sick, like I'd rather be anyone else. I only told my dad three years ago, as a full-blown adult. My heart was in my mouth, and I felt sick. I was upset, and I just didn't know how to tell him. But when I started writing … that song actually developed into something empowering".

He is open about his mental health. In 2020, he performed live in support of Mind for Mental Health Awareness, donating all proceeds to Mind.

## Quotes

> [My hometown, Kingston Upon] Hull is all I've ever known. I've lived and grown up in Hull since I was born up until 2 years ago, when I started going on these crazy, mad adventures. I think it's important to tribute that because as we go through life for a lot of us, we do have to leave home and we do have to be away from our loved ones. I just think that it can provide you a bit of comfort in those times when you need it.
>
> *Atwood Magazine*

> In this industry, there can be quite a lot of body shaming. As soon as I got into the spotlight with my music, you have people all the time saying, "Isn't he getting fat? Hasn't he put on weight?" Instantly, I felt self-conscious and I felt ashamed of my body, and was like, "I'm not gonna be able to eat properly; I'm gonna have to really slim down." It wasn't until I sat back and thought about it. I thought, "Why should I be dictated to by some anonymous hater online about how I should feel about my body?"
> Being gay and feeling ashamed at myself, I look back and go, "I should have loved myself a lot earlier," because I tortured myself for so long. Now, I've finally got the confidence to say, "I'm gay and I'm out." I've never felt so much support. The saying, "Love comes from loving yourself first"? It's true.
>
> *Pride Source*

> I think breaking into the industry takes patience, hard work, talent and a lot of love for what you do. You may find that doors close, opportunities fall off, songs or videos don't get the traction you want them to but PLEASE don't ever be discouraged. People who enjoy this industry are waiting for the next amazing thing to come, for that song they want to play at their wedding or the one they want to absolutely hammer at the party. Always remain positive and hopefully, it will be you writing one of these interviews to your fans.
>
> *Student Pocket Guide*

> That's where art meets commercial; trying to create something that's specific to you, but do it in a way that speaks to people all across the world. We sit in the studio and it's difficult to get that balance, because you don't want to take away from the integrity of the song. You have to walk a tightrope of including a lot of yourself in there, but also making it so that people can relate to it. I suppose there's some songs that are a little bit more open to interpretation and other songs are really on the mark. That's the journey that I've tried to create with this album, and the ebbs and flows of it. I definitely want to put a lot of myself in this album, but I also want people to listen to it and make it their own story, and create their own relationships with those songs.
>
> *Entertainment Focus*

## Discography

Main article: Discography
* *Only Human* (2016)
* *Bridges* (2022)

## References

1. ↑ Bredael, April (29 June 2022). "Interview: Calum Scott". *Tongue Tied Magazine*.
2. ↑ Kawashima, Dale (26 March 2018). "Rising British Pop Artist Calum Scott Talks About His Debut Album *Only Human*, Which Hits #1 In Several Countries". *Songwriteruniverse Magazine*
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Azzopardi, Chris (19 February 2018). "Q&A: Calum Scott Talks Being 'Terrified' to Come Out Publicly, Musically Inspiring Queer People & Thoughts on Releasing a Gay Love Song with Sam Smith".
4. ↑ Pettican, Luke (20 March 2018). "Love, Lust, and Longing: A Conversation with Calum Scott". *Atwood Magazine*.
5. ↑ Farrin, Ben (23 August 2022). "An interview with Calum Scott".
6. ↑ Ellwood-Hughes, Pip (17 June 2022). "Interview: Calum Scott Talks About His Growing Confidence As He Releases New Album 'Bridges'".