Only Human

* Standard
* Special Edition

## **Singles from *Only Human***

1. "Dancing on My Own"
Released: 15 April 2016
2. "Rhythm Inside"
Released: 25 November 2016
3. "You Are the Reason"
Released: 17 November 2017
4. "What I Miss Most"
Released: 4 May 2018
5. "No Matter What"
Released: 19 October 2018

***Only Human*** is the debut studio album by Calum Scott. It was released on 9 March 2018 by Capitol Records, and was reissued on 30 November 2018. The central theme is celebration of human emotion.

## Background

Initially he did not have any specific concept for the album, explaining, "I just wanted to be honest and I wanted everything open to suggestion and interpretation". He described the album as helping him "feel empowered to live as a gay man". He had around seventy songs, with producer Fraser T. Smith helping him curate the final track listing.

Scott worked with a number of songwriters, including Cutfather (Queen Latifah), Jon Maguire (Kodaline), and Oscar Görres (5 Seconds of Summer), and vocalised, "I've learned so much and I've got the gist of who I am as a songwriter. I am a new writer, I didn't go in with any preconceptions, I didn't spend a long time studying listings and only working with people who've written with Beyonce. You can't bottle that inspirational juice, you can be sat with one of the world's best writers and get nothing, you can't force creativity, you can't store it for later. I was terrified in a lot of the sessions, little old me from Yorkshire with these hugely successful people, but they were so welcoming. It was thrilling".

Each track was based on Scott's personal experiences, where "it becomes relatable to anybody else". He added, "The whole reason behind the album, *Only Human*, is that we all share emotion and the common themes between all people. Gay, straight, whatever race you are. Human emotion is present in all of them. And that's what we all share. [...] I want people to walk away and just put their headphones in and listen to me whichever way they want. Whether that's remembering a loved one or bringing their loved one a little closer. Or remembering home, remembering family. I even wrote a song about being jealous. Being angry. Being envious. I think all those things, good and bad, all exist in life so that's why the album is *Only Human*, because it's the most relatable thing I can talk about.

His single, "No Matter What", was featured on the special edition of the LP, which was incredibly personal to him. He recalled, "When I was putting the album together, this was one of the songs that I just felt was too personal to share. No doubt this is the most personal song I've ever written, pretty much like a diary entry and I wasn't ready to release such a raw, emotional story which had shaped me as a person". Along with this were three other tracks on the re-issue: "Sore Eyes", "Need to Know", and "White Christmas".

## Title

At one point the title would've been *If Our Love Is Wrong*. The reason for change, he explained, was because "It was a bit of a head turner. It did feel controversial. But it's an album about sexuality and about coming out, even if it's not a coming out album in specific terms. I just hope people can use it for positive means. [...] It's more than a collection of songs. Everything is how I feel. Heartbreak, jealousy, sadness, optimism, every human feeling. I love the phrase Only Human, we're people, we're not programmed, all these feelings are normal, you can't help how you feel".

## Track listing

* Phil Shaouy
* Ross Golan
* Andrew Bolooki
* Berger
* McIntyre
* Tiësto

* Maguire
* Sanders

* James Abrahart
* Amy Allen
* Daniel Majic
* Justin Franks
* DJ Frank E
* Abrahart
* Toby Gad
* Plested
* Parfitt
* Maguire

## Personnel

### Musicians

* Calum Scott – vocals (all tracks)
* Fraser T. Smith – guitar (1, 9, 13); keyboards (1, 9, 17); acoustic guitar (3); drum programming (3, 5, 8, 9); piano (3, 9)
* Jayson DeZuzio – bass guitar (2); drums (2); guitar (2); keyboards (2); percussion (2); strings (2)
* Jon Maguire – acoustic guitar (18); bass vocals (18)

### Technical

* Calum Scott – writer (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18)
* Fraser T. Smith – producer (1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17); programming (4, 15)
* Jayson DeZuzio – producer (2); programming (2); recording engineer (2)
* Jon Maguire – writer (3, 4, 15); producer (4, 18); recording engineer (18)

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Apaza, Kevin (6 December 2018). "Exclusive Interview: Calum Scott On Sharing His Coming Out Story On “No Matter What”, Adele & His Favorite Body Part!". *Direct Lyrics*.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "“Writing this album has made me happy and made me feel empowered to live as a gay man” - hmv.com talks to Calum Scott". *HMV*. 9 March 2018.
3. ↑ Gonzales, Catherine (30 July 2018). "Calum Scott Talks "Only Human"". *Shuffle Online*.