Calum Scott | |
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.jpg) Scott in 2018 | |
| Born | (1988-10-12)12 October 1988 (age 37) Beverley, England |
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| Years active | 2013–present |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Kingston upon Hull,Yorkshire, England |
| Genres | Pop |
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Musical artist | |
| Website | calumscott |
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Calum Scott (born 12 October 1988)[1] is an English singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence in April 2015 after competing on theITV talent contestBritain's Got Talent, where he performed a cover ofRobyn's hit "Dancing on My Own" and earned a Golden Buzzer from Simon Cowell. After placing sixth in the contest, he releasedhis own version of the song as a single the following year, which peaked at number two on theUK Singles Chart and became Britain's best-selling single of summer 2016.
Scott later signed withCapitol and in 2017, released the single "You Are the Reason", included on his 2018 debut albumOnly Human, which reached number 4 on theUK Albums Chart.[2] The performance has been seen over a billion times onYouTube.[3] Later in 2018, he collaborated withLeona Lewis to release a duet version of "You Are the Reason".
Calum Scott was born inBeverley,East Riding of Yorkshire to Debbie Burton and Kevin Scott, and grew up in the Yorkshire area, mainly inNorth Ferriby andKingston upon Hull. His parents split up when he was two years old and his father moved toCanada. He has a younger sister, Jade, who is also a singer. Scott played the drums and his sister later encouraged him to sing. Prior to his fame, he worked inhuman resources.[4]
On 15 August 2013, Scott won the talent competition Mail's Star Search, organised byHull Daily Mail.[5][6] He then joined aMaroon 5tribute band, Maroon 4, and toured around the United Kingdom.[7] In 2014 he formed theelectronic duo, The Experiment with John McIntyre.[8] The debut single, "Girl (You're Beautiful)", was released on 14 June.[9] The duo performed the song onGood Morning Britain andBBC Look North, but after, broke up.[10][11][12]
On 11 April 2015, Scott's audition for theninth series ofBritain's Got Talent was broadcast onITV. Just before his audition, his sister Jade also auditioned but was stopped early on both of her songs bySimon Cowell. Jade received three "No" votes fromDavid Walliams,Amanda Holden andSimon Cowell;Alesha Dixon's vote was not given as it was not needed.[citation needed]
Even while having nerves and perhaps being anxious while seeing his sister not being advanced on the show, Calum performed a cover ofRobyn's "Dancing on My Own", which he had heardKings of Leon performing onBBC Radio 1'sLive Lounge in 2013. After a standing ovation from the judging panel, Cowell pressed the Golden Buzzer giving Scott an automatic slot in the live shows. Cowell said:
"I've never, ever, in all the years I've done this show, heard a guy with the talent you've got. Seriously... the version was sensational and that shows to me that actually, you're more than a singer, you're an artist, and that's why you got that (the buzzer)."
After the audition, Scott received acclaim from stars likeLittle Mix andAshton Kutcher.[13]
After his appearance on the show's first episode, hisTwitter followers jumped from 400 to over 25,000.[14] The video of his audition has been viewed over 378 million times on YouTube. In the semi-final on 29 May, Scott performed "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off" byJermaine Stewart. Walliams commented "You really sound like a recording artist", whilstAlesha Dixon suggested that he could have "success around the world". He won the semi-final with 25.6% of the vote, sending him straight through to the final. In the final on 31 May, Scott performed "Diamonds" byRihanna and finished sixth out of 12 contestants with 8.2% of the vote. AfterBritain's Got Talent, Scott embarked on a series of shows around the United Kingdom, includingViking FM Future Star Awards,Flamingo Land Resort Fair,Westwood Cross Shopping Centre's tenth anniversary, Gibraltar Summer Nights,Hull Daily Mail's Star andDartford Festival.[15][16][17][18][19][20]
Scott released his cover of "Dancing on My Own" independently on 15 April 2016. It became asleeper hit, first hitting number 40 in the charts in May and climbing into the top 40 despite little radio airplay apart from on West Hull FM. It was then added toRadio 2's "C List" and reached number two on theUK Singles Chart on 5 August. In August 2016, it was certified platinum in the UK, having sold over 600,000 copies.[21] Scott announced on Twitter on 24 May that he had signed a record deal withCapitol Records, where he was signed by A&R ExecutiveAlex Wilhelm.[22][23] Scott performed the song at television showsBBC Look North,Lorraine,Weekend,Late Night with Seth Meyers and Brazilian showEncontro com Fátima Bernardes.[24] He also promoted the song on several radio stations, includingBBC Radio Humberside,Viking FM, Radio Gibraltar,BFBS Radio andGibraltar Broadcasting Corporation.[25][26][27] On 16 September, he released the promotional single "Transformar" with Brazilian recording artistIvete Sangalo as the official song of the2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro; they performed the song at theclosing ceremony on 18 September.[28][29] It was revealed in September 2016 that "Dancing on My Own" was the most downloaded song of the summer in the UK.[30] In autumn 2022, "Dancing On My Own" had a sudden resurgence in popularity due to thePhiladelphia Phillies players and fans embracing the dance mix version of the song during the team's run to the 2022World Series.
In 2017, he toured the US and released the single "You Are the Reason". Also in 2017, he began working on his debut album,Only Human, which was released on 9 March 2018. A new version of "You Are the Reason" was released ahead of the album in early 2018 as a collaboration withLeona Lewis, and was performed by the two onThe One Show in February 2018. In May, Scott released "What I Miss Most" as the fourth single fromOnly Human.
In October 2018, Scott released a new single titled "No Matter What". Upon release, Scott said:
"'No Matter What' is without question the most personal song I have ever written and the one I am most proud of. It's a song born from loneliness, acceptance and the heartbreaking but liberating tale of my coming out experience. What I love about this song is that it isn't just limited to a story of sexual identity, but about the relationship between parent and child and acceptance as a whole. This song didn't make my debut album because I simply wasn't ready at that time to give it to the world."[31]
In September 2020, Scott partnered with American watch companyBulova on the development of a music documentary series titledMinutes with Calum, which explores the creative process behind his upcoming second album through the lens of Bulova.[32]
In March 2021, Scott digitally released his first EP, titledOnly Acoustic, which featured acoustic renditions of songs from his debut album. The following month, he released two more EPs;Only Collabs andOnly Love. On 11 June 2021, Scott released the single "Biblical",[33] the first song from his upcoming second album. He released the second song titled "Rise"[34] on 1 October 2021, and the third song titled "If You Ever Change Your Mind"[35] on 4 February 2022. On 29 April 2022, Scott announced that his second album,Bridges, would be released on 17 June 2022.[36] On the same day, he released the fourth song, "Heaven", from the album.[37] In July 2021, Scott collaborated with Belgian artistLost Frequencies singing on a song titled "Where Are You Now", which was released on 30 July 2021. In early February 2022, the song reached the top 10 of theUK Singles Chart, becoming Scott's second song to reach the UK top 10.[38] In November 2021, Scott collaborated with Brazilian recording artist Bryan Behr, singing on the song "Da Primeira Vez (From the First Time)". Scott sang in both English and Portuguese.[39] Also in November 2021, he collaborated with British singer Jasmine Thompson on a song titled "Love Is Just a Word".[40]
In February 2023, Scott collaborated with GRAMMY-nominated producer, DJ, and record label executive,Jax Jones on a song titled "Whistle" which was released on 10 February 2023, and entered theUK Singles Charts at #14. Scott performed the track live at theBAFTA Film Awards.
Scott performed live withTake That on 7 May 2023 at theCoronation Concert in the grounds ofWindsor Castle.[41] Scott and Take That later worked withRobin Schulz and released an official reworking of "Greatest Day", with the song entering theUK Singles Downloads Charts at #7.
On 18 August 2023, Scott released the single "At Your Worst",[42] and made its debut at #20 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart a week later.[43] Upon the release of the song, Scott shared;
"This could be a song reassuring someone that you'll love them no matter what, but it's also a song to yourself: a reminder that you should love yourself at your worst because self-love is the most important. The sound on this one feels nostalgic and retro to me — kind of takes me back to mySega Mega Drive. I'm excited to share new music with my fans and show everyone what I've been working on!"[44]
In late 2023, Scott confirmed he was working on production for his third album, and will involve longtime collaboratorJon Maguire as executive producer.
In January 29, 2024, Scott released the second single from his third album, titled "Lighthouse", wich received positive reviews. The song peaked at #38 on the Official Singles Downloads Chart,[45] and reached #16 on the British Songs iTunes Chart on its release day.
Scott would be headlining theLive from The Yard music festival at Zebedee's Yard in Hull on 8 August 2024 however this performance was cancelled due to "circumstances beyond the control" of Scott and the organisers.[46] The other acts at the festival went ahead and included performances fromOcean Colour Scene,Embrace andCast.[47] Scott's performance has now been rearranged for 9 August 2025.[48]
In January 27, 2024, Scott served as a support act for Ed Sheeran'sMathematics Tour, first performing across Asia for three months, and later in Europe for the summer. In December 2024, Scott stated in an interview withSongwriter Universe that the six-month tour contributed to the album's extended production timeline.
In July 12, 2024, Scott released his third single, a pop driven track titled "Roots", which critics described as an energetic and optimistic pop anthem, with one review noting its "mesmerizing track" and "dance euphoria". The song reached #20 on the UK's Official Singles Downloads Chart.[49]
The fourth single, "My World", was released in October 4, 2024. It peaked at #26 on the Official Singles Downloads Chart.[50]
In April 4, 2025, Scott released his next single "God Knows", along with the announcement of the title of his third albumAvenoir, due to be originally released on September 12. Scott noted on social media that the album was his "most confident work yet". His next single, "Die For You", was released on May 26. Scott also announced the North American leg of his Avenoir Tour, scheduled for 2026.
In September 12, 2025 (the original release date for the third album), Scott released a re-imagined ballad duet of "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" featuring Whitney Houston's original vocal stems. The collaboration received approval from Houston's estate. It entered the UK Singles Chart Update at #93.[51]
The third album,Avenoir, was released on October 10, and entered the charts at #31.[52]
Scott is gay. He has talked abouthaving struggled with his sexuality when growing up, but has gained confidence since becoming an adult.[53]
Scott is a proponent of mental health awareness and suicide prevention. In 2020, he performed live in support of Mind for Mental Health Awareness, donating all proceeds toMind.[54]
Headlining
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| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | National Reality Television Awards | "Best Performance" | Britain's Got Talent | Nominated |
| 2017 | Brit Awards | "British Single of the Year" | Dancing on My Own | Nominated |
| 2018 | British LGBT Awards | "Metro Guilty Pleasures Award" | Himself | Won[55] |
| International | |
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