Calum Scott (born 12 October 1988) is an English singer and songwriter. In April 2015, he rose to prominence after competing on the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

talent contest ''

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloqui ...

'', where he performed his version of

Robyn Robin Miriam Carlsson (born 12 June 1979), known as Robyn (), is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. She arrived on the music scene with her 1995 debut album, ''Robyn Is Here'', which produced two ''Billboard'' Hot 100 t ...

's hit "

Dancing on My Own "Dancing On My Own" is a song by Swedish singer-songwriter Robyn, released on 20 April 2010 as the lead single from her fifth studio album, '' Body Talk Pt. 1'' (2010), the first in her ''Body Talk'' series. "Dancing On My Own" was produced b ...

". After coming sixth in the contest, he released his version as a single the following year, which peaked at number two on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and became Britain's best-selling single of summer 2016. Scott later signed with

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

and in 2017, released the single " You Are the Reason", which was included on his 2018 debut album '' Only Human'', which reached number 4 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

. Later in 2018, he collaborated with

Leona Lewis Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and activist. Born and raised in the London Borough of Islington, she attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Lewis achieved nationa ...

to release a duet version of the single "You Are the Reason".

Early life

Scott was born in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, to parents Debbie Burton and Kevin Scott, and grew up around the Yorkshire area, mainly

North Ferriby North Ferriby is a village and civil parish in the Haltemprice area of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. History Humber Estuary "The archaeology of the intertidal wetlands of the Humber Estuary is of international importance, and include ...

and

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-ea ...

. His parents split up when he was two years old, and his father moved to Canada. 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 in

human resources Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include ...

Career

2013–2015: Career beginning and ''Britain's Got Talent''

On 15 August 2013, Scott won the talent competition Mail's Star Search, organised by '' Hull Daily Mail''. He then joined a Maroon 5

tribute band A tribute act, tribute band or tribute group is a music group, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act. Tribute acts include individual performers who mimic the songs and style of an artist, such as ...

, Maroon 4, and toured around the United Kingdom. In 2014 he formed the

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

duo, The Experiment with John McIntyre. The debut single, "Girl (You're Beautiful)", was released on 14 June. The duo performed the song on '' Good Morning Britain'' and ''

BBC Look North ''BBC Look North'' is a name used by the BBC for its regional news programmes in three regions in the North of England: *'' BBC Look North'' for the BBC North East and Cumbria region *'' BBC Look North'' for the BBC Yorkshire region *'' BBC Look ...

'', but after, broke up. On 11 April 2015, Scott's audition for the ninth series of ''

'' was broadcast on

. Just before his audition, his sister Jade also auditioned but was stopped early on both of her songs by

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of '' The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on ...

. Jade received four "No" votes from

David Walliams David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams, is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series ''Little Br ...

Alesha Dixon Alesha Anjanette Dixon (born 7 October 1978) is an English singer, rapper, dancer, television personality, and author. She gained recognition in the early 2000s as a member of the R&B, garage and hip hop group Mis-Teeq. The group disbanded i ...

Amanda Holden Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971) is an English actress, media personality, and singer. Since 2007, she has been a judge on the television talent show competition ''Britain's Got Talent'' on ITV. She also co-hosts the ''Heart Brea ...

and

. Despite obvious nerves at seeing his sister get rejected, Calum performed a cover of

's "

", which he had heard

Kings of Leon Kings of Leon is an American rock band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill, and their cousin Matthew Followill. The band's early music was a blend of Southern rock and ga ...

performing on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

's ''

Live Lounge The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio stations BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo, and later by Jo Whiley on her weekday mid-morning, and later weekend lunchtime radio shows, then by Fearne Cotton ...

'' in 2013. Following a standing ovation from the judging panel, Cowell pressed the Golden Buzzer giving Scott an automatic place in the live shows. Explaining his decision to send Scott straight to the semi-finals, Cowell said: After this audition, Scott received support from stars such as Little Mix and

Ashton Kutcher Christopher Ashton Kutcher (; born February 7, 1978) is an American actor, producer, entrepreneur, and former model. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a People's Choice Award, and nominations for two Young Artist Awards, a ...

. Following his appearance on the show's first episode, his Twitter followers jumped from 400 to over 25,000. The video of his audition has been viewed over 361 million times on YouTube. In the semi-final on 29 May, Scott performed "

We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off" (released in the United Kingdom as "We Don't Have To...") is a song by American R&B singer Jermaine Stewart, released in 1986 as the lead single from his second studio album ''Frantic Romantic'' (1986). Th ...

" by

Jermaine Stewart William Jermaine Stewart (September 7, 1957 – March 17, 1997) was an American R&B singer, best known for his 1986 hit single "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off", which peaked at number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It also peaked wi ...

. Walliams commented "You really sound like a recording artist", whilst

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 Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, bu ...

" by Rihanna and finished sixth out of 12 contestants with 8.2% of the vote. After ''Britain's Got Talent'', Scott embarked on a series of shows around the United Kingdom, including

Viking FM Viking FM is an Independent Local Radio station based in Sheffield, England, owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to the East Riding of Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire. As of September 2022, the s ...

Future Star Awards, Flamingo Land Resort Fair,

Westwood Cross Westwood Cross is a British, open, pedestrianised shopping centre at Westwood, Kent. It opened in 2005, and since 2008 has incorporated a casino, cinema and bingo hall. History Westwood Cross is situated on the former Haine Hospital site, whi ...

Shopping Centre's tenth anniversary, Gibraltar Summer Nights, Hull Daily Mail's Star and Dartford Festival.

2016–2018: ''Only Human''

Scott released his cover of "Dancing on My Own" independently on 15 April 2016. It became a sleeper 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 to Radio 2's "C List" and reached number two on the

on 5 August. In August 2016, it was certified platinum in the UK, having sold over 600,000 copies. Scott announced on Twitter on 24 May that he had inked a record deal with Capitol Records, where he was signed by A&R Executive

Alex Wilhelm Alex Wilhelm is a music executive, A&R representative and the co-owner of 48 Hours Entertainment, based in Los Angeles. Before launching his own company, Alex worked in senior A&R roles at record companies such as Warner Records, Capitol Records, ...

. Scott performed the song at television shows ''

'', ''

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gra ...

'', '' Weekend'', '' Late Night with Seth Meyers'' and Brazilian show '' Encontro com Fátima Bernardes''. He also promoted the song on several radio stations, including

BBC Radio Humberside BBC Radio Humberside is the BBC's local radio station serving East Yorkshire and North & North East Lincolnshire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at Queen's Gardens in Hull. According to RAJAR, the statio ...

, Radio Gibraltar, BFBS Radio and

Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation The Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) is Gibraltar's public service broadcaster. It has provided the community with a radio and television service since 1963. History Modelled on the BBC, the Corporation was established in 1963 with ...

. On 16 September, he released the promotional single " Transformar" with Brazilian recording artist

Ivete Sangalo Ivete Maria Dias de Sangalo (; born 27 May 1972) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, TV host, and occasional actress. She was on six albums with Banda Eva, and seven more solo albums. Sangalo is noted for her powerful voice, charisma and live pe ...

as the official song of the

2016 Summer Paralympics The 2016 Summer Paralympics (), the 15th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for disabled sports, athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, fro ...

in Rio de Janeiro; they performed the song at the

closing ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.

on 18 September. It was revealed in September 2016 that "Dancing on My Own" was the most downloaded song of the summer in the UK. 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 with

, and was performed by the two on ''

The One Show ''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas, and Ronan K ...

'' in February 2018. In May, Scott released " What I Miss Most" as the fourth single from ''Only Human''. In October 2018, Scott released a new single titled " No Matter What". Upon release, Scott said:

2019–present: ''Bridges''

In September 2020, Scott partnered with American watch company

Bulova Bulova is an American timepiece manufacturing company that was founded in 1875 and has been owned by Japanese multinational conglomerate Citizen Watch Co. since 2008. The company makes watches, clocks and accessories, and it is based in New York ...

on the development of a music documentary series titled ''Minutes with Calum'', which explores the creative process behind his upcoming second album through the lens of Bulova. In March 2021, Scott digitally released his first EP, titled ''Only Acoustic'', which featured acoustic renditions of songs from his debut album. The following month, he released two more EPs; ''Only Collabs'' and ''Only Love''. On 11 June 2021, Scott released the single "Biblical", the first song from his upcoming second album. He released the second song titled "Rise" on 1 October 2021, and the third song titled "If You Ever Change Your Mind" on 4 February 2022. On 29 April 2022, Scott announced that his second album, ''

Bridges A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually someth ...

'', would be released on 17 June 2022. On the same day, he released the fourth song, "Heaven", from the album. In July 2021, Scott collaborated with Belgian artist Lost Frequencies singing on a song titled " Where Are You Now", which was released on 30 July 2021. The song became a big hit over the next several months, charting on many streaming platforms in many countries. In early February 2022, the song reached the top 10 of the

, becoming Scott's second song to reach the UK top 10. 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. Also in November 2021, he collaborated with British singer Jasmine Thompson on a song titled "Love Is Just a Word".

Personal life

Scott is gay. He has talked about having struggled with his sexuality when growing up, but since becoming an adult, he is confident about it.

Activism

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 to Mind.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Promotional singles

Songwriting credits

Notes

Videography

As lead artist

As collaborative artist

As featured artist

Tours

Headlining * North American Tour (2016–17) * Only Human Tour (2018) * Bridges World Tour (2022) Supporting act * Jamie Lawson UK Tour (2016) * PTX Summer Tour 2018 (2018) * 2Sides World Tour (2018) * Greatest Hits Tour (2022)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Calum 1988 births Living people Britain's Got Talent contestants British male songwriters Capitol Records artists English male singers English songwriters English singer-songwriters English pop singers English gay musicians LGBT musicians from England LGBT singers from the United Kingdom LGBT songwriters Musicians from Kingston upon Hull 21st-century English singers 21st-century English male singers 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people People from Beverley English male singer-songwriters