Calum Scott

After rising to fame on the 2015 season of Britain’s Got Talent, British singer/songwriter Calum Scott was able to parlay his success into a recording career as a soulful pop artist. The Yorkshire-bred musician’s compelling version of Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own” became a hit and earned him a major-label deal in advance of his gold-certified 2018 debut, Only Human. Over the next few years, Scott continued to expand on the material from his debut with a deluxe edition and a series of 2021 EPs. His second LP, Bridges, was released in June 2022.
Born and brought up in the town of Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, Scott was originally a drummer before being encouraged to sing by his sister Jade, herself a talented vocalist, who recognized his ability. In 2013 she sneakily entered him into the Star Search competition run by local paper The Hull Daily Mail, which he won. He then joined a local Maroon 5 tribute band called Maroon 4, before forming the dance-pop duo the Experiment with John McIntyre, another local lad; they released a single, “Girl (You’re Beautiful),” in 2014.
The following year, both Calum and his sister auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent, but Jade was eliminated at the audition stage. Calum auditioned with a stripped-down, piano-led cover of the Robyn hit “Dancing on My Own,” impressing judge Simon Cowell, who sent him straight through to the semifinals. With his high, powerful, slightly nasal tenor and boy-next-door good looks, Scott became a fan favorite and swiftly progressed through the show, but he was eliminated in the final after a faltering performance that he later put down to nerves.
Despite failing to win, he had developed enough of a following to be able to quit his job as a recruitment consultant at Hull City Council and forge a career as a live act. In March 2016, Scott released his version of “Dancing on My Own” as his debut solo single. It was used in an episode of popular TV drama The Vampire Diaries, and went on to sell over 600,000 copies. Later that May, he announced that he had inked a deal with Capitol Records, and in 2018 he released his debut album, Only Human. The set peaked at number four in the U.K. It was followed by a deluxe edition that included three additional tracks, including the single “No Matter What.” In the front half of 2021, Scott released a series of EPs based on the material from his first album including Only Acoustic, Only Collabs, and Only Love. Shifting to new material in early 2022, he issued “If You Ever Change Your Mind” and “Boys in the Street” ahead of his sophomore album, Bridges. ~ John D. Buchanan