Calum Scott

Biography

Calum Scott is a British singer-songwriter best known as a popular contestant on the ninth series of Britain’s Got Talent. He placed sixth on the show in 2015 with his version of Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own,” which he later released as a single. Since then, he’s dropped a highly successful album and worked with Leona Lewis, Felix Jaehn, Don Diablo, and more.

Here’s a brief rundown of the timeline of Calum’s career, plus some need-to-know facts about the artist.

instruments played

drums

Guitar

Vocals

Associated Acts

Ivete Sangalo
Leona Lewis
Ilse DeLange
Barbara Pravi
Naughty Boy
Shenseea
Don Diablo
Felix Jaehn

Genres

Pop

Height

5ft 9in (175cm)

Labels

Capitol
EMI

Occupation

Singer
songwriter

Origin

Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England

Website

calumscott.com

Wiki Link

Calum's Early Life

Calum was born in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, UK. His parents are Debbie Burton and Kevin Scott, who grew up in the same area where they raised their children. Calum's parents lived in North Ferriby and Kingston upon Hull before moving to Beverley, where they had Calum and his sister Jade. Scott's parents divorced when he was just two years old, and his father moved to Canada after the divorce was finalized. Growing up, Calum was interested in music, but he played drums for a while before starting to sing at the prompting of his sister.

Early Musical Endeavors

In 2013, Calum competed in Hull Daily Mail's Star Search, a competition organized by the Hull Daily Mail newspaper. He ended up winning first place in the competition after singing. Following his victory, he joined a Maroon 5 Tribute band, aptly named Maroon 4, and played a series of shows throughout England with them. After his time with Maroon 4, Calum started focusing his creative energy on EDM. He formed The Experiment, an electronic duo with John McIntyre, in 2014, and they released a single together titled "Girl (You're Beautiful)." That release was followed by appearances on BBC Look North and Good Morning Britain, but the duo didn't last long.

Britain's Got Talent

In April 2015, no longer a member of The Experiment or Maroon 4, Calum had an audition for the ninth series of Britain's Got Talent. His sister Jade also auditioned that year, but she received four "No" votes from the judges. That season's judging panel comprised Simon Cowell, David Walliams, Alesha Dixon, and Amanda Holden. After his sister's rejection on the show, Calum performed his cover of "Dancing on My Own" for the judges. He was inspired by a Kings of Leon cover of the same song. The performance got a standing ovation from the judges. Simon Cowell ended up giving Scott the coveted "Golden Buzzer," which sent Calum straight to the semi-finals of the show. Calum's passionate audition on the show's first episode earned him the support of Little Mix, Ashton Kutcher, and several other stars. For his semi-final performance, Calum performed a cover of "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off" by Jermaine Stewart. He made it to the finals, where he sang "Diamonds" by Rihanna. Calum ended up finishing in sixth place on the show, and his run was followed by shows around the United Kingdom and the release of "Dancing on My Own" as a single. The song became a sleeper hit, making it into the Top 40 in the UK and number 2 on the UK singles chart. It received support from West Hull FM, a local radio station, but most of its success came due to a viral YouTube video of Scott's audition on Britain's Got Talent. In 2017, his version of "Dancing on My Own" was nominated for "British Single of the Year" at the Brit Awards. A Tiësto remix was released after the original version came out, keeping the song on heavy rotation on British radio stations.

Launching His Music Career

After the success of "Dancing on My Own," Calum got a record deal with a major label, Capitol Records, a deal that he announced to his Twitter followers on May 24, 2016. After getting signed, he performed on several late-night shows, including Late Night with Seth Meyers, Weekend, Lorraine, BBC Look North, and more. That September, he released the collaboration "Transformar" with Brazilian recording artist Ivete Sangalo. The two performed the song at the closing ceremony of the Summer Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The song was the official theme for that year's Paralympics. While it didn't initially get much radio support, Calum promoted "Dancing on My Own" on several stations after getting signed, including Radio Gibraltar, BFBS Radio, Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Radio Humberside, and more.

Only Human and Recent Work

On March 9, 2018, Calum released Only Human, his debut album, via Capitol. The album features the singles "You Are the Reason," "Rhythm Inside," "What I Miss Most," and "Dancing on My Own." It was certified Platinum in Singapore and received Gold and Silver certifications in several other countries. A duet version, "You Are the Reason '' was later released with British singer Leona Lewis. The two artists performed together at The One Show in February 2018. Since the release of his first album, Scott has played live shows in the UK and numerous other countries around the world. In July 2021, Scott collaborated with Belgian DJ Lost Frequencies on a single titled "Where Are You Now." Earlier in the year, he released an EP called Only Acoustic, which features more intimate versions of songs from the Only Human tracklist.