Calum Scott - Bridges
Born in England in 1988, Calum Scott first came to prominence in 2015 when auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent. Just before performing, his younger sister, Jade, was eliminated, and Scott, clearly nervous after what had just befallen his sister, the one who had encouraged him to sing, stood up to sing Robyn’s Dancing on My Own.
Watch the video of his performance on YouTube here It is very emotional with his mother and sister looking on as this gay boy from Yorkshire makes good. This clip now has more than 367 million views.
Only Human
His first album, Only Human (2018), peaked at No 5 in Australia. In the same year, he released a new single No Matter What – “without doubt 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”.
Bridges
Out for only a few months, it’s already No 12 in Australia. Many songs are autobiographical and he courageously delves into his own mental health issues, lockdowns, sexuality, romance breakups and then there are songs like Biblical in which he sings “I want to have it all with you” and which has become popular at gay weddings whereas Dancing on my Own is probably off the play list.
In the title song Bridges, he sings “Oh, I used to walk on bridges with one thing on my mind. Do I wanna live or do I wanna die”. By the end of the song, the feelings have changed: “But now I walk on bridges to reach the other side”.
In Boys in the Street, the father says to his son “You’re the last thing I wanted … How am I gonna answer when my friends tell me, my son was kissing boys in the street?” He tries to change his son, but as he is dying, the father softens “All I was taught is men only love women, but now I’m not sure. My son, keep kissing boys in the street. And when I’m gone, keep kissing boys in the street”.
All the songs have powerful lyrics. In Heaven, he asks: “So tell me why? What good is life? If we’re all just waiting to dance in the sky. I’m already there, here in your eyes … They say it’s better, but how can that be? If everyone had a love like us, they wouldn’t call that place above, Heaven.”
Mental health is a priority
Calum says that the cause closest to his heart is mental health, without a doubt, because of his own struggles. “I’ve gone through a massive journey with mental health, and still do”. A strong proponent of mental health awareness and suicide prevention, he performed live in support of Mind for Mental Health Awareness in 2020, donating all proceeds to Mind.
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