CALUM SCOTT’S JOURNEY TO STARDOM

August Man Malaysia catches up with the Only Human singer Calum Sco

CALUM SCOTT’S JOURNEY to stardom isn’t an ordinary one. After landing a sleeper hit in 2016 with his ballad cover of Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own” - a track that got him to the finals of Britain’s Got Talent the previous year ‒ the human resource employee turned singer-songwriter then signed a major label deal with Capitol Records, which paved the way to the release of his debut studio album, Only Human.

The debut album is a stunningly personal one, with many of its tracks echoing aspects of Scott’s personal life. With a fresh approach to pop music, it is no wonder that Only Human has made its way to global success. Scott’s remarkably soulful voice behind each and every one of the 13 tracks is vulnerable and pure, reminding his audience that he’s only human. Whether he’s singing about the struggle behind his sexuality or unrequited love, Only Human approaches heartbreak in an intimate way whereby you can feel every ounce of emotion oozing from his voice.

We at August Man Malaysia had the opportunity to speak to the “You are the Reason” singer, a day after his showcase, where he was presented a platinum plaque for Only Human’s tremendous success in Malaysia (double platinum). Positive and welcoming, Scott was certainly a delight to chat with. Throughout our conversation, we discussed his excitement of being in Malaysia, finding serenity in songwriting, as well as his tendency to “dance on his own”.

This is your first time visiting Malaysia, how has your experience been?

I love it! I love Malaysia. It has taken a while for me to get here, but the stars have aligned, I’m here. Now that I’m here in Malaysia, I don’t really want to leave. The showcase yesterday was just beautiful. The way that it ended, having all those people singing my lyrics back at me. It was insane. If you were to tell me five years ago that I’d be performing in front of a sold-out crowd in Malaysia after eight hours of it being on sale, I’d have laughed. But to be here, and to see myself visually, how my songs have resonated with the people here, it means the world to me. I’m very happy.

How o en does Calum Sco dance on his own?

I don’t think Calum has ever danced with anybody [laughs]. It’s ridiculous, I dance on my own all the time. The thing is I don’t have great moves, so it’s probably a good thing. I have a couple of moves in the bag, once I used them that’s it I’m done. [laughs]

What was the songwriting process like for Only Human?

Songwriting for me is a therapy, plain and simple. When I first started writing music, I wrote about going to the club, dancing and drinking. It never felt right to me, because I thought that’s what the cool kids were singing about. Once I decided to just be myself, and started to sing about real issues, and figure out what was the message that I wanted to send to people, songwriting just sort of fell into itself. I always walk away from a session feeling I got something off my chest. Also, I was putting them into words that people would want to listen to. Songwriting is incredibly important to me. It took a while for the first album, because I did write 70 songs for the album. The process of narrowing down to twelve was even harder, which I foresee will be the same problem for the second album. [laughs] I haven’t run out of things to say, that’s for sure.

Only Human is now a double platinum album in Malaysia. Do you have any message for your fans here?

Absolutely. Four years ago, I wouldn’t have dreamed to be here. It has truly been an honour and a privilege for me to do something that I love and for people to love it equally as much. It has taken a while for me, but I’m here. I intend to keep coming back. I’d love to bring my band back here and play a full show. I’ve been talking to the label about it, because I think you guys have been waiting long enough. AM