Calum Scott: Writing music helped me embrace my sexuality
Calum Scott performs onstage at the GLAAD + TY HERNDON’s 2018 Concert for Love & Acceptance at Wildhorse Saloon on June 7, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Rick Diamond/Getty)
Calum Scott has explained how coming out as gay inspired his track “No Matter What.”
The former Britain’s Got Talent star, best known for his breakout cover of Robyn track “Dancing On My Own,” released emotional balled “No Matter What” in October.
In an interview with Sound Bites, Calum Scott described the track as a “diary entry” about his experience of coming out as gay, and being embraced by his mother but abandoned by his friends.
Calum Scott performs on stage (Tommy Jackson/Getty)
He said: “[Writing it] just made me feel liberated and a lot more at peace with myself when things I was holding back and suppressing were out on paper.”
The song was written for Scott’s first album, Only Human, but was left off of the final tracklist.
“Before I released the album I wasn’t satisfied with where I was at with my sexuality. I wasn’t necessarily happy or proud of my sexuality.”
— Calum Scott
The singer explained: “Before I released the album I wasn’t satisfied with where I was at with my sexuality. I wasn’t necessarily happy or proud of my sexuality, even though I’d written songs [addressing gay relationships].”
He added: “I released the album and afterwards I kind of regretted not including it on my debut album.
“So I spoke to the label and said, ‘you know this is a really personal song but I want to release it. I want it to have its moment.’
“The label said ‘test it out live.’ I performed it on the Human Tour and in America to thousands of thousands of people and night after night there would be rows and rows and rows of people crying… and that really moved me. I cried almost every time that I sang it.”
Scott’s label eventually agreed to release the song on a new edition of the album.
The singer added: “As personal as it is, it is probably a song that I’m most proud of.”
Scott added that many of the people around him were shocked, adding: “I had a lot of messages from people I went to school with, saying I never knew you suffered this badly.
“Like most LGBT youth, we try to suppress how we feel. But the reaction’s been amazing.
“I can’t even tell you how many messages I’ve received, telling me they’ve come out to their families because of me.”
In 2017, Scott spoke about his relationship with Sam Smith after rumours the pair were dating.
