Singer Calum Scott makes debut with very personal album

BRITISH SINGER Calum Scott, who first came into the limelight as a finalist for Britain’s Got Talent in 2015, has finally released his debut album — Only Human — featuring 14 songs which he describes are “just about living.”

“[The album] is just about self-love and self-acceptance. I wanted to be as honest as I could in this album and celebrate who I am and who I love,” said Mr. Scott during a press conference preceding a concert held at Shangri-La Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong City on March 4.

Promoting his album will take Mr. Scott on a multi-date tour across Europe, with the Philippines being his only Asian stop. During a press conference, MCA Music, Inc. awarded him a Gold Record for 7,500 in combined digital sales in the Philippines of “Dancing on My Own” and “You Are the Reason.”

The singer said that he had once visited the Philippines when he was younger and that he had wanted to come back.

Scheduled to be released by Capitol Records on March 9, Only Human is led by its first single “You Are the Reason,” a ballad about transforming pain into beauty and finally becoming a story of a celebration of “how the love you feel for the people in your life is more powerful than anything else,” he said.

The song’s music video, released on Jan. 5, has so far garnered more than 59 million views on YouTube.

“At first I got caught up in trying to write the kind of songs I thought people wanted to hear. But after a while I realized that the more honest and real I was, the more easily it flowed. It ended up becoming a process of getting out everything that’s been on my mind over the years, and it felt very therapeutic,” Mr. Scott said of his album in a press release.

Other songs in the album include his 2015 breakout hit “Dancing On My Own,” a cover of British singer Robyn’s 2010 hit. His version has so far garnered more than 550 million streams worldwide according to MCA Music. The album also features “Not Dark Yet,” a cover of Bob Dylan’s 1997 hit.

“What I Miss Most,” described as soaring and bright, talks about Mr. Scott’s longing for his Yorkshire hometown, while “Won’t Let You Down” was written for his sister, who signed him up for Britain’s Got Talent after hearing him sing at home.

“There’s so many different songs reflecting different parts of me in this album,” he said, noting that “Hotel Room” is a song he would love his fans to hear.

“It’s about meeting a guy and becoming so enamored with him, then finding out he’s not gay and feeling confused as hell. When that happened I blamed myself for leaving my heart open — like ‘Why do I have to like that person? How come I can’t just turn a corner and forget about it?” Mr. Scott said in the release.

Only Human, distributed by MCA Music, Inc., drops on March 9 and will be available in all major streaming sites. — Zsarlene B. Chua