Calum Scott says breaking barriers around sexuality is 'better than BRIT Award'
Calum Scott says helping fans come out to their loved ones is the greatest part of his career.
The singer, 35, has spoken openly about his sexuality, having come out publicly in 2016 and has continued to break barriers when it comes to the topic. Previously, the Hull-born mega-star revealed his friends 'totally abandoned' after he decided to openly come out at age 13.
Although his relatives accepted his news, Calum stated that the rejection he faced from his friends left him questioning his decision. Now, he's revealed his decision to come out to fans has helped change their lives, something he could have never anticipated.
Speaking exclusively to the Mirror at Hits Live Manchester, Calum said: "It's so important, I'm a massive advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, a massive advocate for mental health, I'm now in a position that I never thought I would be through doing something I love to encourage, influence and educate where I can.
Calum Scott, who has publicly spoken about being a gay man has revealed his music has helped fans come out to their loved ones (Getty Images)
The musician has been widely praised for discussing his sexuality within his music (Getty Images)"I'm not an expert, I'm not a politician, I just try and use my music as a way of soothing people and I've touched on my sexuality in my music, in my song No Matter What and then singing Greg Holden's song Boys In The Street. It's really important for me to convey my own experiences because it's not just my story. No Matter What is a song that has resonated with people worldwide.
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"I get messages saying 'No Matter What' was the song that I sang to my parents which helped me come out. That to me, is the biggest compliment. It's better than any Brit, any Number One or any Grammy – having someone say 'Your music has changed my life' makes me emotional. It's also a bit of pressure because people look to you, I try and be real on social media and in person."
No Matter What includes lyrics such as: "It took me years to tell my mother, I expected the worst, I gathered all the courage in the world," before sharing his mum's response as she said: "I love you, no matter what". The moving song from his debut album 2018, also includes Calum's dad's response, with him telling his son that he loves him regardless and will always love him.
During our chat at Manchester's AO Arena, Calum acknowledged that Robyn's hit Dancing On My Own, which he performed during his Britain's Got Talent audition at Salford's Lowry Theatre completely changed his life. He said: "I listened to that song and I related to it, I was always the guy that would be stood in the club, watching everybody else go home with each other and kissing each other.
"I'd be stood there like 'Well that's me on my own again' and when I sang it, I specifically kept my pronouns, I wanted it to be from a man's perspective, I didn't really hear that and I tried to use that in the song and the power of the song, from Robyn and Patrik Berger. I spoke to Patrik, the other writer on the song and he said they would go through finite detail to make the song what it is and you hear it whether it's in the dance format or the ballad version."
Earlier this year, Calum teamed up with Lost Frequencies for their global hit track, Where Are You Now – but he admits he initially didn't like the track. He told me: "I don't know if I've ever said this to anybody, I didn't think the song was that great. Felix knows that but because I'm a ballad guy, I like my songs, I like development and I like to let it grow on a lyrical journey.
"I liked the song because it was a country song dressed as a dance song, I was a bit nervous but my best friend Jess heard the demo and said 'If you don't release this, I'm not your friend anymore', it pushed me to release it and I'm glad we did. Felix is an incredible artist, an incredible performance. What an honour to work with him, it's real special."
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