Exclusive Interview: Calum Scott Talks Bridges, Stepping Into His Own as an Artist, and More

Calum Scott will be the first to tell you that he’s a singer-songwriter who wears his heart on his sleeve. It’s his ability to be uninhibited and vulnerable during the writing process that has seen him create songs that have not only topped the charts but transcended music itself, creating a profound impact on listeners.

This June, he returns with his highly-anticipated sophomore album Bridges, which finds Calum stepping into his own as a man and artist.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to catch up with Calum to chat about Bridges, his newfound confidence, his connection with his fans, and his upcoming tour.

PC: Your debut album Only Human was incredibly well received. Did that bring any pressure as you began working on Bridges?
Calum: Oh yeah. No matter what happened with the first album, there was always going to be pressure with the follow-up. I’m very lucky and very honored that my first album has done so well and been received so well in so many countries around the world. Every time my team reads me the stats of the first album, my mind just melts. It’s crazy to process the numbers and the people behind those numbers listening to the album. It did create a bit of a challenge for the second because your first album is your life up to that point.

Being 33 years old, there was a lot of inspiration for that first album. The second album is very much the gap after the first album. It was tough, but 2019 is when I spent most of my time writing the album. I wanted to make sure that I delved into the DNA of that first album. It was very much a matter of holding a mirror up and saying, “What is it that you want to write now?” You don’t want to regurgitate the first album. It was like, “What do you want to touch on? What do you want to talk more about? How much more of yourself do you want to give?” I feel like I’ve given a lot.

“Bridges” is the most personal song that I’ve ever written. It comes from a much darker time in my life, but it’s written with hope. When you start to listen to all of the songs on the album, you start to see the common thread. There’s a newfound sense of hope and confidence that elevates these songs to another level and shows growth and development. But it still retains the Calum Scott DNA that everybody is expecting.

PC: Something that I love about Bridges is that as a songwriter, you’ve taken these universal themes and brought such a refreshing take while keeping it very familiar. As an artist, how are you able to strike that balance? Is that something you’re mindful of as you’re in the songwriting process?
Calum: I suppose the way I wrote the first album treading the line of vulnerability and relatability, being personal and yet making it understandable to people around the world. I’ve always been in that zone when writing. Coming into the second album, it was just second nature to fall back into that mode of songwriting. I’ve written for other people and have been involved in other projects, but as soon as I come back to my album, it becomes instantaneous. I remember when we were writing songs for the second album, there was a particular song called “Cross Your Mind,” which was inspired by a conversation that I had on the way to the session, the weight of a relationship, and whatever else.

Sometimes I use my songwriting sessions as therapy and as a way of getting things off my chest. I’m not the only person who has ever been lonely or had my heart broken. The common threads are heartbreak, falling in love, and missing people back home. All these things that I go through as a human, I’m not the only person that feels it, which creates that relatability and that sense of, “I’ve felt like that before.” The good thing about that is that I’m not writing from a different perspective or writing from another person’s view or anything like that. I’m writing from my own experiences.

That means that when I deliver it, it’s so honest and vulnerable and sometimes so literal that it doesn’t get confused with anything else. It’s very much my project and like I said, that DNA coming through. It means that walk, tread, and balance is quite easy. I won’t be able to write anything for years now that I’ve said that. [laughs] It feels very easy because it feels natural to be myself.

PC: Like you were saying earlier, there’s so much growth on this album. It’s been four years since your debut. What’s had the biggest impact on your evolution as an artist?
Calum: I would say being presented with the opportunity to do a second album. Writing this and getting this album together almost felt like a coming-of-age album. The first album came out of nowhere. I’d been thrust into this incredible career with my version of “Dancing on My Own” that we put out as a single. When it started doing the rounds, it was gaining lots of momentum everywhere. All of a sudden, I was signed with Capitol Records to make an album. All of my dreams were coming true. It was very surreal and very chaotic. One minute I was on Seth Meyers, and then the next I was on Ellen, and then I was in Rio closing the Paralympics. My head was popping because I’ve been in an office typing away at my desk, working in human resources.

Being given that opportunity to make a second album, I was like, “This isn’t a novelty project. I’ve been given another opportunity here to write another body of work.” That made me really settle into my boots as an artist. I’d never really considered myself an artist before. As a kid, I always dreamt of this. I always loved music, but my dream of being in the industry, I never imagined I would be where I am now.

That first album was me wrapping my head around that. The second album was me saying, “I’m an artist. I’m a songwriter.” People are looking to me for that hope and that support that I’ve given through the music in the first album. That became my objective on the second album: write from that place, give people what they’re expecting, and build on that. There’s a lot of vulnerability, but there’s also a lot of confidence. It shaped me. I became more confident with who I was and what I wanted to say and everything. It made me more confident as a man, as an uncle, as a friend, as a member of the LBGTQ+ community, and as an advocate of mental health. I was saying to my team not so long ago, “I’ve never felt more Calum Scott than I do right now.” That’s reflected in this sophomore album.

PC: You have such a powerful voice. When you’re working on a new song, how do you find the balance in getting the song’s message across whilst showing off your vocal range?
Calum: I don’t know why I keep writing these songs that are so hard to sing. [laughs] I genuinely said recently, “I’m going to have no voice left come 2023.” But the message of the song is always the most important thing. Every time I go into a songwriting session, the lyrics and the story have to be, without a doubt, the most important part of the song. Because I’m one of those artists who would rather write everything to piano and write everything very simply without a lot of production or tricks, nothing to hide behind. I want to showcase the song and the way that I interpret and like to deliver the songs as a songwriter. That’s got to be the most important thing.

Things build from there, which means we can strip it down. I’ve said to the team for so long now, I’d love to do a stripped-down album. Maybe it’s something that I can do once I’ve done a couple of albums and am making a compilation. I’m just very impatient. But I like to make sure that the song is tight first. After that, the performance comes with the immersion and the storytelling aspect of it. Then with the production, you want to cradle it and make sure that it fits the tone and vibe.

There have been a couple of songs where we’ve had to go back to the drawing board and say it’s just not right yet. I’ve been very particular about that because this is my second album. I’m incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity and I don’t take it for granted. I look at this like, “If this was the last album I made, would I feel happy with it?” There’s been a lot of work in the studio trying to get this over the line. Obviously, we had to deal with the pandemic, but that only slowed us down—it didn’t stop us in our mission to get this album done. But it had to be the best work I’ve done. It had to be because the fans deserve it.

PC: It definitely shows throughout the album. If you had to pick a song off Bridges that best encompasses who you are as an artist now, which would it be and why?
Calum: It’s like picking my favorite child. I’m definitely my mom’s favorite. But there are a lot of songs on the album that I’m proud of. Every one of them has a piece of me in it. I would say that “Bridges” has got to be one of my proudest songs because of how honest it is. That song is about a much darker time in my life. It’s very literal, and it speaks to a topic that we need to talk about more. It leans very much into my advocacy of mental health.

But it’s a song that comes from that devastating honesty and delving into that side of things. I did question myself a lot: “Is this something that I want to include on the album?” “Am I giving too much of myself to this album?” But then I see the reactions that I got from “No Matter What” and “You Are the Reason” and all the wonderful songs from the first album. The reactions that I got were so profound and had such a massive impact on me. I don’t want to quote “Bridges,” but it very much is the bridge between me and my fans. I’m honest with them, and they’re honest with me. That relationship I have is so special and is probably the most valuable thing I have. It’s real.

I think “Bridges” is one of the songs where I was like, “Is this too honest? Am I giving away too much of myself?” If it relates in the same way that my other songs have then I have to put it out there. If it helps one person, if they’re in that state of mind and they get some hope from a song like that and that could be the difference in how they feel and how they’re thinking, it means too much to me to not include it on the album. “Bridges” is definitely one of the more important songs. But of course, there’s my cover of “Boys in the Street” on there as well. It is such an honor that I’ve had the blessing from Greg [Holden] to include that on the album. What an incredible, special song.

PC: It’s absolutely beautiful. Shortly after this album drops, you’re going to be back on the road, headlining your own tour. Has your relationship with the live stage changed and grown as a result of the pandemic?
Calum: We were just out in America with the Script, performing on their American tour. It’s not that I appreciate it more, I just have so much enjoyment from doing it because it was taken away from us when we were locked down. The arts was probably one of the worst affected industries because you rely on people being in the room and standing shoulder-to-shoulder. That was impossible in venues around the world. Now that that’s opened up again in some places, it feels so good to be back doing what we love and performing to people. Everyone knows that you work at your job and you save up for moments like this. You’re like, “This is my favorite artist and I want to go and see them perform and forget everything that’s going on in the world.”

PC: This is going to be the first time that you play many of these songs live. Is there one in particular that you’re really excited to perform?
Calum: When we’ve been touring recently, we’ve been playing “If You Ever Change Your Mind.” That’s always been a real bop that gets people going, especially considering it’s about heartbreak. [laughs] But it’s a real bop, and it’s got some real energy. I did that with Greg Kurstin, who did “Easy on Me” with Adele. It feels great. It comes from an incredible producer. Also, “Boys in the Street” and “Biblical.” I suppose because of the sentiment of it. The same with “You Are the Reason” and “Heaven.” There are so many to perform from this album, it’s hard to choose. You’ll have to come to the show and see for yourself.

To keep up with Calum, follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Apple Music, and Spotify. Pick up or stream Bridges today. Don’t forget to catch Calum on the road this summer.

Photo Credit: Tom Cockram