'I had to leave Hull to make it in music'

Calum Scott has won a Brit Billion Award for one billion streams of his music

Calum Scott says his music career would have never taken off had he stayed in his home city of Hull.

The singer-songwriter, who found fame on Britain's Got Talent, believes there should be more opportunities for people from working class backgrounds like his.

"It took me to travel from Hull to Manchester to have my audition at the Lowry theatre, and that was my sliding doors moment," said the 36-year-old. "If I had stayed in Hull, I just would not have had that opportunity.

"What I want to do moving forward is bring those opportunities up to places like Hull," he added. "We don't have as much of the music industry in Hull – that's a future dream of mine to create a festival or build a studio."

Scott found the spotlight on BGT in 2015, when he received Simon Cowell's golden buzzer for his take on Robyn's track Dancing On My Own, which went on to become a top 10 single.

He had another hit with Where Are You Now, along with a UK top 10 album, and has now received a Brit Billion Award certifying one billion streams.

His favourite "pinch me" moments include flying his parents out to LA to sign his record deal, performing for the King alongside Take That and getting Leona Lewis into chip spice – a popular condiment invented in Hull.

Scott (third left) singing with Take That during the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle in May 2023

It is a far cry from his early days as he tried to build a career in a Maroon 5 tribute act playing small clubs and pubs.

He said he worries that too many venues are now closing, choking off opportunities for upcoming musicians.

"I feel like those grassroots, small venues are what helped me build my confidence enough to go on Britain's Got Talent, I was singing in working men's clubs and small pubs, and stuff like that, and I know that that's the same journey for so many people.

"Ed Sheeran, Lewis Capaldi, Sam Fender, all these boys have risen through these small venues.

"They're important places for people to be discovered, for people to hone their talents, and I think we need to do more to keep those venues, and to keep that the way of being able to experience the industry."

Scott playing a game of "Hull or Not Hull" during a Radio 1 broadcast from the city in 2017

Scott has previously spoken about how much he owes "everybody in Hull for supporting me in the very beginning" at those small venues "and allowing me to achieve my dreams".

Since his breakthrough, he said social media has helped working class artists to have their music heard, but he warned that sustaining viral success can be hard.

"You could be in your bedroom in a working-class city, and your song could go viral, your video could go viral, so I think the day and age we live in, it's exciting in that sense.

"What I am more concerned about is the after-effects of that virality.

"It's a hard thing to work with seeing so many people see your video, and then the very next one, you have 100 views – it can be crushing."

Tough crowd

Scott's own journey to stardom saw him "being heckled and being booed" at times.

"It's just one of those things that you kind of push through," he said.

The singer recalls a time at a smaller venue in America, when he was starting out, and people were talking through his set.

"For the first time – I'm not this kind of person – I was like, 'Guys, could we all just be quiet?'

"I felt like I wanted the world to swallow me up, I was embarrassed to say that out loud, but I got so much more engagement. People came up to me afterwards and said, 'Good for you for saying that', and I think that kind of stuff toughens you up."

Scott will play Zebedee's Yard, in Hull, on 9 August, ahead of a European tour. His album Avenoir is due for release in September.

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