Calum Scott’s last visit to the UAE was more of a victory lap.
Riding high on the success of hit single You Are the Reason, the English singer arrived in Dubai to headline 2017's RedFestDXB music festival.
In a touching gesture, Scott brought his mum out on stage mid-set, in front of 15,000 fans, to show how “her boy made it".
If she could hardly believe the crowd, you can only imagine how her son was feeling.
Speaking to The National ahead of his Dubai Opera concert on Wednesday, Scott, 32, recalls how only two years prior to that momentous gig, he was holed up in an office cubicle in the British port city of Hull.
“It was grim, man,” he says. “I was working in human resources for a small government office and all I was doing was dealing with people's complaints every day.
"I am so grateful for what happened since. I just view myself as a normal person who just happened to come with some songs that did incredible things for me."
Instant success resulted in 'anxiety'
While the cliched term “overnight success” is often bandied about when it comes to artists, Scott was the real deal.
As the frontman of a four-piece Maroon 5 cover band called Maroon 4 – "not the most creative name, I admit," – Scott auditioned for the 2015 season of reality show Britain's Got Talent for a bit of fun.
While a seasoned singer, Scott didn't expect his rendition of Dancing On My Own by Swedish electro-pop star Robyn would induce notoriously grumpy judge Simon Cowell to press the Golden Buzzer, thereby catapulting him to the live rounds of the competition.
That swift rise to the top was also echoed when the audition eventually aired.
"The whole experience was the steepest incline when it comes to overnight change," he says.
"I remember posting on my Facebook page, which only had a couple of hundred likes, to check out my audition on Britain's Got Talent tonight and I only got three likes and one of them was my mum. After the show, I got thousands of likes and my phone ran out of battery twice due to all the messages."
With his Twitter followers also jumping from 400 to 25,000 overnight, how did Scott react to such sudden acclaim?
"It was really scary and that gave me a lot of anxiety," he says. "It is, of course, an incredible and magical moment, but to be an unknown lad from a small corner of the UK to having the country at your doorstep, so to speak, is a lot to take in.”
Finding his voice
Another experience Scott needed to adjust to was the recording studio. With his profile high after finishing a respectable sixth place out of 12 in the final live round of Britain's Got Talent, Scott began working on his debut album, Only Human.
"It took a while to find my voice because I was Adam Levine for the best part of a year and I am a good impressionist with accents and voices," he says. "It was tough to find out where my own voice can take me."
To do that, Scott spent time studying and understanding his own musical influences.
"A lot of it came from my mum's taste, which is people like Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Prince and George Michael. I realised it was the big ballads my heart lent itself to."
Those type of numbers are all over Only Human, which features a reworked version of his calling card, Dancing On My Own, and the aforementioned You Are the Reason.
Scott credits the success of the latter, a song he co-wrote, with quelling his career doubts.
"Anxiety is something I was regularly dealing with but, honestly, with You Are the Reason doing well, it really stopped me worrying about being a one-hit wonder," he says.
"That song could have been a make or break moment and the positive response gave me that extra confidence I needed.”
The audience knows best
Scott’s initial self-doubt is something many former contestants of television talent shows face.
While programmes such as Britain's Got Talent are a great way to kickstart a career, the acknowledgment that comes with experience is strong.
"People do sometimes turn their nose up at talent shows and view it as an illegitimate way to be discovered," Scott says.
"The way to get rid of that stigma is to be authentic and genuine. The thing about audiences that I love is that they can smell if you are fake. They know when something sounds real or put together by somebody else.”
With an enthusiastic crowd waiting for Scott in Dubai, he will take to the stage knowing exactly where he stands.
Calum Scott will perform at Dubai Opera on Wednesday, January 20. Tickets from Dh195 at dubaiopera.com
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Calls
Directed by: Fede Alvarez
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Karen Gillian, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
4/5
Specs
Engine: 2-litre
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 255hp
Torque: 273Nm
Price: Dh240,000
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)
Engine 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch
Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm
Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est)
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai
Pakistan Super League
Previous winners
2016 Islamabad United
2017 Peshawar Zalmi
2018 Islamabad United
2019 Quetta Gladiators
Most runs Kamran Akmal – 1,286
Most wickets Wahab Riaz –65
