Callum Beattie

Callum Beattie, a Scottish singer and songwriter, carries forward the gritty, working-class pop spirit once embodied by performers such as Del Amitri while polishing it with a fresh, modern edge.

Born in Edinburgh and brought up by his single father amid financial hardship with two siblings, he absorbed classic recordings from Rod Stewart, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac, and the Who during childhood, nurturing an early determination to craft songs himself. At fourteen he convinced his father to purchase a guitar and started composing. After leaving school without formal credentials beyond an optimistic outlook and strong diligence, he slowly cultivated a local audience by performing in pubs. Wearing the high-visibility jacket from his supermarket trolley-collecting job, he bluffed his way backstage at festivals to distribute demos; one year he even stormed the stage amid R.E.M.’s performance before 70,000 spectators at T in the Park.

Beattie forged a raw, confessional songwriting approach rooted in personal experience that resonated strongly with listeners. His debut single, “We Are Stars,” appeared in 2017, after which periods spent in London and Berlin supplied inspiration for further releases. Popularity spiked when his hastily composed “Boris Brexit Song,” a satirical jab at the U.K.’s ruling Conservative Party, spread rapidly online in 2019, the same year he debuted at the Glastonbury Festival. His first album, People Like Us, produced by Ken Nelson and issued through Universal’s 3 Beat Records imprint, arrived in 2020 and reached the top of the Scottish album chart. Capitalizing on its reception, he appeared at many U.K. festivals and, that December, re-released People Like Us with five additional tracks. Throughout 2021 he maintained a busy live schedule while preparing his second album. Working again with Chris Marshall, known for his work with Gerry Cinnamon and Declan Welsh, Beattie once more addressed the hardships of everyday life through lyrics set to a blend of indie folk and rock. The finished record, Vandals, emerged in early 2023.