Five things you need to know about Callum Beattie
CALLUM BEATTIE discusses cheating exes and gate-crashing. The Scottish singer played last weekend at Boardmasters festival.
What inspired your new single Man Behind The Sun (out now)?
It’s about someone you’re in love with running away with someone else on holiday. It happened to me last year when my girlfriend was in Turkey. I move on pretty quickly.
Glad to hear it! How did you catch your break in the industry?
I used to sneak backstage at shows to hand out demos. At a Kaiser Chiefs gig at Meadowbank Stadium, Edinburgh, drummer Nick Baines said we could hang out. I said, “One day I’ll play that stage”, and they got me to sign my autograph.
Have you crossed paths with the band since?
Eight years later, my manager asked if there was anyone I’d like to write with. I said, “Try the Kaiser Chiefs”. Nick texted me a picture of my autograph and he’s co-written some songs for the album.
You have a condition called ‘synaesthesia’, seeing music as colours?
I don’t know where it comes from. A lot of creative people have it, including JAY-Z apparently. I’m drawn to greens and blues. If something is red I tend to stay away from it.
Tell us more about working with Coldplay producer Ken Nelson…
The man has got so much experience under his belt. It was like an apprenticeship.
Author: Tom Stichbury
