Before “Britain’s Got Talent” breakout star Calum Scott was impressing Simon Cowell with his vocals, he was working a recruitment job in human resources which he described was “as exciting as it sounds.”

Sure it was never as thrilling as signing a major record label deal, but there was at least one moment that proved a little more eventful than it should have, especially since it involved spreadsheets.

“This was people claiming about their expenses, and it was everybody in the counsel,” he recalled while noting there were about 15,000 employees. “I managed to adjust the columns by accident.”

The end result of Scott’s minor spreadsheet slip-up: it cost his company the equivalent of $300,000.

“And they still employed me!” he continued, before asking, “What do you have to do to get sacked around here?”

After eight years, he never found out. Scott auditioned for “BGT” with a ballad-rendition of Robyn’s hit, “Dancing On My Own.” Cowell sent him on to the next round and England fell in love with him. Now Scott is signed to Capitol Records and working on releasing a body of original music, all while his cover climbs up charts across the globe.

The Capitol deal has opened up a new set of experiences for the artist with humble beginnings, from attending events at Kensington Palace to recently rubbing elbows with Lady Gaga.

“I wanted a picture with her, but her security guy was very adamant that the phones weren’t taken out,” Scott noted – the reason being Gaga played her new single, which the UK artist insists is, “really, really good.” “Perfect Illusion” was co-produced by Mark Ronson and will be out this month.

“Yeah, it was really cool. She was a really cool person.”

What’s interesting about Scott is his background: he only auditioned for “BGT” because his sister, who also sings, dragged him along. Jade went first and Cowell wasn’t as kind to her, rejecting her bid.

“I felt like I had stolen it from under her feet,” Scott told me. “I felt sorry for my mom, because she saw the high of me and the low of my sister. But as a family, it kind of made us stronger because we were like, ‘If we can get through this …’”

Scott’s sister is still pursuing a career in music and will also be giving birth to Scott’s nephew this month. Neither of his parents have a musical background; causing Scott to joke with his sister that perhaps they were adopted.

“None of our family sings; it’s literally just me and my sister,” Scott said. “My mom works at … the comparison of Wal-Mart back in England, hopefully not for much longer if I can keep this up. And my dad is a floor laborer in Canada.”

Both are extremely proud of their son, who in addition to working on his debut album, will tour North America for a 10-date jaunt that kicks off this November. Scott will play Philadelphia’s The Fillmore on November 9th.

http://www.theweekender.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_ralphie.jpg.optimal.jpg

Calum Scott and Ralphie Aversa pose for a picture after a recent interview.
http://www.theweekender.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Calum.jpg.optimal.jpgCalum Scott and Ralphie Aversa pose for a picture after a recent interview. Submitted photo

Calum Scott and Ralphie Aversa pose for a picture after a recent interview.
http://www.theweekender.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_CMYKCalum.jpg.optimal.jpgCalum Scott and Ralphie Aversa pose for a picture after a recent interview. Submitted photo

By Ralphie Aversa | For Weekender

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